I’ve been floating around the idea for a long time of having this intermittent series of articles where I express opinions and give thoughts on traditionally-covered areas of sports and opinions on nuanced subjects in sports. Starting this off with a light-hearted look on my way-too-early rankings for Iowa High School Football in 2023.
Class 5A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Southeast Polk
- Dowling Catholic
- Cedar Falls
- West Des Moines, Valley
- Johnston
- Iowa City Liberty
- Cedar Rapids Kennedy
- Ankeny Centennial
- Waukee Northwest
- Linn-Mar, Marion
Southeast Polk is on a Georgia-esque reign over Class 5A, with back-to-back titles, they are clearly the preeminent program in the state of Iowa. Dowling Catholic returns a number of contributors, as does Cedar Falls, WDM Valley and Johnston to round out the Top 5. Iowa City Liberty is a team to watch with Graham Beckman at QB, as they make the jump to 5A.
Class 4A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Lewis Central
- ADM, Adel
- Cedar Rapids Xavier
- Bondurant-Farrar
- North Scott
- Western Dubuque
- LeMars
- North Polk
- Burlington
- Glenwood
It’s a pretty clear-cut Top 3 in 4A to me, between Lewis Central, ADM and Cedar Rapids Xavier, all 3 programs return a lot of production on both sides of the ball. ADM could be more of a question mark with the departure of Garrison Carter. Outside the top 3, the team with the best chance to make a big run to the UNI Dome is between Bondurant-Farrar and Western Dubuque.
Class 3A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Mount Vernon
- Harlan Community
- Solon
- Webster City
- Independence
- Williamsburg
- Hampton-Dumont-CAL
- Central DeWitt
- Creston
- Algona
Class 3A appears to be more wide open this year than in previous years, where it was either a two-horse race or one team dominant above all. Mount Vernon returns a lot from a team that gave Harlan all it could handle last year, rival Solon also makes an appearance in the top 3. District 2 is an intriguing case with 3 teams in the initial Top 10, Webster City returns a lot on the front lines as well as dynamic two-way star Jaxon Cherry, HD-CAL brings back well over 50% of production on both sides, and Algona is headlined by prized QB recruit Alex Manske and tight end/defensive end Jack Limbaugh.
Class 2A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
- Greene County
- Monticello
- Van Meter
- Osage
- West Lyon
- West Marshall
- PCM
- Spirit Lake
- Carroll Kuemper
On paper, Class 2A again looks like a Central Lyon/George-Little Rock’s to lose with some very high-quality talent. Monticello and Van Meter are two very intriguing teams that depending on their in-season improvements, could become a darkhorse #3 challenger. Expect the winner of District 7 to be a very battle-tested group as well.
Class 1A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Underwood
- MFL, MarMac
- Grundy Center
- South Hamilton
- Sigourney-Keota
- Columbus Catholic
- Iowa City Regina
- AHSTW, Avoca
- Treynor
- Sumner-Fredricksburg
With two-time defending champion Van Meter off to 2A, the early favorite on paper is Underwood, while losing their QB from 2022, they return nearly all their key skill players as well as defensive stalwarts. MFL MarMac and defending Class A Champions Grundy Center will have a say as well, while South Hamilton and Sigourney-Keota could battle for that 4th spot in Cedar Falls in November.
Class A Way-Too-Early Rankings
- West Hancock
- Woodbury Central
- East Buchanan
- Columbus Community
- Southwest Valley
- Lynnville-Sully
- South Central Calhoun
- Madrid
- Nashua-Plainfield
- Logan-Magnolia
West Hancock returns their 2 thoroughbreds in Mitchell Smith and Kale Zuehl, while Kellen Smith and Brady Bixel could provide an even bigger boost to the Eagles Wing T attack. East Buchanan also boasts a three-headed rushing monster, as all 3 ballcarriers surpassed 1,000 yards in 2022. Woodbury Central returns QB Drew Kluender, who threw for 37 TD’s in 2022. Darkhorses to make a run at Cedar Falls include Southwest Valley and Madrid.
Class 8-Player Way-Too-Early Rankings
- Gladbrook-Reinbeck
- Central City
- Winfield-Mt. Union
- CAM, Anita
- Moravia
- Southeast Warren
- Harris-Lake Park
- Montezuma
- Lenox
- Fremont-Mills
Gladbrook-Reinbeck has one of the highest percentage of production returning in 8-man, which gives them the early #1 spot. Central City and Winfield-Mt. Union are two teams loaded with talent, while CAM, Anita and Moravia return a pair of outstanding QB’s in 2023 in Chase Spieker and Shane Helmick.
So there you have it, feel free to debate, just a reminder that these rankings were specifically based on returning production from 2022.