BGM climbs to No. 1 in Class A

The BGM Bears have piled up 190 points in the last three weeks, and the scoring rate doesn't appear as if it will slow down this week.

BGM has climbed to the No. 1 slot in the latest Gazette/KCRG/KGYM football poll, released this afternoon.

The Bears (4-0) were second behind Gladbrook-Reinbeck last week, then moved to the top after the Rebels were beaten, 21-7, by Denver. BGM was a 61-0 victor over North Mahaska, and is heavily favored to roll again Friday against Garwin GMG.

BGM is one of two new No. 1 teams in this week's rankings. The other is a familiar one.

Two-time defending Class 4A champion West Des Moines Dowling (3-0) climbed from third to first in the big-school class after knocking off previous No. 1 West Des Moines Valley, 38-21.

Bettendorf stays at No. 2 in 4A, followed by Valley. Then its Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington at No. 4 and No. 5.

At 4-0, Kennedy already has surpassed its win total from last year, when it was 3-8.

Pella remains a unanimous No. 1 in Class 3A; Iowa City Regina received all eight first-place votes in Class 1A. Both are defending state champions, and Regina has won five consecutive state titles.

West Delaware and Cedar Rapids Xavier are the closest challengers to Pella. Regina is followed by Dike-New Hartford and West Branch.

Spirit Lake continues to hold a slight lead over Albia atop Class 2A. Six Gazette-area squads are in the 2A top 10, headed by South Tama (No. 3) and Anamosa (No. 4).

BGM gathered five first-place votes in Class A and holds a six-point edge on Belmond-Klemme, which hosts No. 3 Algona Garrigan in Friday's top game.

Newell-Fonda remains atop the 8-Player rankings. The defending-champion Mustangs are followed by co-No. 2s Don Bosco and Fremont-Mills.

GAZETTE/KCRG/KGYM FOOTBALL POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses)

CLASS 4A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

West Des Moines Dowling (5)

3-0

77

3

2.

Bettendorf (3)

4-0

72

2

3.

West Des Moines Valley

3-1

66

1

4.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy

4-0

56

5

5.

Cedar Rapids Washington

3-1

45

7

6.

Fort Dodge

4-0

35

8

7.

Ankeny

3-1

22

9

8.

Cedar Falls

3-1

20

4

9.

Waukee

2-2

17

NR

10.

Johnston

3-1

14

6

Dropped out: Pleasant Valley (10)Others receiving votes: Muscatine 11, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 2, Urbandale 2, Lewis Central 1

CLASS 3A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Pella (8)

4-0

80

1

2.

West Delaware

4-0

67

2

3.

Cedar Rapids Xavier

3-0

60

3

4.

Sioux City Heelan

4-0

59

4

5.

Dallas Center-Grimes

3-1

46

6

6.

Webster City

4-0

42

9

7.

Independence

4-0

28

9

8.

Norwalk

3-1

21

7

9.

Harlan

3-1

18

7

10.

Solon

2-2

9

NR

Dropped out: Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (10)

Others receiving votes: Glenwood 6, Chariton 1, Davenport Assumption 1, Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1, Washington 1

CLASS 2A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Spirit Lake (3)

4-0

74

1

2.

Albia (4)

4-0

71

2

3.

South Tama (1)

4-0

64

3

4.

Anamosa

4-0

48

5

5.

Baxter CMB

4-0

45

4

6.

Waukon

4-0

42

6

7.

North Fayette Valley

3-1

37

7

8.

Garner-Hayfield/Ventura

4-0

19

10

9.

Mid-Prairie

4-0

13

NR

10.

Williamsburg

3-1

12

NR

Dropped out: Dyersville Beckman (8), Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (9)Others receiving votes: Cherokee 6, Osage 4, Central Lee 3, Dyersville Beckman 2, Mount Vernon 2

CLASS 1A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Iowa City Regina (8)

4-0

80

1

2.

Dike-New Hartford

4-0

68

2

3.

West Branch

4-0

64

3

4.

Hinton

4-0

48

4

5.

Madrid

4-0

42

5

6.

Panorama

4-0

34

6

7.

South Winneshiek

3-1

26

7

8.

Underwood

4-0

22

8

9.

West Lyon

3-1

20

8

10.

IKM-Manning

3-1

9

NR

Dropped out: Pella Christian (10)

Others receiving votes: Avoca AHSTW 7, Hudson 6, Western Christian 3, Alburnett 2, Van Meter 2

CLASS A

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

BGM (5)

4-0

76

2

2.

Belmond-Klemme (2)

4-0

70

3

3.

Algona Garrigan

4-0

59

6

4.

Logan-Magnolia

3-1

44

9

5.

Denver (1)

3-1

42

8

6.

West Sioux

4-0

33

NR

7.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

2-2

31

1

8.

Pleasantville

4-0

26

NR

9.

Audubon

3-1

17

4

10.

Montezuma

3-1

12

5

Dropped out: Bedford (7), South O'Brien (10)

Others receiving votes: Winfield-Mount Union 7, Pekin 5, Belle Plaine 4, Colfax-Mingo 4, South O'Brien 3, West Hancock 3, Bedford 2, Earlham 1, Lisbon 1

8-PLAYER

Rank

Team

W-L

Points

Previous

1.

Newell-Fonda (6)

4-0

74

1

T-2.

Don Bosco

2-0

58

3

T-2.

Fremont-Mills (1)

4-0

58

2

4.

Glidden-Ralston (1)

4-0

56

4

5.

Marcus MMC

3-0

55

5

6.

HLV

5-0

45

6

7.

Janesville

3-0

34

7

8.

Elkader Central

4-0

21

8

9.

Coon Rapids-Bayard

4-1

12

9

10.

Colo-Nesco

5-0

11

10

Others receiving votes: Lenox 9, Ruthven GTRA 4, Harris-Lake Park 3

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