A complete Week 9 area Iowa high school football primer as a big Friday approaches

When you get to Week 9 of the Iowa high school football season, there’s a lot to sift through.

It’s the first round of the playoff series in the smaller four classes, then the deck will be shuffled Saturday for the Round of 16.

In the larger three classes, it’s the final week of the regular season. Playoff berths are on the line, whether it’s through the RPI method of Class 5A or the district format in 4A and 3A.

At any rate, here’s how things stand in all seven classes.

Class 5A

(Top 16 advance, solely based on RPI)

1. Southeast Polk (8-0, .7251, vs. Des Moines Lincoln) — Rams have secured the No. 1 seed regardless of outcome Friday.

2. West Des Moines Dowling (7-1, .6715, vs. Sioux City North) — Maroons have wrapped up a top-four seed, and two home games. They will almost assuredly be the No. 2 seed with a victory.

3. Bettendorf (7-1, .6634, vs. Iowa City High) — Assured of two home games, win or lose. Will stay at 3 with a win unless Dowling gets a stunning loss.

4. Pleasant Valley (7-1, .6559, at Linn-Mar) — The 4 slot will be the Spartans’ destiny with a win, and they probably have enough of a buffer to stay there in the event of a loss.

5. Waukee Northwest (6-2, .6013, at Ames) — The Wolves have a slim chance of jumping over Pleasant Valley if they win, the Spartans lose and enough strength-of-schedule variables break their way.

6. Waukee (6-2, .5883, at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln) — Warriors are heavily favored to secure a first-round home date.

7. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (5-3, .5816, vs. Davenport North) — Same story as both Waukee schools. Take care of business Friday, and the Cougars will be at Kingston Stadium for Round 1.

8. Ankeny (5-3, .5735, vs. Cedar Rapids Washington) — The Hawks should be the eighth and final first-round host with a win.

9. Cedar Falls (5-3, .5640, at Davenport West) — The Tigers head to the Quad Cities to face a team playing for its postseason life. They could play a first-round game at the UNI-Dome with a win and an unlikely loss by any of the four teams above them.

10. Iowa City High (5-3, .5543, at Bettendorf) — Last week’s 30-0 win over Linn-Mar appears to have locked up a postseason bid for the Little Hawks.

11. Sioux City East (5-3, .5536, vs. Johnston) — The Black Raiders appear to be the first team that could potentially drop out of the top 16 with a loss and if enough dominoes fall beneath them. They should be in either way, but it’s not yet a guarantee.

12. Johnston (4-4, .5451, at Sioux City East) — If the Dragons go to Sioux City and win, they are likely to rise a couple of slots, to 10 or so. A loss would drop them to the bubble of qualification.

13. Cedar Rapids Prairie (4-4, .5436, at Iowa City West) — Prairie dropped four spots after a rainy 35-8 home loss to Bettendorf last week. They will be no worse than 12 if they win Friday; a loss could knock them out if Linn-Mar and/or Davenport West pull an upset.

14. Ankeny Centennial (4-4, .5264, at Urbandale) — Pretty simple math here. The Jaguars are in win-and-in, win-or-else mode.

15. Linn-Mar (4-4, .5224, vs. Pleasant Valley) — An upset victory simplifies things for the Lions. There is a formula that could get Linn-Mar in with a loss; basically, the teams directly below them (except West Des Moines Valley) would have to lose too. Fortunately for the Lions, all of them are Week 9 underdogs.

16. Davenport West (5-3, .5164, vs. Cedar Falls) — Falcons are significant underdogs against Cedar Falls. Pull an upset, and they are playoff-bound.

17. Iowa City West (4-4, .5029, vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie) — It’s difficult to spot a scenario without the Trojans in the playoffs if they win Friday, and there most likely isn’t one in which they qualify with a loss.

18. West Des Moines Valley (3-5, .5012, at Marshalltown) — The three teams directly in front of Valley are underdogs Friday. If two of them lose, and if Valley wins, the Tigers will qualify at 4-5.

19. Urbandale (4-4, .4975, vs. Ankeny Centennial) — The last team that can cross the .5000 RPI barrier with a win, and the last team with a decent mathematical shot. But the J-Hawks need some dominoes to fall in their favor. And of course, they must win.

Class 4A

(Top two teams advance from each district, plus four at-large teams based on RPI)

DISTRICT 2

Western Dubuque (7-1, 4-0) is ranked No. 1 both in The Gazette’s Week 8 poll and also in RPI. The Bobcats have clinched the district title. Marion (6-2, 3-1) can sew up an automatic bid if it wins at Waverly-Shell Rock (2-6, 2-2), which won’t be as easy as it looks. Decorah (5-3, 2-2) is No. 13 in the RPI sweepstakes, and is a likely at-large qualifier if it closes with a home win over Waterloo East (2-6, 0-4).

DISTRICT 3

Cedar Rapids Xavier (6-2, 4-0) and North Scott (6-2, 3-1) have secured playoff spots as the champion and runner-up, respectively. No teams from this district are in serious at-large discussion.

