Iowa high school football 2024: Picking the area Class 2A districts

Fourth in a series diving into the Gazette-area Iowa high school football districts for the 2024 season. Today, we examine Class 2A.

Forty-eight teams are assigned to Class 2A, with 32 advancing to the playoffs. The top four teams in each of eight districts advance.

The 2A regular season will consist of eight games, with five rounds of playoffs.

A closer look at area districts:

District 3

OVERVIEW

Say what? A three-win outfit from last year is the favorite? Well, it is in this case, with as much as North Fayette Valley (3-6, 3-2) has got coming back. The TigerHawks tied for second place in the district, just one game behind Waukon (5-4, 4-1), so it’s not as if there’s a lot of catching up to do. Oh, and remember, a 34-7 win over Waukon was among those three victories. A ground-oriented program for so long, NFV realized offensive balance in 2023, and QB Decklyn Heins and receiver Cael Reichter are among the long list of returners. The top four tacklers are back, including Lincoln Aeschliman. Waukon appears safe to return to the playoffs, with Osage (4-4, 2-3) and Crestwood (3-6, 3-2) the other projected qualifiers.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *North Fayette Valley

2. *Osage

3. *Waukon

4. *Crestwood

5. New Hampton

6. Oelwein

District 4

OVERVIEW

Like North Fayette Valley above, Anamosa (4-5, 2-3) might be a surprising-at-first-glance title pick. But the Blue Raiders were competitive in every game they played, including a 38-20 loss to eventual state semifinalist Monticello (10-2, 5-0) and a 28-21 setback to Mediapolis in the first round of the playoffs. Senior Austin Scranton is a budding two-way star; he rushed for 1,309 yards and 10 touchdowns, and led the team in tackles (63). The key game in the 2A-4 race comes in Week 8, when the Blue Raiders host Northeast (4-5, 3-2), another team primed for a jump. Regardless of outcome, Anamosa should surpass five wins for the first time in nine years.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Anamosa

2. *Northeast

3. *Monticello

4. *West Liberty

5. Camanche

6. Tipton

District 6

OVERVIEW

The safest district-title bet in 2A is here; Monroe PCM (8-3, 5-0) is a prohibitive favorite to run away from the field again. Last year, the Mustangs outscored their five opponents by a 242-69 margin. Adrien Robbins rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season as a freshman, and Kaeden Clark was an all-state defensive lineman. So, who will finish second and earn a first-round home game? How about Union Community (3-7, 2-3), which despite an 0-6 start, rose up to make the playoffs and knocked off Waukon in the first round?

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Monroe PCM

2. *Union Community

3. *Jesup

4. *West Marshall

5. Iowa Falls-Alden

6. Vinton-Shellsburg

Other districts with area teams

DISTRICT 5 (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Mid-Prairie

2. *Albia

3. *West Burlington-Notre Dame

4. *Davis County

5. Mediapolis

6. Central Lee

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com