116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa high school football 2023 preseason rankings: The Gazette’s Class 1A poll
Grundy Center, last year’s Class A state champion, starts at No. 1
Last year’s Grundy Center football team took the next step after three consecutive state runner-up finishes, completing a 13-0 season with a Class A state championship.
The next step in 2023?
Doing it in a bigger class.
Meet the Class 1A No. 1 team: Grundy Center
Good luck finding an Iowa high school football team with more key contributors returning than Grundy Center.
Five first-team all-state selections are back, giving five of six Gazette pollsters enough confidence to slate the Spartans as the preseason Class 1A No. 1 team despite a jump in class.
Among the returnees are Grundy Center’s all-state quarterback (Colin Gordon, 2,071 yards, 25 touchdowns), all-state running back (Justin Knaack, 890 yards, 19 TDs) and all-state receiver (Tate Jirovsky, 580 yards, eight TDs), plus the top four tacklers, including all-state lineman Trent Cakerice and all-state linebacker Clay Saak.
The Spartans won’t have to contend with another reigning champion: Van Meter moved up to Class 2A.
Which 2022 Dome teams are in the Class 1A rankings?
Underwood got the other first-place vote and is ranked No. 2 a year after its only loss came in the state semifinals.
Another 2022 state semifinalist, West Branch starts 2023 ranked No. 9.
Who are the ranked Gazette area Class 1A teams?
Third-ranked MFL MarMac garners significant hype after coming up three points short of a UNI-Dome trip last season. Sigourney-Keota is in a similar spot, ranked No. 4 after powerhouse Van Meter stopped the Cobras in last season’s quarterfinals.
No. 8 Iowa City Regina slots in one spot ahead of rival West Branch.
What are some key Week 1 Class 1A games to watch?
Games kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25, unless otherwise noted.
- (2A) Van Meter at No. 2 Underwood, 7 p.m.
- No. 9 West Branch at (3A) Williamsburg
- No. 1 Grundy Center at Dike-New Hartford, 7 p.m.
- No. 4 Sigourney-Keota at (2A) Monroe PCM
- Sumner-Fredericksburg at (A No. 3) East Buchanan
The Gazette’s Iowa high school football Class 1A preseason rankings
| Ranking | School | 2022 season | Poll points |
| 1 | Grundy Center | 13-0, Class A state champion | 58 (5 first-place) |
| 2 | Underwood | 11-2, state semifinalist | 52 (1) |
| 3 | MFL MarMac | 9-2, state quarterfinalist | 51 |
| 4 | Sigourney Keota | 8-3, state quarterfinalist | 26 |
| 5 | South Hamilton | 8-2, second-round playoff qualifier | 24 |
| T-6 | Avoca AHSTW | 10-1, Class A state quarterfinalist | 23 |
| T-6 | Waterloo Columbus | 6-4, second-round playoff qualifier | 23 |
| 8 | Iowa City Regina | 5-4, playoff qualifier | 16 |
| 9 | West Branch | 11-1, state semifinalist | 13 |
| 10 | Aplington-Parkersburg | 8-2, second-round playoff qualifier | 11 |
Others receiving votes: Pella Christian 9, Ida Grove OABCIG 8, Sumner-Fredericksburg 6, Dike-New Hartford 3, Ogden 2, Treynor 2, Wilton 2, Lawton-Bronson 1
Find the full rankings here if you’re having trouble seeing them on this post.
Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com
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