What the 2021 Iowa high school football classifications very well may look like

An area football coach stumbled across unofficial BEDS Documents numbers for the 2021-22 school year on the Iowa High School Athletic Association website.

Using those numbers, we have determined UNOFFICIAL classifications for the 2021 football season. In any ties for the last spot, we will assume that the school listed LAST alphabetically will move to the higher class, because the opposite rule was in effect for the previous school year.

Some interesting findings:

• Cedar Rapids Washington has dropped all the way to 39th in the state in enrollment (874, in grades 9-11 this school year). Thus, the Warriors will play in Class 4A, the second-to-largest classification (36 schools will make up the new 5A).

• Dubuque Wahlert will move down to Class 2A.

• West Branch will be on the 1A/A line, and the alphabet would keep the Bears in Class 1A.

• Calamus-Wheatland, which has been in a sharing agreement with DeWitt Central for years, will field a team for the first time in school history. Cal-Wheat will play 8-Player, and all games will be on the road.

Projected enrollments and classifications are as follows:

Class 5A

(36 teams, 9 regular-season games, 16 playoff qualifiers)

1. West Des Moines Valley 2,141

2. Des Moines Lincoln 1,807

3. Johnston 1,727

4. Linn-Mar 1,666

5. Southeast Polk 1,642

6. Des Moines East 1,595

7. Des Moines Roosevelt 1,543

8. Waterloo West 1,423

9. Ankeny Centennial 1,395

10. Ankeny 1,378

11. Cedar Falls 1,318

12. Cedar Rapids Prairie 1,302

13. Waukee Northwest 1,260

14. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 1,248

15. Davenport Central 1,242

16. Sioux City North 1,240

17. Bettendorf 1,218

18. Dubuque Hempstead 1,204

19. Pleasant Valley 1,183

20. Iowa City High 1,181

21. Waukee 1,171

22. Marshalltown 1,162

23. Sioux City East 1,135

24. Iowa City West 1,113

25. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 1,112

26. Muscatine 1,111

27. Davenport West 1,090

28. Des Moines North 1,088

29. Dubuque Senior 1,078

30. West Des Moines Dowling 1,063

31. Ames 1,054

32. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 1,016

33. Ottumwa 1,007

34. Davenport North 997

35. Sioux City West 993

36. Urbandale 959

Class 4A

(36 teams, 9 regular-season games, 16 playoff qualifiers)

37. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson 939

38. Iowa City Liberty 886

39. Cedar Rapids Washington 874

40. Fort Dodge 823

41. Mason City 817

42. Indianola 814

43. Waterloo East 813

44. Clinton 783

45. Norwalk 768

46. Des Moines Hoover 755

47. North Scott 750

48. Burlington 725

49. Lewis Central 717

50. Western Dubuque 717

51. Dallas Center-Grimes 683

52. Newton 668

53. Storm Lake 647

54. Denison-Schleswig 600

55. Mount Pleasant 580

56. Spencer 560

57. Clear Creek Amana 556

58. Waverly-Shell Rock 555

59. Pella 544

60. Marion 522

61. Bondurant-Farrar 520

62. Carlisle 511

63. Cedar Rapids Xavier 505

64. Boone 491

65. LeMars 483

66. Fort Madison 480

67. Oskaloosa 469

68. Webster City 457

69. Glenwood 446

70. Winterset 436

71. Decorah 431

*72. Perry 422 (*Note, LAST alphabetical probably will be the tie-breaker in 2021-22)

Class 3A

(36 teams, 9 regular-season games, 16 playoff qualifiers)

*73. Keokuk 422

*74. Carroll 422

75. Adel ADM 421

76. North Polk 412

77. Gilbert 402

78. Creston 400

79. Charles City 397

80. Fairfield 395

81. Central DeWitt 392

82. Solon 389

83. Knoxville 385

84. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 384

85. Sioux City Heelan 376

86. Benton Community 375

87. Humboldt 371

88. Grinnell 370

89. Maquoketa 370

90. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 369

91. West Delaware 365

92. Center Point-Urbana 364

93. Washington 364

94. Harlan 363

95. MOC-Floyd Valley 357

96. South Tama 356

97. Ballard 354

98. Independence 353

99. Vinton-Shellsburg 346

100. Nevada 345

101. Davenport Assumption 342

102. Algona 335

103. West Burlington-Notre Dame 334

104. Sioux Center 328

105. Hampton-Dumont/CAL 324

106. Saydel 324

107. Atlantic 322

108. Mount Vernon 322

Class 2A

(48 teams, 8 regular-season games, 32 playoff qualifiers)

109. Iowa Falls-Alden 319

110. Clarke 319

111. Crestwood 316

112. Dubuque Wahlert 316

113. Clear Lake 315

114. Anamosa 309

115. Estherville ELC 307

116. Davis County 305

117. Greene County 302

118. West Liberty 298

119. Williamsburg 293

120. Centerville 289

121. Albia 288

122. Oelwein 288

123. Spirit Lake 283

124. Monticello 282

125. Clarinda 281

126. Chariton 278

127. Sheldon 277

128. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 276

129. Waukon 265

130. Okoboji 263

131. New Hampton 260

132. Forest City 255

133. Cherokee 253

134. Mid-Prairie 252

135. Roland-Story 248

136. Des Moines Christian 244

137. Union Community 244

138. Southeast Valley 242

139. Tipton 242

140. Central Lee 241

141. North Fayette Valley 240

142. Red Oak 239

143. Ida Grove OABCIG 238

144. West Marshall 238

145. Monroe PCM 234

146. Garner GHV 230

147. Shenandoah 229

148. Unity Christian 227

149. Clarion CGD 226

150. Northeast 222

151. Eddyville EBF 221

152. West Lyon 221

153. Camanche 220

154. Pocahontas Area 220

155. Osage 218

156. Jesup 217

Class 1A

(48 teams, 8 regular-season games, 32 playoff qualifiers)

