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Iowa high school football rankings: Co-No. 1 teams in 4A, 2A
North Scott, Indianola share the top spot in 4A; West Marshall joins Central Lyon-GLR atop 2A

Aug. 30, 2021 3:42 pm, Updated: Aug. 30, 2021 5:04 pm
Gabe Burkle and Cedar Rapids Prairie are up three spots to No. 4 in The Gazette’s Class 5A football rankings. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
As always, the preseason-to-Week 1 scene in The Gazette football poll is full of turnovers.
Fifteen new teams are in the rankings. There’s a new team — actually two teams — in Class 4A, and also co-No. 1s in Class 2A.
Lewis Central’s loss to Harlan last week in a battle of 1-vs.-1 (4A vs. 3A) opened the door for a new pacesetter in 4A. North Scott and Indianola split the first-place votes 3-3, and both teams received 57 poll points.
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The defending 4A state champion, North Scott opened the season with a 41-7 rout of Davenport North. Indianola hammered 5A top-10 Ankeny Centennial, 42-13.
Preseason 2A No. 1 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock also suffered an opening-week loss, 35-7 to 3A No. 2 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. But the Lions retained a share of the top spot, along with West Marshall.
Five different 2A teams received at least one first-place vote. West Marshall garnered two.
The other top-ranked teams remain the same. Southeast Polk (5A) and Harlan (3A) are unanimous, with Van Meter, Grundy Center and Anita CAM on top of 1A, Class A and 8-Player.
Southeast Polk scored on a Hail Mary on the final play of the game to edge No. 3 West Des Moines Dowling, 13-7. Defending champion Ankeny remains at No. 2, Dowling stays at No. 3.
Despite several players sitting out due to good-conduct violations, Cedar Rapids Prairie edged Pleasant Valley last week and climbs three spots to No. 4. West Des Moines Valley is fifth.
Cedar Rapids Washington is up a spot to No. 3 in 4A. Lewis Central slides to fourth, and Winterset is fifth.
All of last week’s 3A top 10 were winners. Harlan is followed in 3A by Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, West Delaware, Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Independence.
After the deadlock of Central Lyon-GLR and West Marshall, the 2A top five includes West Lyon, Ida Grove OABCIG and Monroe PCM, all of which received one first-place vote.
In 1A, Van Meter is followed by Underwood, West Sioux, Iowa City Regina and MFL MarMac.
The race in Class A has tightened a bit. Grundy Center owns a 58-56 advantage in poll points, 4-2 in first-place votes on Logan-Magnolia. West Hancock, Mason City Newman and Lisbon round out the top five.
CAM was preseason No. 1 in 8-Player despite not receiving a first-place vote. The Cougars earned two after whipping Fremont-Mills 48-6. They scored 55 poll points to edge Audubon (51) and Montezuma (50) for the stop spot.
Easton Valley jumps six notches to No. 4 after blitzing Don Bosco 60-14, and defending champ Remsen St. Mary’s is fifth.
The Gazette football poll
Through games played Friday, Aug. 27
(First-place votes in parentheses)
CLASS 5A W-L Pts Pvs
1. Southeast Polk (6) 1-0 60 1
2. Ankeny 1-0 53 2
3. West Des Moines Dowling 0-1 45 3
4. Cedar Rapids Prairie 1-0 39 7
5. West Des Moines Valley 1-0 33 6
6. Johnston 1-0 30 —
7. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 1-0 26 8
8. Urbandale 1-0 14 —
9. Pleasant Valley 0-1 10 4
10. Cedar Falls 0-1 7 4
Dropped out: Waukee (9), Ankeny Centennial (10).
Others receiving votes: Waukee Northwest 4, Des Moines Roosevelt 3, Dubuque Senior 3, Linn-Mar 3.
CLASS 4A W-L Pts Pvs
T-1. Indianola (3) 1-0 57 2
T-1. North Scott (3) 1-0 57 2
3. Cedar Rapids Washington 1-0 39 4
4. Lewis Central 0-1 36 1
5. Winterset 1-0 35 5
6. Cedar Rapids Xavier 1-0 33 6
7. Bondurant-Farrar 1-0 22 10
8. Waverly-Shell Rock 1-0 20 —
9. Norwalk 1-0 13 —
10. Glenwood 1-0 6 —
Dropped out: Webster City (7), Pella (8), Dallas Center-Grimes (9).
