Iowa high school football rankings: Monona, Jackson Junction are Week 8 hot spots

Two of the biggest football games of Week 8 are in two small towns in Northeast Iowa.

A lot of focus will be on Monona and Jackson Junction on Friday for a pair of top-10 battles.

Class A fourth-ranked MFL MarMac, enjoying its best season in school history, takes a 7-0 mark into Friday's District 5 showdown at home against No. 5 Edgewood-Colesburg (6-1). Both teams are 3-0 in district play.

Meanwhile, two of the final five undefeated 8-player teams square off at Jackson Junction; No. 3 Turkey Valley (7-0, 5-0 District 3) entertains No. 6 Easton Valley (7-0, 5-0).

Those are two of the big storylines as the regular season heads into its next-to-last week. There is no change at the top of any of the six classes in this week's Gazette/KGYM poll.

West Des Moines Valley (4A), Western Dubuque (3A), Waukon (2A), Dike-New Hartford (1A), West Hancock (Class A) and Don Bosco (8-Player) are No. 1.

After Valley, it's a tie for second in 4A between Cedar Falls and West Des Moines Dowling. Ankeny Centennial remains at No. 4, and Cedar Rapids Kennedy climbs to fifth after its 28-18 win over Bettendorf last week.

Western Dubuque becomes a unanimous No. 1 in 3A after holding off Cedar Rapids Xavier, 20-14, Friday at Epworth, snapping the Saints' 32-game winning streak.

Solon is up two spots to No. 2, then its Xavier third and a tie for fourth between Independence and North Scott.

Waukon received all of the No. 1 votes again this week in 2A and is followed by Clear Lake, Algona, Greene County and Des Moines Christian.

Dike-New Hartford and Van Meter remain 1-2 in 1A, and Western Christian continues to climb, moving up two notches this week to No. 3. West Branch is fourth, South Central Calhoun fifth.

Saint Ansgar chipped into West Hancock's lead a bit in Class A after handling South Winneshiek, 49-14. North Tama remains at No. 3.

The top nine stay the same in 8-Player this week. Don Bosco is followed by Remsen St. Mary's, Turkey Valley, Audubon and Anita CAM.

Class 4A

1. West Des Moines Valley

7-0, 69 points (6 No. 1 votes)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat Council Bluffs Lincoln, 49-6

This week: at Ames

2. Cedar Falls

7-0, 60 points (1 No. 1 vote)

Last week: No. 2 | Beat Waterloo West, 48-17

This week: at Dubuque Senior

2. West Des Moines Dowling

6-1, 60 points

Last week: No. 2 | Beat Sioux City East, 61-7

This week: vs. Des Moines Hoover

4. Ankeny Centennial

6-1, 48 points

Last week: No. 4 | Beat Fort Dodge, 56-29

This week: vs. No. 9 Des Moines Roosevelt

5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy

6-1, 40 points

Last week: No. 6 | Beat No. 5 Bettendorf, 28-18

This week: at Davenport Central

6. Southeast Polk

5-2, 30 points

Last week: No. 7 | Beat Sioux City West, 75-0

This week: at Marshalltown

7. Bettendorf

5-2, 26 points

Last week: No. 5 | Lost to No. 6 Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 28-18

This week: vs. Davenport West

8. Ankeny

4-3, 19 points

Last week: No. 8 | Beat Des Moines Lincoln, 42-0

This week: at Sioux City North

9. Des Moines Roosevelt

6-1, 15 points

Last week: No. 10 | Beat Marshalltown, 31-15

This week: at No. 4 Ankeny Centennial

10. Waukee

4-3, 14 points

Last week: NR | Beat Ottumwa, 74-12

This week: vs. Indianola

Dropped out: Johnston (9)

Others receiving votes: Cedar Rapids Prairie 3, Indianola 1

Class 3A

1. Western Dubuque

7-0, 70 points (7 No. 1 points)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 20-14

