Iowa high school football 2021 and 2022: Groups and districts, nuts and bolts, ins and outs

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released Class 5A 'groups,' and districts for the other six classes, for the 2021 and 2022 football seasons Friday.

Here is a glance at the formats for each class:

Class 5A

• Teams: 36

• Groups: 6

• Teams per group: 6

• Playoff qualifiers: 16

• Automatic qualifiers: None

• At-large berths: 16, based on RPI

• Regular-season games (per team): 9

• Group games (per team): 4

• Assigned games (per team): 1

• Non-Group games (per team): 4

Assigned & group games for area 5A schools:

• Cedar Rapids Jefferson: Waterloo West, Southeast Polk, Linn-Mar, Ottumwa, Marshalltown.

• Cedar Rapids Kennedy: Cedar Falls, Dubuque Senior, Davenport West, Dubuque Hempstead, Johnston.

• Cedar Rapids Prairie: Southeast Polk, Linn-Mar, Ottumwa, Waterloo East, Iowa City West.

• Iowa City High: Pleasant Valley, Davenport Central, Iowa City West, Davenport North, Davenport West.

• Iowa City West: Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley, Iowa City High, Davenport Central, Cedar Rapids Prairie.

• Linn-Mar: Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Southeast Polk, Davenport Central.

» All Class 5A groups

Class 4A

• Teams: 36

• Districts: 6

• Teams per district: 6

• Playoff qualifiers: 16

• Automatic qualifiers: 12, top two per district

• At-large berths: 4, based on RPI

• Regular-season games (per team): 9

• District games (per team): 5

• Non-district games (per team): 4

Area districts:

• District 2: Decorah, Marion, Mason City, Waterloo East, Waverly-Shell Rock, Western Dubuque.

• District 3: Burlington, Clinton, Fort Madison, Iowa City Liberty, Mount Pleasant, North Scott.

• District 4: Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Clear Creek Amana, Newton, Oskaloosa, Pella.

» All Class 4A districts

Class 3A

• Teams: 36

• Districts: 6

• Teams per district: 6

• Playoff qualifiers: 16

• Automatic qualifiers: 12, top two per district

• At-large berths: 4, based on RPI

• Regular-season games (per team): 9

• District games (per team): 5

• Non-district games (per team): 4

Area districts:

• District 3: Center Point-Urbana, Charles City, Hampton-Dumont/CAL, Independence, South Tama, West Delaware

• District 4: Benton Community, Davenport Assumption, DeWitt Central, Maquoketa, Mount Vernon, Vinton-Shellsburg.

• District 5: Fairfield, Grinnell, Keokuk, Solon, Washington, West Burlington-Notre Dame.

» All Class 3A districts

Class 2A

• Teams: 48

• Districts: 8

• Teams per district: 6

• Playoff qualifiers: 32

• Automatic qualifiers: 32, top four per district

• At-large berths: None.

• Regular-season games (per team): 8

• District games (per team): 5

• Non-District games (per team): 3

Area districts:

• District 4: Dubuque Wahlert, Jesup, North Fayette Valley, Oelwein, Union Community, Waukon.

• District 5: Anamosa, Camanche, Monticello, Northeast, Tipton, West Liberty.

• District 6: Centerville, Central Lee, Davis County, Eddyville EBF, Mid-Prairie, Williamsburg.

» All Class 2A districts

Class 1A

• Teams: 48

• Districts: 8

• Teams per district: 6

• Playoff qualifiers: 32

• Automatic qualifiers: 32, top four per district

• At-large berths: None.

• Regular-season games (per team): 8

• District games (per team): 5

• Non-district games (per team): 3

Area districts:

• District 4: Cascade, Dyersville Beckman, MFL MarMac, Postville, Sumner-Fredeicksburg, Waterloo Columbus.

• District 5: Durant, Iowa City Regina, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis, West Branch, Wilton.

• District 6: Cardinal, Central Decatur, Pella Christian, Pleasantville, Sigourney-Keota, Van Buren County.

» All Class 1A districts

Class A

• Teams: 56

• Districts: 8

• Teams per district: 7

• Playoff qualifiers: 32

• Automatic qualifiers: 32, top four per district

• At-large berths: None.

• Regular-season games (per team): 8

• District games (per team): 6

• Non-district games (per team): 2

Area districts:

• District 3: Ackley AGWSR, Conrad BCLUW, Grundy Center, Hudson, Nashua-Plainfield, North Tama, Wapsie Valley.

• District 4: Bellevue, Clayton Ridge, East Buchanan, Maquoketa Valley, North Linn, South Winneshiek, Starmont.

• District 5: Alburnett, Columbus Community, Highland, Lisbon, North Cedar, Pekin, Wapello.

• District 6: Belle Plaine, Colfax-Mingo, Lynnville-Sully, Madrid, North Mahaska, Ogden, Wayne.

» All Class A districts

8-Player

• Teams: 72

• Districts: 10

• Teams per district: eight with 7, two with 8

• Playoff qualifiers: 32

• Automatic qualifiers: 30, top three per district

• At-large berths: 2, 17-point differential in district

• Regular-season games (per team): 8

• District games (per team): 6-7

• Non-District games (per team): 1-2

Area districts:

• District 3: Clarksville, Janesville, Riceville, Rockford, Tripoli, Turkey Valley, West Central.

• District 4: Collins-Maxwell, Colo-Nesco, Don Bosco, Dunkerton, Garwin GMG, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Meskwaki.

• District 5: Calamus-Wheatland, Central City, Easton Valley, Edgewood-Colesburg, Elkader Central, Lansing Kee, Midland, Springville.

• District 6: English Valleys, HLV, Iowa Valley, Lone Tree, New London, Tri-County, WACO, Winfield-Mount Union.

• District 7: Baxter, BGM, Grand View Christian, Melcher-Dallas, Montezuma, Twin Cedars, Woodward Academy.

» All 8-Player districts

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