116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa high school football 2023 preseason rankings: The Gazette’s Class 4A poll
Cedar Rapids Xavier starts at No. 1
Cedar Rapids Xavier has won three state football championships in the last six years. The Saints have started at No. 1 in The Gazette’s preseason poll in only one of them.
That was 2018, the year after Xavier claimed the first of back-to-back Class 3A state titles.
Last season’s Saints were tabbed No. 5 in August, but were crowned the top team in Class 4A at the UNI-Dome in November.
Is another repeat in store?
Meet the Class 4A No. 1 team: Cedar Rapids Xavier
Xavier received two of six first-place votes in what appears to be a balanced 4A, but with 52 points receives initial top billing in The Gazette’s poll.
Eight all-state players graduated, but quarterback Ronan Thomas is among the returnees. He completed 14 of 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in last fall’s 45-38 title-game triumph over Council Bluffs Lewis Central.
Lewis Central picked up the most No. 1 votes (three) with Bondurant-Farrar grabbing the other. Those two teams are tied for second in the poll behind Xavier.
Which 2022 Dome teams are in the Class 4A rankings?
Lewis Central brings back three of its top four tacklers from last season’s runner-up team, plus first-team all-state defensive back Curtis White.
North Scott, which fell to Xavier in last year’s semifinals, comes in at No. 5. The Lancers, like their new district foe, have an all-state QB returning in Kyler Gerardy.
All-staters Aiden Flora (3,435 yards combined passing and rushing) and Iowa commit Brevin Doll (2,115 rushing and receiving) give No. 4 Adel ADM a lot of returning firepower for the jump to 4A after a run to the Class 3A semifinals last season.
Who are the ranked Gazette area Class 4A teams?
Sixth-ranked Western Dubuque has five of its top six tacklers back from a playoff team, plus its starting quarterback (sophomore Brett Harris) and running back (senior Grant Glausser).
The Bobcats take on top-ranked Xavier at Saints Field on Sept. 8.
What are some key Week 1 Class 4A games to watch?
Games kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, unless otherwise noted.
- No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier at No. 8 Waverly-Shell Rock
- No. 10 North Polk at No. 2 Bondurant-Farrar
- (3A No. 3) Harlan at No. 2 Council Bluffs Lewis Central, 7 p.m.
- No. 4 Adel ADM at No. 8 Newton
- (3A) DeWitt Central at No. 5 North Scott
The Gazette’s Iowa high school football Class 4A preseason rankings
| Ranking | School | 2022 season | Poll points |
| 1 | Cedar Rapids Xavier | 13-0, state champion | 52 (2 first-place) |
| T-2 | Bondurant-Farrar | 8-2, playoff qualifier | 49 (1) |
| T-2 | Council Bluffs Lewis Central | 13-1, state runner-up | 49 (3) |
| 4 | Adel ADM | 10-2, Class 3A state semifinalist | 44 |
| 5 | North Scott | 9-3, state semifinalist | 37 |
| 6 | Western Dubuque | 6-4, playoff qualifier | 28 |
| 7 | Glenwood | 7-5, state quarterfinalist | 20 |
| T-8 | Newton | 7-3, playoff qualifier | 12 |
| T-8 | Waverly-Shell Rock | 10-1, state quarterfinalist | 12 |
| 10 | North Polk | 8-3, Class 3A state quarterfinalist | 8 |
Others receiving votes: Carlisle 7, Dallas Center-Grimes 4, Le Mars 3, Marion 3, Ballard 1, Burlington 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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