Iowa high school football rankings: The Gazette’s 2024 post-Week 2 poll

Solon is the new Class 3A top-ranked team in The Gazette’s football poll.

If the Spartans stay there awhile, they’ll have earned it.

Decisive victories over Davenport Assumption and Clear Creek Amana have allowed the Spartans to reach the top spot. They’ll be heavy favorites this week at Central DeWitt, but challenges against No. 3 Mount Vernon (Week 4, at home) and No. 2 Williamsburg (Week 7, away) aren’t far down the road.

Williamsburg’s 29-27 loss to Cedar Rapids Xavier opened the door for Solon to reach the 3A poll summit. Eddie Johnson has rushed for 258 yards and five touchdowns.

Class 5A also has a new leader; West Des Moines Dowling supplanted West Des Moines Valley after a 26-23, overtime victory over the Tigers on Friday.

Dowling received five first-place votes and is a comfortable 5A leader. Waukee, Valley and Ankeny Centennial are a tight clump from 2 through 4, then Southeast Polk rounds out the top five.

Three of the top four have Week 3 challenges: Dowling is at Ankeny (the preseason No. 1 and now 0-2), Valley welcomes No. 10 Johnston and Centennial travels to No. 7 Cedar Falls.

Lewis Central remains a unanimous No. 1 in 4A after whipping Creston, 44-8. The Titans host No. 9 Adel ADM this week.

North Scott stays at No. 2, Indianola and North Polk are tied for third and Xavier continues its sharp incline, up to No. 5.

Indianola is at No. 6 Pella on Friday.

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How the ranked Iowa high school football teams fared Friday night

The top four stay in order in 2A; it’s West Lyon, Van Meter, Monroe PCM and Spirit Lake. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock is up two spots to No. 5.

West Lyon heads to Ida Grove on Friday for a test with Class 1A No. 2 OCBCIG. Two-time defending 1A champion Grundy Center continues to lead that class; the Spartans won their 28th straight game, 43-7 over Aplington-Parkersburg, last week.

Wilton is No. 3 in 1A, with Dike-New Hartford and Emmetsburg tied for fourth.

Woodbury Central, Guthrie Center ACGC and West Hancock remain the top three in Class A; likewise Remsen St. Mary’s, Bedford and Algona Garrigan in 8-Player.

Bedford is at No. 6 Lenox in a battle of Taylor County archrivals Friday.

The Gazette’s post-Week 2 football poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

CLASS 5A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. West Des Moines Dowling (5) 2-0 59 2

2. Waukee 2-0 48 2

3. West Des Moines Valley 1-1 47 1

4. Ankeny Centennial (1) 2-0 46 4

5. Southeast Polk 1-1 39 5

6. Bettendorf 2-0 22 8

7. Cedar Falls 2-0 21 —

8. Linn-Mar 2-0 18 10

9. Iowa City Liberty 2-0 13 —

10. Johnston 1-1 11 6

Dropped out: Ankeny (7), Cedar Rapids Kennedy (8).

Others receiving votes: Ankeny 3, Pleasant Valley 3.

CLASS 4A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Lewis Central (6) 2-0 60 1

2. North Scott 2-0 52 2

T-3. Indianola 2-0 41 5

T-3. North Polk 2-0 41 4

5. Cedar Rapids Xavier 2-0 36 7

6. Pella 2-0 27 8

7. Decorah 2-0 26 9

8. Gilbert 2-0 19 10

9. Adel ADM 2-0 17 —

10. Western Dubuque 1-1 3 3

Dropped out: Bondurant-Farrar (6).

Others receiving votes: Newton 2, Waverly-Shell Rock 2, Boone 1.

CLASS 3A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Solon (4) 2-0 52 2

2. Williamsburg 1-1 48 1

3. Mount Vernon (2) 2-0 46 3

4. Algona 2-0 43 4

5. Clear Lake 2-0 35 5

6. Independence 2-0 29 7

7. Dubuque Wahlert 2-0 20 —

8. Nevada 2-0 18 8

9. Sioux City Heelan 2-0 12 —

10. Harlan 1-1 9 10

Dropped out: West Delaware (6), MOC-Floyd Valley (9).

Others receiving votes: Grinnell 7, Humboldt 6, West Delaware 5.

CLASS 2A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. West Lyon (3) 2-0 56 1

2. Van Meter (1) 2-0 52 2

3. Monroe PCM (1) 2-0 49 3

4. Spirit Lake (1) 1-1 47 4

5. Central Lyon-GLR 1-1 29 7

6. Carroll Kuemper 1-1 26 9

7. Clarinda 2-0 24 6

8. Cherokee 2-0 21 7

9. Northeast 2-0 10 —

10. Jesup 2-0 6 —

Dropped out: Western Christian (5), Des Moines Christian (10).

Others receiving votes: Anamosa 5, Roland-Story 2, Western Christian 2, West Burlington-Notre Dame 1.

CLASS 1A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Grundy Center (4) 2-0 55 1

2. Ida Grove OABCIG (2) 2-0 48 3

3. Wilton 2-0 46 2

T-4. Dike-New Hartford 1-1 39 5

T-4. Emmetsburg 2-0 39 6

6. Avoca AHSTW 2-0 32 7

7. Iowa City Regina 2-0 22 10

8. South Hardin 2-0 19 9

9. Hinton 2-0 16 —

10. Underwood 0-2 10 4

Dropped out: Sumner-Fredericksburg (8), MFL MarMac (10).

Others receiving votes: Ridge View 3, Dyersville Beckman 1.

CLASS A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Woodbury Central (4) 2-0 57 1

2. Guthrie Center ACGC (1) 2-0 53 2

3. West Hancock 2-0 47 3

4. Saint Ansgar 2-0 34 5

5. Mount Ayr (1) 2-0 28 6

6. Starmont 2-0 23 7

7. Madrid 1-1 18 8

8. Lisbon 2-0 13 10

9. Earlham 1-1 12 9

10. Kingsley-Pierson/River Valley 2-0 11 —

Dropped out: Logan-Magnolia (4).

Others receiving votes: IKM-Manning 9, Tri-Center 9, Nashua-Plainfield 5, Lynnville-Sully 4, Logan-Magnolia 3, Wapsie Valley 2.

8-PLAYER W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Remsen St. Mary’s (5) 2-0 53 1

2. Bedford (1) 2-0 51 2

3. Algona Garrigan 2-0 41 3

4. Audubon 2-0 37 4

5. Don Bosco 2-0 33 5

6. Lenox 2-0 32 6

7. Iowa Valley 3-0 21 8

8. Anita CAM 1-1 20 7

9. Lansing Kee 2-0 11 10

10. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1-1 9 —

Dropped out: WACO (9).

Others receiving votes: Woodbine 8, Winfield-Mount Union 7, Belle Plaine 3, Clarksville 3, Southeast Warren 1.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com