IHSAA releases Class 3A, 4A substate pods

They're all together. Almost.

Five of the six Class 4A boys' basketball teams from the Metro have been assigned to the same substate, according to substate pods released Monday morning by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

The exception is Cedar Rapids Jefferson, which was assigned to a substate grouping with Cedar Falls, Marshalltown, Mason City, Waterloo East and Waterloo West.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Cedar Rapids Xavier and Linn-Mar all are in the same substate (6), with Iowa City High. Linn-Mar is the defending 4A state champ and has been to the state tournament eight consecutive years.

Top-ranked Iowa City West, meanwhile, has been assigned to a substate with five Mississippi Athletic Conference schools: Bettendorf, Burlington, Davenport Central, Davenport West ad Muscatine.

In Class 3A, Marion is in tough with a substate that includes Davenport Assumption, Solon, Williamsburg and an emerging Clear Creek-Amana team that has won six games in a row since several suspended players returned. Substate 4 also is a tough one, with Western Dubuque, Maquoketa, Vinton-Shellsburg and Dubuque Wahlert included.

Teams in each substate will be seeded according to how they did in Game 5 through 15 on their schedule. Official substate pairings should be released in late January or early February.

Here are the pods, with Class 4A first:

2011-12 Basketball Substate Assignments_4A

2011-12 Basketball District Assignments_3A