This week: at Marion

2. Solon

7-0, 57 points

Last week: No. 4 | Beat Mount Pleasant, 35-14

This week: vs. Keokuk

3. Cedar Rapids Xavier

6-1, 56 points

Last week: No. 2 | Lost to No. 1 Western Dubuque, 20-14

This week: vs. Center Point-Urbana

4. Independence

7-0, 45 points

Last week: No. 5 | Beat Charles City, 30-7

This week: at Waverly-Shell Rock

4. North Scott

6-1, 45 points

Last week: No. 5 | Beat Clinton, 45-0

This week: vs. Clear Creek Amana

6. Sergeant Bluff-Luton

6-1, 34 points

Last week: No. 7 | Beat Spencer, 35-13

This week: at Denison-Schleswig

7. Dallas Center-Grimes

6-1, 24 points

Last week: No. 8 | Beat Boone, 30-6

This week: at Webster City

8. Lewis Central

6-1, 19 points

Last week: No. 3 | Lost to Harlan, 14-6

This week: at No. 10 Glenwood

9. Norwalk

6-1, 18 points

Last week: No. 9 | Beat Bondurant-Farrar, 24-3

This week: vs. Ballard

10. Glenwood

6-1, 8 points

Last week: NR | Beat Adel ADM, 54-18

This week: vs. No. 8 Lewis Central

Dropped out: Washington (10)

Others receiving votes: Washington 7, Davenport Assumption 1, Harlan 1

Class 2A

​1. Waukon

7-0, 70 points (7 No. 1 votes)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat No. 5 Waterloo Columbus, 20-7

This week: vs. Anamosa

2. Clear Lake

7-0, 61 points

Last week: No. 2 | Beat Forest City, 35-0

This week: at New Hampton

3. Algona

7-0, 55 points

Last week: No. 3 | Beat Estherville-Lincoln Central, 48-7

This week: at Spirit Lake

4. Greene County

7-0, 46 points

Last week: No. 4 | Beat Atlantic, 26-0

This week: vs. Red Oak

5. Des Moines Christian

7-0, 44 points

Last week: No. 6 | Beat No. 9 Monroe PCM, 38-13

This week: at Chariton

6. Ida Grove OABCIG

7-0, 33 points

Last week: No. 7 | Beat Shenandoah, 54-7

This week: vs. Carroll Kuemper

7. Waterloo Columbus

6-1, 32 points

Last week: No. 5 | Lost to No. 1 Waukon, 20-7

This week: vs. North Fayette Valley

8. Sioux Center

5-2, 17 points

Last week: No. 10 | Beat MOC-Floyd Valley, 21-8

This week: vs. Central Lyon

9. Benton Community

6-1, 11 points

Last week: NR | Beat Roland-Story, 42-7

This week: at No. 10 West Marshall

10. West Marshall

5-2, 7 points

Last week: NR | Beat No. 8 Nevada, 28-7

This week: vs. No. 9 Benton Community

Dropped out: Nevada (8), Monroe PCM (9)

Others receiving votes: Spirit Lake 4, Williamsburg 4, Monroe PCM 1

Class 1A

​1. Dike-New Hartford

7-0, 66 points (5 No. 1 votes)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat Jesup, 50-16

This week: at South Hardin

2. Van Meter

7-0, 59 points

Last week: No. 2 | Beat Panorama, 20-0

This week: at Mount Ayr

3. Western Christian

7-0, 49 points (1 No. 1 vote)

Last week: No. 5 | Beat Sibley-Ocheyedan, 21-0

This week: vs. Emmetsburg

4. West Branch

7-0, 47 points (1 No. 1 vote)

