Iowa high school football rankings: With 4 top-10 teams, 4A District 5 will begin to sort itself out

You know about the power of the Central Iowa suburban schools in Class 5A.

Now, consider their counterparts in 4A.

Friday night is Judgment Night in 4A District 5, which houses four top-10 teams. Two of them will be automatic playoff qualifiers, two others will be hoping their RPIs are good enough to land them in the postseason at-large field.

Carlisle (6-1, 3-0) — ranked No. 4 in this week’s Gazette poll -- holds the inside track now, but faces another stern challenge this week against No. 9 Norwalk (5-2, 2-1). Meanwhile, No. 7 Indianola (5-2, 2-1) and No. 6 Bondurant-Farrar (5-2, 2-1) tangle at Bondurant.

Those are two of eight games involving a pair of Gazette top-10 teams this week.

One of them is a battle of 1A unbeatens: Underwood (7-0 and ranked fourth) plays at Carroll Kuemper (7-0 and No. 5).

This is the final week of the regular season for Class 2A on down, with playoffs beginning Oct. 21 in the lower four classes. For 3A, 4A and 5A teams, the regular season concludes next week.

There remains a clear top four in Class 5A, with an unclear No. 1. Ankeny retains the top spot, followed by West Des Moines Dowling, Pleasant Valley and Southeast Polk.

Pleasant Valley is the final unbeaten after Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s rout of Davenport West last week. Ankeny, Dowling and Southeast Polk split a round-robin among each other.

Ankeny (54 poll points), Dowling (53) and Pleasant Valley (50) each earned two first-place votes.

Cedar Falls climbs three spots to No. 5.

Defending 4A state champion Lewis Central remains a unanimous pick for the top spot and is followed by Waverly-Shell Rock, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Carlisle and Iowa City Liberty.

The reigning 3A champ, Harlan became the unanimous No. 1 in that class after handling then-No. 3 Adel ADM in a Week 6 showdown, 42-7.

Humboldt received all of the No. 2 votes, Mount Vernon all of the No. 3 picks. ADM is down just one spot to fourth, with Independence fifth.

The top four teams in 2A — Central Lyon/George-Little Rock, Williamsburg, Spirit Lake and West Marshall — all remained unbeaten with impressive victories last week. Ida Grove OABCIG is still fifth.

The 1A leader board is still congested. Van Meter (53 poll points) has a one-point advantage on West Sioux. Van Meter and No. 3 West Branch received two first-place votes apiece; West Sioux and No. 4 Underwood grabbed one each.

Unbeatens West Hancock, Grundy Center, Lynnville-Sully, Woodbury Central and Avoca AHSTW comprise the Class A top five.

Remsen St. Mary’s unanimously holds the top slot in 8-Player. WACO leapfrogged Don Bosco at No. 2 after the Dons rallied past No. 6 Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 35-32, last week.

Lenox and Easton Valley round out the top five.

The Gazette high school football poll, post-Week 7

(First-place votes in parentheses)

CLASS 5A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Ankeny (2) 6-1 54 1

2. West Des Moines Dowling (2) 6-1 53 2

3. Pleasant Valley (2) 7-0 50 3

4. Southeast Polk 6-1 47 4

5. Cedar Falls 5-2 24 8

6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 6-1 22 9

(tie) Urbandale 5-2 22 10

8. Waukee Northwest 4-3 21 —

9. West Des Moines Valley 4-3 13 —

10. Cedar Rapids Prairie 5-2 12 5

Dropped out: Ankeny Centennial (5), Iowa City High (7).

Others receiving votes: Ankeny Centennial 10, Johnston 1, Linn-Mar 1.

CLASS 4A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Lewis Central (6) 7-0 60 1

2. Waverly-Shell Rock 7-0 52 2

3. Cedar Rapids Xavier 7-0 50 3

4. Carlisle 6-1 40 4

5. Iowa City Liberty 6-1 35 6

6. Bondurant-Farrar 6-1 30 7

7. Indianola 5-2 18 4

(tie) North Scott 5-2 18 10

9. Norwalk 5-2 17 9

10. Spencer 6-1 6 —

Dropped out: Newton (8).

Others receiving votes: Western Dubuque 1.

CLASS 3A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Harlan (6) 6-1 60 1

2. Humboldt 7-0 54 2

3. Mount Vernon 7-0 48 4

4. Adel ADM 6-1 33 3

5. Independence 7-1 31 7

(tie) Nevada 6-1 30 5

7. Solon 5-2 28 6

8. North Polk 5-2 24 8

9. Creston 6-1 14 9

10. MOC-Floyd Valley 5-2 4 10

Dropped out: Hampton-Dumont/CAL (10).

Others receiving votes: West Delaware 3, Benton Community 1.

CLASS 2A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Central Lyon-GLR (4) 7-0 58 1

2. Williamsburg (1) 7-0 53 2

3. Spirit Lake (1) 7-0 50 3

4. West Marshall 7-0 40 4

5. Ida Grove OABCIG 6-1 38 5

6. Greene County 6-1 20 7

(tie) West Lyon 5-2 20 6

8. Osage 5-2 19 8

9. New Hampton 6-1 17 9

10. Monticello 5-2 9 —

Dropped out: Clarion CGD (9).

Others receiving votes: Crestwood 3, Waukon 2, Dubuque Wahlert 1.

CLASS 1A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Van Meter (2) 6-1 53 1

2. West Sioux (1) 6-1 52 2

3. West Branch (2) 7-0 49 3

4. Underwood (1) 7-0 46 4

5. Carroll Kuemper 7-0 35 6

6. Aplington-Parkersburg 6-1 21 7

7. Pella Christian 6-1 16 8

8. Dike-New Hartford 5-2 9 5

(tie) MFL MarMac 6-1 9 9

10. Mediapolis 6-1 8 10

Dropped out: Guthrie Center ACGC (10).

Others receiving votes: Guthrie Center ACGC 7, Sigourney-Keota 6, Western Christian 6, Denver 4, South Hamilton 3.

CLASS A W-L Pts. Pvs

1. West Hancock (4) 7-0 57 1

2. Grundy Center 7-0 49 2

3. Lynnville-Sully (1) 7-0 47 4

4. Woodbury Central (1) 7-0 45 2

5. Avoca AHSTW 7-0 40 5

6. North Linn 6-1 24 6

7. Hartley HMS 5-2 18 7

8. East Buchanan 6-1 16 8

9. Le Mars Gehlen 6-1 13 9

10. Alburnett 6-1 9 10

Dropped out: None.

Others receiving votes: Wapsie Valley 6, Columbus Community 5, Mount Ayr 1.

8-PLAYER W-L Pts. Pvs

1. Remsen St. Mary’s (6) 7-0 60 1

2. WACO 8-0 50 3

3. Don Bosco 7-0 48 2

4. Lenox 7-0 39 4

5. Easton Valley 5-1 37 4

6. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 6-1 26 6

7. West Harrison 7-0 23 7

8. Newell-Fonda 6-1 19 8

9. Fremont-Mills 6-1 12 —

10. Southeast Warren 7-1 11 —

Dropped out: Baxter (9), Harris-Lake Park (10).

Others receiving votes: Ruthven GTRA 4, Central City 1.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com