Albia draws even with Spirit Lake atop 2A

They've hovered in the same neighborhood all season.

And now, they're dead-even again.

Albia and Spirit Lake share the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A for the second time this season in the Gazette/KCRG/KGYM football poll, released Monday afternoon.

Both are 6-0. Albia erased a three-point deficit on the Indians since last week, based largely on the fact that Spirit Lake had to rally from a late 11-point deficit to edge Sioux Center, 41-38, Friday night. Albia, meanwhile, blasted Davis County, 50-0, for its sixth straight lopsided victory.

Albia received four first-place votes, Spirit Lake three. South Tama got the other one.

Ranked third and fourth in the preseason poll, Spirit Lake and Albia were co-No. 1s after Week 2. Spirit Lake held the advantage the next three weeks, and now they're even again with 73 points apiece.

The top teams in the other classes remain the same. It's West Des Moines Dowling in Class 4A, Pella in 3A, Iowa City Regina in 1A, BGM in Class A and Newell-Fonda in 8-Player.

Pella and Regina remain unanimous No. 1s in their respective classes for the seventh consecutive week this season.

Change is minimal in the top two classes after the top 10 in each won Friday.

Dowling is followed by Bettendorf, West Des Moines Valley, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington. Pella is pursued by West Delaware, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Dallas Center-Grimes and Webster City.

Six Gazette-area teams remain in the 2A top 10, and four of them play each other Friday — No. 5 Williamsburg will host No. 3 South Tama, and No. 4 Anamosa will be at No. 6 Mount Vernon.

Regina is followed by Dike-New Hartford and West Branch in 1A. DNH will play at No. 6 South Winneshiek on Friday. Alburnett debuts in the 1A rankings this week at No. 7.

BGM claimed seven of eight first-place votes in Class A. Algona Garrigan is second, Denver third.

Don Bosco cut into Newell-Fonda's 8-Player lead after routing then-No. 6 HLV on Friday and is a solid No. 2. Newell-Fonda has a difficult test this week, at home against unbeaten Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton.

GAZETTE/KCRG/KGYM FOOTBALL POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses)

CLASS 4A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

West Des Moines Dowling (5)

5-0

77

1

2.

Bettendorf (3)

6-0

72

2

3.

West Des Moines Valley

5-1

66

3

4.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

6-0

57

4

5.

Cedar Rapids Washington

5-1

46

5

6.

Fort Dodge

6-0

37

6

7.

Ankeny

5-1

23

7

8.

Waukee

4-2

21

8

9.

Johnston

5-1

20

9

10.

Cedar Falls

5-1

17

9

Others receiving votes: Urbandale 2, Lewis Central 1, Muscatine 1

CLASS 3A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Pella (8)

6-0

80

1

2.

West Delaware

6-0

69

2

3.

Cedar Rapids Xavier

5-0

65

3

4.

Dallas Center-Grimes

5-1

52

4

5.

Webster City

6-0

45

5

6.

Independence

6-0

36

6

7.

Harlan

5-1

26

7

8.

Norwalk

5-1

25

8

9.

Glenwood

6-0

12

9

10.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton

5-1

11

9

Others receiving votes: Sioux City Heelan 9, Davenport Assumption 6, Washington 4

CLASS 2A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

T-1.

Albia (4)

6-0

73

2

T-1.

Spirit Lake (3)

6-0

73

1

3.

South Tama (1)

6-0

67

3

4.

Anamosa

6-0

59

4

5.

Williamsburg

5-1

45

6

6.

Mount Vernon

5-1

29

8

7.

Aplington-Parkersburg

5-1

26

NR

8.

Monroe PCM

5-1

25

9

9.

Waukon

5-1

13

10

10.

North Fayette Valley

4-2

12

5

Dropped out: Mid-Prairie (7)Others receiving votes: Baxter CMB 8, Cherokee 3, Dyersville Beckman 3, Mid-Prairie 3, Tipton 1

CLASS 1A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Iowa City Regina (8)

6-0

80

1

2.

Dike-New Hartford

6-0

69

2

3.

West Branch

6-0

64

3

4.

Hinton

6-0

55

4

5.

Underwood

6-0

45

8

6.

South Winneshiek

5-1

38

7

T-7.

Alburnett

6-0

19

NR

T-7.

Avoca AHSTW

5-1

19

10

9.

Van Meter

5-1

18

NR

10.

West Lyon

4-2

10

9

Dropped out: Madrid (5), Panorama (6)

Others receiving votes: Hudson 6, Saint Ansgar 6, Madrid 5, South Central Calhoun 4, Panorama 2

CLASS A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

BGM (7)

6-0

78

1

2.

Algona Garrigan

6-0

68

2

3.

Denver (1)

5-1

49

3

4.

Logan-Magnolia

5-1

46

4

5.

West Sioux

6-0

44

5

6.

Pleasantville

6-0

35

6

7.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

4-2

31

6

8.

Audubon

5-1

29

8

9.

Belmond-Klemme

5-1

27

9

10.

Winfield-Mount Union

6-0

14

NR

Dropped out: Montezuma (10)

Others receiving votes: Pekin 9, Colfax-Mingo 7, West Hancock 3

8-PLAYER

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Newell-Fonda (6)

6-0

74

1

2.

Don Bosco (1)

4-0

66

2

3.

Marcus MMC

5-0

57

4

T-4.

Fremont-Mills

6-0

55

4

T-4.

Glidden-Ralston (1)

6-0

55

3

6.

Janesville

5-0

41

7

7.

Elkader Central

6-0

33

8

8.

Lenox

6-0

18

10

9.

Colo-Nesco

6-0

14

9

10.

Ruthven GTRA

5-1

10

NR

Dropped out: HLV (6)

Others receiving votes: Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton 8, HLV 8, Moravia 1

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com