Last week: No. 3 | Beat Northeast, 42-0

This week: at Cascade

5. South Central Calhoun

7-0, 42 points

Last week: No. 6 | Beat Madrid, 39-7

This week: vs. Eagle Grove

6. Treynor

7-0, 35 points

Last week: No. 7 | Beat Missouri Valley, 36-6

This week: at Mapleton MVAOCOU

7. West Sioux

6-1, 34 points

Last week: No. 8 | Beat No. 3 West Lyon, 35-28

This week: vs. Unity Christian

8. West Lyon

6-1, 20 points

Last week: No. 3 | Lost to No. 8 West Sioux, 35-28

This week: at Sibley-Ocheyedan

9. Sigourney-Keota

7-0, 17 points

Last week: No. 9 | Beat Columbus Community, 59-6

This week: at Wapello

10. Iowa City Regina

6-1, 13 points

Last week: No. 10 | Beat North Linn, 37-28

This week: vs. Jesup

Dropped out: none

Others receiving votes: Underwood 3

Class A

1. West Hancock

7-0, 69 points (6 No. 1 votes)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat West Fork, 62-0

This week: at Graettinger GTRA

2. Saint Ansgar

7-0, 62 points (1 No. 1 vote)

Last week: No. 2 | Beat No. 9 South Winneshiek, 49-14

This week: vs. Mason City Newman

3. North Tama

7-0, 58 points

Last week: No. 3 | Beat Garwin GMG, 1-0 (forfeit)

This week: at Postville

4. MFL MarMac

7-0, 44 points

Last week: No. 5 | Beat Lisbon, 25-16

This week: vs. No. 5 Edgewood-Colesburg

5. Edgewood-Colesburg

6-1, 38 points

Last week: No. 7 | Beat Alburnett, 39-0

This week: at No. 4 MFL MarMac

6. Grundy Center

6-1, 36 points

Last week: No. 6 | Beat Mason City Newman, 42-0

This week: vs. Hudson

7. Earlham

6-1, 33 points

Last week: No. 8 | Beat Southwest Valley, 42-6

This week: at Oakland Riverside

8. Woodbury Central

6-1, 23 points

Last week: No. 10 | Beat Logan-Magnolia, 27-0

This week: vs. Lawton-Bronson

9. Hinton

5-2, 5 points

Last week: NR | Beat Marcus MMCRU, 47-0

This week: at No. 9 Le Mars Gehlen

9. Le Mars Gehlen

5-2, 5 points

Last week: NR | Beat No. 4 South O'Brien, 14-7

This week: vs. No. 9 Hinton

Dropped out: South O'Brien (4), South Winneshiek (9)

Others receiving votes: BGM 4, Westwood 4, South O'Brien 3, South Winneshiek 1

8-Player

1. Don Bosco

7-0, 69 points (6 No. 1 votes)

Last week: No. 1 | Beat Dunkerton, 57-7

This week: at North Iowa

2. Remsen St. Mary's

7-0, 61 points (1 No. 1 vote)

Last week: No. 2 | Beat West Bend-Mallard, 57-0

This week: vs. Newell-Fonda

3. Turkey Valley

7-0, 55 points

Last week: No. 3 | Beat West Central, 68-0

This week: vs. No. 6 Easton Valley

4. Audubon

7-1, 52 points

Last week: No. 4 | Beat West Harrison, 55-14

This week: at Glidden-Ralston

5. Anita CAM

7-0, 39 points

Last week: No. 5 | Beat Boyer Valley, 68-14

This week: vs. No. 8 Coon Rapids-Bayard

6. Easton Valley

7-0, 34 points

Last week: No. 6 | Beat Lansing Kee, 67-14

This week: at No. 3 Turkey Valley

7. Fremont-Mills

4-1, 23 points

Last week: Beat East Mills, 58-21

This week: at Sidney

8. Coon Rapids-Bayard

6-1, 20 points

Last week: No. 8 | Beat Glidden-Ralston, 33-14

This week: at No. 5 Anita CAM

9. Harris-Lake Park

6-1, 18 points

Last week: No. 9 | Beat No. 10 Newell-Fonda, 33-0

This week: vs. Siouxland Christian

10. Ackley AGWSR

6-1, 5 points

Last week: NR | Beat Baxter, 64-18

This week: at Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Dropped out: Newell-Fonda (10)

Others receiving votes: Iowa Valley 3, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 2, Lenox 2, Lamoni 1