The Gazette’s 2025 preseason high school football poll

Class 1A football is a collection of champions.

Reclassification has brought three reigning state champs together for the next two-year cycle.

West Lyon is down a class after capturing the Class 2A championship, while Tri-Center is up after claiming the Class A title.

Then there’s Grundy Center, which earned the last two 1A crowns, plus the Class A title in 2022. The Spartans have won 39 straight games, 49 of their last 50.

Grundy Center is the top-ranked team in this stacked 1A division. West Lyon, which — like the Spartans — was 13-0 last season, is No. 2. Tri-Center (12-1) is No. 5.

The other No. 1 teams are West Des Moines Valley (5A), Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A), Mount Vernon (3A), Carroll Kuemper (2A), Maquoketa Valley and West Hancock (co-leaders in Class A) and Algona Garrigan (8-player).

This year’s voting panel consists of six members: Jeff Johnson, K.J. Pilcher and Jeff Linder of The Gazette, correspondent Ryan Pleggenkuhle, veteran play-by-play man Scott Unash of CR-M Live Sports and Southeast Iowa Union sportswriter Andy Krutsinger.

The next poll will be released Monday, Sept. 1.

Class 5A

Who’s No. 1?

West Des Moines Valley (10-3 in 2024) is the engine of a long train of Central Iowa Metro League title hopefuls (seven of the top 10 hail from the CIML). Runners-up last year, the Tigers received four first-place votes and 55 poll points.

Top challengers

West Des Moines Dowling (10-2) is No. 2 and tangles with Valley in Week 1. The Maroons reached the 5A semifinals last year, as did No. 3 Iowa City Liberty (10-2).

Fourth-rated Southeast Polk (9-4) has won four consecutive big-school state championships. Ankeny (6-5) is No. 5.

Other area rateds

Liberty is the only area team in the top 10. Mississippi Valley Conference member Cedar Falls (5-5) is No. 8.

Class 4A

Who’s No. 1?

A quarterfinalist last year, Cedar Rapids Xavier (7-4) picked up two first-place votes and 53 poll points, seven more than its closest challenger.

Top challengers

Second-ranked Lewis Central (10-2) also received a pair of first-place votes. Pella (11-2) edges Sergeant Bluff-Luton (11-1) by a single poll point for the third spot. Fort Dodge (7-3) is No. 5.

Other area rateds

Decorah (10-1) is No. 6, while Clear Creek Amana (6-4) opens at No. 8 in Lance Pedersen’s second season in Tiffin.

Class 3A

Who’s No. 1?

Mount Vernon (10-2) led four ballots and was second on the other two. The Mustangs were 3A semifinalists last season.

Top challengers

Algona (9-2) earned a first-place vote, was second on three ballots and is a clear No. 2. Sioux City Heelan (6-4), Humboldt (11-2) and Clear Lake (6-4) round out the top five.

Other area rateds

Solon (8-3) opens at No. 6; Benton Community (7-3) is 10th. Dubuque Wahlert (13-0), the reigning 3A champion and the top challenger to Mount Vernon in District 3, is No. 7.

Class 2A

Who’s No. 1?

Carroll Kuemper (9-2) is a runaway leader. The Knights garnered four first-place votes, and their 16-point margin is the largest of any team in any class.

Top challengers

Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (6-4) edges Van Meter (10-2) by one poll point for the second spot. Van Meter snagged one first-place vote, as did No. 4 Cherokee (6-3). Ida Grove OABCIG (7-3) is fifth.

Other area rateds

Mid-Prairie (7-4) is the lone ranked area team, at No. 6.

Class 1A

Who’s No. 1?

As mentioned above, Grundy Center (13-0) remains the favorite. The Spartans were tops on four ballots, second on the other two.

Top challengers

Last year’s 2A champion, West Lyon (13-0) received the other two first-place votes and is a narrow choice over Iowa City Regina (9-2) for the No. 2 slot. South Hardin (9-2) is fourth; Tri-Center — the 2024 Class A champion — is fifth.

Other area rateds

Sigourney-Keota (7-2) opens at No. 8.

Class A

Who’s No. 1?

In a three-horse race at the top, Maquoketa Valley (9-2) and Saint Ansgar (10-2) share the top spot.

The Wildcats earned two first-place votes and were in the top five on every ballot. The Saints were No. 1 on one ballot, No. 2 on three others.

Top challengers

The co-leaders tallied 48 poll points apiece; 2024 state runner-up West Hancock (12-1) scored 46 and is ranked No. 3. The Eagles picked up three first-place votes.

Madrid (9-3) and Woodbury Central (8-3) round out the top five.

Other area rateds

South Winneshiek (4-5) is tied for 10th.

8-player

Who’s No. 1?

Like Kuemper in 2A, Algona Garrigan (11-1) is a convincing leader. The Golden Bears dropped a 22-20 semifinal heartbreaker to eventual champion Remsen St. Mary’s last year. They snagged three first-place votes and were top-four on every ballot.

