Indee-WD, Xavier-Regina highlight Week 8

Pick your showdown of unbeatens.

There's the Highway 20 grudge match at Manchester, with the Class 3A District 3 title on the line.

And there's the battle for Eastern Iowa Catholic-school supremacy.

It's Week 8 of the Iowa high school football season, and Independence-West Delaware and Cedar Rapids Xavier-Iowa City Regina highlight Friday's action.

The Gazette/KCRG/KGYM football poll contains no changes at the top. It's still a tie for the No. 1 position in Class 2A between Albia and Spirit Lake, and the other leaders remain the same.

West Des Moines Dowling holds the No. 1 spot in Class 4A. It's Pella in 3A, Regina in 1A, BGM in Class A and Newell-Fonda in 8-Player.

Pella and Regina are unanimous choices in their respective classes.

West Delaware and Independence are No. 2 and No. 6 in 3A. The Hawks have the top-scoring team in 3A at 43.9 points per game. Independence won last year's battle, 10-0.

The winner of five straight state championships, Regina has won 76 of its last 77 games. One of those victories was last year at Xavier. The Saints are No. 3 in Class 3A.

Dowling is followed by Bettendorf in 4A, with West Des Moines Valley, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington rounding out the top five.

Albia and Spirit Lake both received 73 points in the 2A balloting, with Albia receiving four first-place votes and Spirit Lake three. South Tama is third, Anamosa fourth.

Regina's closest challengers in 1A are Dike-New Hartford, West Branch and Underwood.

BGM garnered seven first-place votes in Class A. Algona Garrigan is second, followed by Denver.

Don Bosco is second to defending-champion Newell-Fonda in 8-Player. Marcus MMC is third.

GAZETTE/KCRG/KGYM FOOTBALL POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses)

CLASS 4A W-L Pts Pvs

1. West Des Moines Dowling (5) 6-0 77 1

2. Bettendorf (3) 7-0 70 2

3. West Des Moines Valley 6-1 66 3

4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 7-0 58 4

5. Cedar Rapids Washington 6-1 47 5

6. Fort Dodge 7-0 39 6

7. Ankeny 6-1 29 7

8. Waukee 5-2 28 8

9. Johnston 5-2 9 9

(tie) Muscatine 6-1 9 —

Dropped out: Cedar Falls (10).

Others receiving votes: Iowa City High 3, Pleasant Valley 3, Ankeny Centennial 2, Urbandale 1.

CLASS 3A W-L Pts Pvs

1. Pella (8) 7-0 80 1

2. West Delaware 7-0 68 2

3. Cedar Rapids Xavier 6-0 66 3

4. Dallas Center-Grimes 6-1 51 4

5. Webster City 7-0 45 5

6. Independence 7-0 42 6

7. Norwalk 6-1 25 8

8. Harlan 6-1 23 7

9. Glenwood 7-0 11 9

(tie) Sergeant Bluff-Luton 6-1 11 10

Others receiving votes: Sioux City Heelan 8, Davenport Assumption 6, Washington 4.

CLASS 2A W-L Pts Pvs

1. Albia (4) 7-0 73 1

1. Spirit Lake (3) 7-0 73 1

3. South Tama (1) 7-0 67 3

4. Anamosa 7-0 59 4

5. Monroe PCM 6-1 35 8

6. Aplington-Parkersburg 6-1 34 7

7. Williamsburg 5-2 28 5

8. Waukon 6-1 21 9

9. Mount Vernon 5-2 20 6

10. North Fayette Valley 5-2 16 10

Others receiving votes: Garner-Hayfield/Ventura 6, Tipton 5, Central Lee 2, Dyersville Beckman 1.

CLASS 1A W-L Pts Pvs

1. Iowa City Regina (8) 7-0 80 1

2. Dike-New Hartford 7-0 70 2

3. West Branch 7-0 65 3

4. Underwood 7-0 57 5

5. Van Meter 6-1 36 9

6. Hinton 6-1 22 4

7. Hudson 6-1 21 —

8. South Central Calhoun 6-1 19 —

9. Saint Ansgar 6-1 17 —

10. Western Christian 5-2 14 —

Dropped out: South Winneshiek (6), Alburnett (7), Avoca AHST (7), West Lyon (10).

Others receiving votes: West Lyon 13, South Winneshiek 12, Panorama 9, Avoca AHSTW 2, Pocahontas Area 2, Alburnett 1.

CLASS A W-L Pts Pvs

1. BGM (7) 7-0 78 1

2. Algona Garrigan 7-0 68 2

3. Denver (1) 6-1 51 3

4. Logan-Magnolia 6-1 47 4

5. West Sioux 7-0 46 5

6. Pleasantville 7-0 38 6

7. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 5-2 34 7

8. Audubon 6-1 32 8

9. Winfield-Mount Union 7-0 17 10

10. Pekin 6-1 11 —

Dropped out: Belmond-Klemme (9).

Others receiving votes: West Hancock 10, Colfax-Mingo 8.

8-PLAYER W-L Pts Pvs

1. Newell-Fonda (5) 7-0 75 1

2. Don Bosco (2) 5-0 69 2

3. Marcus MMC 6-0 60 3

4. Glidden-Ralston (1) 7-0 57 4

5. Janesville 6-0 47 6

6. Elkader Central 7-0 40 7

7. Lenox 7-0 35 8

8. Fremont-Mills 6-1 16 4

9. Ruthven GTRA 6-1 14 10

10. Exira-EHK 6-1 8 —

Dropped out: Colo-Nesco (9).

Others receiving votes: HLV 7, Moravia 7, Colo-Nesco 5.

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