Others receiving votes: Fort Dodge 5, Decorah 3, Pella 3, Newton 1.
CLASS 3A W-L Pts Pvs
1. Harlan (6) 1-0 60 1
2. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley 1-0 51 2
3. West Delaware 1-0 45 3
4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1-0 38 4
5. Independence 1-0 34 5
6. Solon 1-0 29 6
T-7. Davenport Assumption 1-0 25 7
T-7. Humboldt 1-0 25 8
9. Mount Vernon 1-0 9 9
10. Nevada 1-0 6 —
Dropped out: Sioux Center (10).
Others receiving votes: Sioux Center 4, Algona 3, Grinnell 1, North Polk 1.
CLASS 2A W-L Pts Pvs
T-1. Central Lyon-GLR (1) 0-1 50 1
T-1. West Marshall (2) 1-0 50 2
3. West Lyon (1) 1-0 46 4
4. Ida Grove OABCIG (1) 1-0 39 5
5. Monroe PCM (1) 1-0 37 6
6. Estherville ELC 1-0 30 7
7. Southeast Valley 1-0 17 —
8. Spirit Lake 1-0 15 —
9. Clear Lake 1-0 9 —
10. Williamsburg 0-1 7 7
Dropped out: Waukon (3), Camanche (9), Greene County (10).
Others receiving votes: Forest City 5, Monticello 5, Osage 5, Jesup 4, Mid-Prairie 4, Waukon 4, Unity Christian 3.
CLASS 1A W-L Pts Pvs
1. Van Meter (5) 1-0 59 1
2. Underwood 1-0 48 2
3. West Sioux 1-0 47 3
4. Iowa City Regina (1) 1-0 38 4
5. MFL MarMac 1-0 31 6
6. South Central Calhoun 1-0 24 7
7. Sigourney-Keota 1-0 19 8
8. Pella Christian 1-0 16 9
T-9. Dike-New Hartford 1-0 11 —
T-9. Dyersville Beckman 1-0 11 —
Dropped out: Waterloo Columbus (5), Cascade (10).
Others receiving votes: Guthrie Center ACGC 9, West Branch 9, Cardinal 3, Nodaway Valley 2, Denver 1, Mediapolis 1, Waterloo Columbus 1.
CLASS A W-L Pts Pvs
1. Grundy Center (4) 1-0 58 1
2. Logan-Magnolia (2) 1-0 56 2
3. West Hancock 1-0 47 4
4. Mason City Newman 1-0 40 7
5. Lisbon 0-1 29 4
6. Oakland Riverside 1-0 26 9
T-7. Avoca AHSTW 1-0 13 —
T-7. Hartley HMS 0-1 13 3
T-9. North Linn 1-0 8 —
T-9. Woodbury Central 1-0 8 —
Dropped out: Council Bluffs St. Albert (6), Mount Ayr (8), Saint Ansgar (9).
Others receiving votes: Le Mars Gehlen 6, Bellevue 5, Lawton-Bronson 4, Saint Ansgar 4, Clayton Ridge 3, Council Bluffs St. Albert 2, North Tama 2, Ogden 2, Sidney 2, Mount Ayr 1, Westwood 1.
8-PLAYER W-L Pts Pvs
1. Anita CAM (2) 1-0 55 1
2. Audubon (1) 1-0 51 2
3. Montezuma (2) 2-0 50 3
4. Easton Valley (1) 1-0 38 10
5. Remsen St. Mary’s 1-0 36 6
6. Janesville 1-0 31 8
7. New London 1-0 21 9
8. Newell-Fonda 1-0 15 —
9. Don Bosco 0-1 5 4
(tie) Fremont-Mills 0-1 5 5
Dropped out: Kingsley-Pierson (7), BGM (10).
Others receiving votes: Coon Rapids-Bayard 4, Lansing Kee 4, Algona Garrigan 3, English Valleys 3, Ruthven GTRA 3, Stanton-Essex 2, Winfield-Mount Union 2, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com