Top challengers

No. 2 Woodbine (8-2) is projected to make a leap into the ranks of the contenders. Last year’s runner-up, Gladbrook-Reinbeck (11-2) is third, followed by Fremont-Mills (7-2) and Iowa Valley (8-2).

Other area rateds

Montezuma (10-2) opens at No. 7.

THE GAZETTE’S PRESEASON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses; records are from 2024)

CLASS 5A W-L Pts.

1. West Des Moines Valley (4) 10-3 55

2. West Des Moines Dowling 10-2 50

3. Iowa City Liberty 10-2 37

4. Southeast Polk (1) 9-4 35

5. Ankeny 6-5 31

6. Waukee Northwest (1) 4-5 25

7. Waukee 6-4 23

8. Cedar Falls 5-5 17

9. Sioux City East 6-4 16

10. Johnston 8-3 11

Others receiving votes: Ankeny Centennial 9, Iowa City High 7, Cedar Rapids Prairie 6, Bettendorf 3, Pleasant Valley 3, Norwalk 2.

CLASS 4A W-L Pts.

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier (2) 7-4 53

2. Lewis Central (2) 10-2 46

3. Pella 11-2 41

4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (1) 11-1 40

5. Fort Dodge 7-3 27

6. Decorah 10-1 26

7. Newton 6-4 19

8. Clear Creek Amana 6-4 16

T-9. Adel ADM 8-3 15

T-9. North Scott 9-3 15

Others receiving votes: North Polk 10, Gilbert 8, Le Mars 7, Western Dubuque 7.

Note: North Polk received one first-place vote.

CLASS 3A W-L Pts.

1. Mount Vernon (4) 10-2 58

2. Algona (1) 9-2 50

3. Sioux City Heelan 6-4 42

4. Humboldt 11-2 32

5. Clear Lake 6-4 28

6. Solon 8-3 27

7. Dubuque Wahlert (1) 13-0 25

8. Harlan 6-4 18

9. Nevada 8-3 15

10. Benton Community 7-3 11

Others receiving votes: Independence 9, MOC-Floyd Valley 8, Williamsburg 5, Webster City 2.

CLASS 2A W-L Pts.

1. Carroll Kuemper (4) 9-2 56

2. Central Lyon-GLR 6-4 40

3. Van Meter (1) 10-2 39

4. Cherokee (1) 6-3 31

5. Ida Grove OABCIG 7-3 27

6. Mid-Prairie 7-4 26

T-7. Monroe PCM 11-1 23

T-7. Roland-Story 6-3 23

9. Osage 6-4 19

10. Spirit Lake 11-2 14

Others receiving votes: Dike-New Hartford 9, Unity Christian 9, West Branch 6, Grand View Christian 3, West Burlington-Notre Dame 2, Woodward-Granger 2, Western Christian 1.

CLASS 1A W-L Pts.

1. Grundy Center (4) 13-0 58

2. West Lyon (2) 13-0 52

3. Iowa City Regina 9-2 50

4. South Hardin 9-2 35

5. Tri-Center 12-1 32

6. Pleasantville 6-3 23

7. Treynor 8-2 18

8. Sigourney-Keota 7-2 15

9. Underwood 6-5 13

10. Emmetsburg 8-2 11

Others receiving votes: Hinton 9, Ridge View 5, Shenandoah 5, Central Springs 3, Clarion CGD 1.

CLASS A W-L Pts.

T-1. Maquoketa Valley (2) 9-2 48

T-1. Saint Ansgar (1) 10-2 48

3. West Hancock (3) 12-1 46

4. Madrid 9-3 38

5. Woodbury Central 8-3 34

6. Guthrie Center ACGC 10-1 25

7. Oakland Riverside 7-3 24

8. Marcus MMCRU 7-3 22

9. Wapsie Valley 7-3 10

T-10. South Winneshiek 4-5 7

T-10. West Sioux 3-6 7

Others receiving votes: Mount Ayr 6, Sibley-Ocheyedan 5, North Linn 3, Avoca AHSTW 2, Earlham 2, Pekin 2, Lynnville-Sully 1.

8-PLAYER W-L Pts.

1. Algona Garrigan (3) 11-1 53

2. Woodbine (1) 8-2 38

3. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 11-2 32

4. Fremont-Mills 7-2 27

5. Iowa Valley 8-2 24

6. Lenox 11-1 23

7. Montezuma 10-2 22

T-8. Don Bosco 10-1 20

T-8. Remsen St. Mary’s (2) 13-0 20

T-10. Audubon 10-1 13

T-10. Bedford 8-2 13

Others receiving votes: Ar-We-Va 12, Easton Valley 8, Kingsley-Pierson 8, Clarksville 6, Edgewood-Colesburg 6, Wayne 4, Springville 1.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com