Iowa high school baseball rankings: Xavier, West lead area teams in final poll

The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released its last set of rankings Sunday night.

Metro and Iowa City learned their final position in the weekly poll.

Cedar Rapids Xavier will remain first in Class 3A, while Iowa City West is No. 2 in 4A entering Friday's postseason openers for large schools. Final 1A and 2A rankings were announced last week before the start of district play.

The Saints are tied for first in victories, matching North Linn with 35. Xavier has won 22 straight games and has been atop the 3A poll since the first regular-season installment, passing preseason No. 1 Davenport Assumption in Week 2.

West has climbed to 30-6, winning 16 of its last 17 including 10 in a row. The Trojans recorded two single-game victories over rival Iowa City High in consecutive days last week, erasing an 8-1 deficit with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh and rallying for three more in the bottom of the eighth for a wild 11-10 win last Thursday.

Xavier is joined by fourth-ranked Marion. The Indians (27-5) have been impressive this season behind ace Rick Atkins, who is 7-1 with a 0.52 earned-run average and 87 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched.

Both Marion and Xavier host 3A district semifinals Friday. The Saints play Iowa Falls-Alden, following a game between Center Point-Urbana and Decorah at 5 p.m. Marion faces Newton in the nightcap of a doubleheader that opens with South Tama and Bondurant-Farrar at 5 p.m.

West also starts the postseason Friday, hosting Muscatine at 7 p.m.

Western Dubuque was a state semifinalist last season and will begin the postseason ranked fifth in 4A. The Bobcats have slipped slightly, but are capable of another deep run. Western Dubuque hosts Waterloo East in a first-round substate game Friday at Farley.

Johnston maintain its top ranking in 4A, holding the spot the entire season.

CLASS 4A

1. Johnston

2. Iowa City West

3. Southeast Polk

4. Ankeny Centennial

5. Western Dubuque

6. West Des Moines Dowling

7. Des Moines Roosevelt

8. Waukee

9. Urbandale

10. Mason City

Others receiving votes: Iowa City High, Linn-Mar, Pleasant Valley Sioux City East

CLASS 3A

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier

2. Davenport Assumption

3. DeWitt Central

4. Marion

5. Harlan

6. Fairfield

7. North Polk

8. Gilbert

9. Centerville

10. Ballard

Others receiving votes: Glenwood, Grinnell, Sioux City Heelan, Washington, Winterset

CLASS 2A

1. Wilton

2. North Linn

3. Dike-New Hartford

4. West Lyon

5. Van Meter

6. Treynor

7. New Hampton

8. Dyersville Beckman

9. Hinton

10. Estherville-Lincoln Central

Others receiving votes: Des Moines Christian, Mapleton MVAOCOU, Pocahontas Area, Underwood, West Marshall

CLASS 1A

1. Mason City Newman

2. Martensdale-St. Marys

3. Alburnett

4. Calamus-Wheatland

5. Southeast Warren

6. Don Bosco

7. Saint Ansgar

8. Kingsley-Pierson

9. Coon Rapids-Bayard

10. Remsen St. Mary's

Others receiving votes: Anita CAM, Council Bluffs St. Albert, HLV, Lansing Kee, South Winneshiek, Wapsie Valley, West Fork

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