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

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

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

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

A closer look at area districts:

District 4

OVERVIEW

Four Tri-Rivers Conference rivals were separated by one game last year. Starmont (8-2, 6-1) was the district champion, but East Buchanan (9-3, 6-1) made the deepest playoff run, reaching the semifinals. Starmont is the highest-ranked A-4 team in The Gazette’s preseason rankings at No. 8, but I’m going to break from consensus and pick Maquoketa Valley (7-3, 5-2) as the champion. Lance McShane and his 2,000-plus rushing yards are in the past, but the Wildcats return QB Brady Wall and top receiving target Taten Intorf. Second-team all-state linebacker Avery Vaske headlines Starmont’s bid to repeat. East Buchanan and North Linn (6-3, 5-2) are poised to return to the postseason party. Cole Griffith was a second-team all-state kick returner last year for the Lynx.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Maquoketa Valley

2. *Starmont

3. *East Buchanan

4. *North Linn

5. Bellevue

6. Clayton Ridge

7. Postville

8. North Cedar

District 5

OVERVIEW

Lisbon (9-1, 7-0) was the 2023 champion by virtue of a 34-28 Week 3 triumph over Columbus Community (6-3, 6-1), and the Sept. 13 rematch at Lisbon is likely to determine the title this fall. Give the Lions a slim edge behind QB Dakota Clark, who ran for 17 touchdowns and passed for nine a season ago. He has one of the state’s speediest small-school guys on the perimeter in Tiernan Boots. Meanwhile, the Lions’ defense held seven opponents to a touchdown or less. Riley Kaalberg (942 rushing yards, 14 TDs) becomes the featured back for Columbus. Expect Pekin (6-3, 5-2) to challenge the co-favorites. Highland (2-6, 2-5) won its last two games last year, and might carry that momentum into a postseason berth.

PROJECTIONS (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Lisbon

2. *Columbus Community

3. *Pekin

4. *Highland

5. Danville

6. Van Buren County

7. Louisa-Muscatine

8. Wapello

Other districts with area teams

DISTRICT 3 (*playoff qualifier)

1. *Wapsie Valley

2. *North Tama

3. *South Winneshiek

4. *Nashua-Plainfield

5. North Butler

6. Conrad BCLUW

7. Ackley AGWSR

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com