157. Carroll Kuemper 215

158. Treynor 213

159. Eagle Grove 208

160. Western Christian 207

161. Waterloo Columbus 204

162. Emmetsburg 202

163. Interstate 35 201

164. Cardinal 199

165. Underwood 197

166. Van Meter 197

167. West Central Valley 197

168. Dyersville Beckman 196

169. East Marshall 194

170. Mediapolis 194

171. Mapleton MVAOCOU 194

172. Sibley-Ocheyedan 194

173. Louisa-Muscatine 190

174. Denver 190

175. Dike-New Hartford 190

176. East Sac County 189

177. Sigourney-Keota 189

178. Wilton 189

179. South Central Calhoun 188

180. Aplington-Parkersburg 187

181. West Sioux 187

182. Nodaway Valley 186

183. Woodward-Granger 184

184. Belmond-Klemme 183

185. Sumner-Fredericksburg 181

186. Manson-Northwest Webster 180

187. Panorama 180

188. Ridge View 180

189. South Hamilton 180

190. Central Decatur 179

191. Central Springs 179

192. Pella Christian 179

193. Sioux Central 178

194. Guthrie Center ACGC 175

195. MFL MarMac 175

196. Van Buren County 174

197. Cascade 172

198. Iowa City Regina 171

199. Durant 170

200. Postville 170

201. South Hardin 170

*202. West Monona 169 (*Note, LAST alphabetical probably will be the tie-breaker in 2021-22)

*203. West Branch 169

*204. Pleasantville 169

Class A and 8-Player

(Class A: Remainder of 11-player teams, 8 regular-season games, 32 playoff qualifiers)

(8-Player: 8 regular-season games, 32 playoff qualifiers)

(Note: The IHSAA hasn't released what the BEDS cutoff will be for 8-Player eligibility. It probably will be in the 120-135 range)

*205. Mount Ayr 169

*206. Hinton 169

207. Missouri Valley 168

208. Grundy Center 167

209. Colfax-Mingo 164

210. Alta-Aurelia 162

211. Hudson 161

212. North Union 161

213. Pekin 159

214. Ogden 158

215. North Cedar 157

216. Alburnett 157

217. Bellevue 157

218. Avoca AHSTW 155

219. Southwest Valley 155

220. Wapsie Valley 155

221. Lake Mills 154

222. IKM-Manning 153

223. Clayton Ridge 152

224. Lawton-Bronson 152

225. South Winneshiek 152

226. Hartley HMS 150

227. Madrid 149

228. West Fork 149

229. Logan-Magnolia 148

230. Earlham 147

231. Columbus Community 146

232. Starmont 144

233. Ackley AGWSR 142

234. Maquoketa Valley 142

235. Conrad BCLUW 139

236. South O'Brien 139

237. Tri-Center 139

238. Westwood 139

239. Newell-Fonda 136

240. North Linn 136

241. West Hancock 136

242. East Buchanan 135

243. Woodbury Central 135

244. Lisbon 134

245. Marcus MMCRU 133

246. North Butler 133

247. Akron-Westfield 132

248. Iowa Valley 132

249. New London 132

250. Mason City Newman 131

251. Council Bluffs St. Albert 131

252. Lynnville-Sully 130

253. Sidney 130

254. Nashua-Plainfield 128

255. Highland 127

256. North Mahaska 127

257. Martensdale-St. Marys 126

258. Wapello 126

259. East Union 125

260. Saint Ansgar 124

261. Oakland Riverside 122

262. Grand View Christian 121

263. Wayne 121

264. Fort Dodge St. Edmond 120

265. Easton Valley 117

266. Garwin GMG 116

267. East Mills 115

268. English Valleys 115

269. Ruthven GTRA 115

270. Northwood-Kensett 115

271. Belle Plaine 114

272. BGM 114

273. Anita CAM 113

274. West Harrison/Whiting 113

275. Midland 112

276. Southeast Warren 110

277. Edgewood-Colesburg 109

278. WACO 109

279. North Tama 108

280. Baxter 107

281. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 107

282. Le Mars Gehlen 107

283. Lone Tree 106

284. Bedford 105

285. Lenox 104

286. Montezuma 104

287. Elkader Central 103

288. Collins-Maxwell 103

289. Winfield-Mount Union 103

290. Kingsley-Pierson 102

291. Central City 100

292. Stanton-Essex 100

293. Griswold 99

294. Algona Garrigan 98

295. Colo-Nesco 98

296. Seymour/Moulton-Udell 98

297. Audubon 97

299. Calamus-Wheatland 96

299. Dunkerton 96

300. Fremont-Mills 95

301. Moravia 95

302. Rockford 94

303. Woodbine 94

304. River Valley 93

305. Springville 93

306. Tripoli 92

307. Turkey Valley 88

308. Boyer Valley 86

309. North Iowa 86

310. Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 83

311. Lansing Kee 82

312. West Bend-Mallard 82

313. Coon Rapids-Bayard 80

314. Harris-Lake Park 78

315. Melcher-Dallas 77

316. Janesville 75

317. HLV 71

318. Lamoni 71

319. Twin Cedars 70

320. Riceville 67

321. Meskwaki 66

322. Don Bosco 65

323. Clarksville 63

324. Murray 62

325. Glidden-Ralston 63

326. Tri-County 59

327. West Central 58

328. Siouxland Christian 57

329. Mormon Trail 52

330. Remsen St. Mary's 49

331. Ar-We-Va 41

332. Clarinda Academy 34

Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com