Class 3A

(Top two teams advance from each district, plus four at-large teams based on RPI)

DISTRICT 3

DeWitt Central’s 28-17 win over Dubuque Wahlert on Monday simplified things somewhat. West Delaware (5-3, 3-1) can win the championship if it wins at DeWitt on Friday. However, if the Sabers (4-4, 2-2) pull another upset, it probably would knock the Hawks out of the playoffs completely. Independence (6-2, 3-1) is assured a playoff berth, and wins the title with a win at Center Point-Urbana (2-6, 1-3) and a West Delaware loss.

DISTRICT 4

The champion is Mount Vernon (7-1, 4-0); the runner-up is Davenport Assumption (6-2, 3-1). At No. 20, Fort Madison (5-3, 2-2) has a very slim hope for an at-large slot.

DISTRICT 5

Solon (7-1, 4-0) has won seven straight games and has pocketed the district title. Williamsburg (7-1, 3-1) will snag the runner-up slot if it beats Benton Community (5-3, 2-2) at home OR if Grinnell (5-3, 2-2) takes care of Fairfield (3-5, 1-3) to create a three-way tie (Williamsburg would have the advantage with an RPI currently at 3). Benton and Grinnell are in must-win mode to be in the at-large discussion.

Class 2A

AREA GAME OF THE WEEK

North Fayette Valley (3-5) at No. 4 Monticello (7-1)

Look at the records, and your first inclination is “mismatch.” Monticello has won seven consecutive games after an opening-week loss to Mount Vernon, by a cumulative margin of 338-57. University of Iowa recruit Preston Ries has accumulated 38 touchdowns (20 rushing, 18 passing) and has posted a “double-quadruple” (1,189 yards by ground, 1,656 in the air). On the other hand, there is no dispute that North Fayette Valley has faced a more challenging schedule. All five of NFV’s losses came against playoff teams, and the TigerHawks do have a convincing 34-7 win over district-champion Waukon in their pocket.

OTHER AREA GAMES

Anamosa (4-4) at Mediapolis (6-2)

Crestwood (3-5) at Jesup (5-3)

Northeast (4-4) at Mid-Prairie (4-4)

Union Community (2-6) at Waukon (5-3)

Class 1A

AREA GAME OF THE WEEK

Pleasantville (5-3) at No. 9 West Branch (5-3)

West Branch is in the playoffs for the 30th time, and has only missed once since 2008. This is the Bears’ first postseason appearance without Butch Pedersen, though. The Bears challenged themselves with a stiff pre-district slate, and earned a 2-seed in a district that houses three top-10 teams. They were 2-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Pleasantville’s Caleb Cook has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and is the 1A leader with 18 rushing touchdowns. The Trojans’ Logan Roff and the Bears’ Cale Seydel are 1A co-leaders with five interceptions apiece.

OTHER AREA GAMES

Cascade (2-6) at No. 1 Grundy Center (8-0)

Eddyville EBF (3-5) at No. 5 Iowa City Regina (7-1)

Hudson (5-3) at No. 4 MFL MarMac (7-1)

West Central Valley (3-5) at No. 6 Sigourney-Keota (7-1)

Class A

AREA GAME OF THE WEEK

North Linn (6-2) at No. 5 Lisbon (8-0)

If there was an over/under for total points in this game, it would be quite low. Both teams are extremely stingy defensively: Lisbon allows 7.9 points per game; North Linn surrenders 9.5. This is anything but your typical 4-at-1 first-round game. The Lynx were part of a grueling District 4 and are the only team to have conquered Starmont. District 5 champion Lisbon, on the other hand, faced the 58th-best schedule in Class A (among 58 teams, according to BC Moore). North Linn’s Drew Ries is second in the class in tackles (78.5), and Cael Benesh has snagged six interceptions. They’ll try to keep up with Lisbon’s speedy crew.

OTHER AREA GAMES

Maquoketa Valley (6-2) at Columbus Community (6-2)

North Butler (6-2) at No. 9 Starmont (7-1)

South Winneshiek (5-3) at East Buchanan (6-2)

8-Player

AREA GAME OF THE WEEK

Iowa Valley (6-2) at BGM (5-3)

These teams clashed in Week 1, with Iowa Valley prevailing, 48-30. BGM found itself in a precarious situation heading into last week. A 43-32 win over Moravia sent the Bears to a district title; a loss would have left them out of the playoffs altogether. Sophomore quarterback Beau Burns is tied for the 8-Player lead in total touchdowns with 46, including 28 in the air. He has thrown for 2,072 yards. BGM is explosive, scoring more than 80 points on three occasions. Iowa Valley has a capable defense, though, allowing 22 points or less five times. Tigers QB Nolan Kriegel, a freshman, has accounted for 26 TDs.

OTHER AREA GAMES

Belle Plaine (4-4) at No. 1 Winfield-Mount Union (8-0)

Edgewood-Colesburg (5-3) at No. 8 Don Bosco (7-1)

Lansing Kee (6-2) at No. 6 Central City (7-1)

Montezuma (5-4) at No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (7-1)

Moravia (7-2) at Lone Tree (6-2)

Turkey Valley (5-3) at No. 5 Clarksville (9-0)

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com