Breaking down district and playoff races in Class 2A, 1A, A, 8-Player in Iowa high school football
Week 8 is the regular season finale for Iowa's smaller football classes.
Next week, the postseason begins.
Here, we'll look at who's already qualified and what needs to happen for others to punch their playoff tickets this week around the state.
Unlike the largest three classes, there is no RPI poll for Class 2A, 1A, A, and 8-Player teams. The Iowa High School Athletic Association opted instead for traditional district standings and formats, meaning the last few weeks have helped shape the playoff fields.
In 2A, 1A, and A, the top four teams in each of the eight districts qualify for the playoffs, with various tiebreakers to help sort out any messes, making a field of 32 playoff teams. In 8-Player, the top three teams in each of the 10 districts qualify, plus the two best teams that finished outside the top three in their respective districts, for, again, 32 playoff teams.
Below, we go class-by-class, then district-by-district, and look at who's already in and any potential scenarios as other teams continue to vie for postseason positioning.
Class 2A
District 1
Central Lyon, 7-0, 4-0
West Lyon, 5-2, 3-1
Sheldon, 4-3, 2-2
Unity Christian, 2-5, 2-2
These four teams are in. Sheldon plays Unity Christian this week to decide who finishes third and fourth.
District 2
Spirit Lake, 7-0, 4-0
OABCIG, 6-1, 3-1
Estherville Lincoln Central, 3-4, 2-2
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, 5-2, 2-2
These four teams are in. If OABCIG beats CGD, they finish second and CGD takes fourth. If CGD wins, a tiebreaker comes into play, pending ELC’s result against Pocahontas Area.
District 3
Osage, 5-2, 4-0
New Hampton, 6-1, 3-1
Crestwood, 5-2, 3-1
Clear Lake, 3-4, 2-2
These four teams are in. If Osage beats Crestwood, they're outright district champs. If Crestwood wins, tiebreakers come into play, pending the result of New Hampton-Clear Lake.
District 4
Waukon, 4-3, 4-0
Dubuque Wahlert, 5-2, 3-1
North Fayette Valley, 5-2, 2-2
Union, 2-5, 2-2
Oelwein, 2-5, 1-3
If Oelwein beats NFV, that’ll force a tiebreaker, since Union beat Oelwein but lost to NFV.
More:Here are the top performers from Week 7 of Iowa high school football
District 5
Monticello, 5-2, 4-0
Northeast, Goose Lake, 4-3, 3-1
West Liberty, 2-5, 2-2
Camanche, 3-4, 2-2
Anamosa, 1-6, 1-3
If Anamosa beats West Liberty, that’ll force a tiebreaker, since Camanche beat Anamosa but lost to West Liberty.
District 6
Williamsburg, 7-0, 4-0
Centerville, 5-2, 3-1
Mid-Prairie, 4-3, 2-2
Central Lee, 3-4, 2-2
Davis County, 3-4, 1-3
If Davis County beats Mid-Prairie, that’ll force a tiebreaker, since Central Lee beat Davis County but lost to Mid-Prairie.
District 7
West Marshall, 7-0, 4-0
PCM, 4-3, 3-1
Roland-Story, 4-3, 3-1
Chariton, 3-4, 1-3
Iowa Falls-Alden, 1-6, 1-3
Chariton plays Iowa Falls-Alden for the fourth playoff spot here.
District 8
Greene County, 6-1, 4-0
Clarinda, 4-3, 3-1
Des Moines Christian, 3-4, 2-2
Clarke, 5-2, 2-2
These four teams are in.
Class 1A
District 1
West Sioux, 6-1, 4-0
Western Christian, 5-2, 3-1
Emmetsburg, 4-3, 3-1
Ridge View, 3-4, 1-3
Sioux Central, 2-5, 1-3
Ridge View beat Sioux Central head-to-head, so Sioux Central must beat West Sioux and Ridge View must lose to Sibley-Ocheyedan for Sioux Central to get in.
District 2
South Hamilton, 6-1, 4-0
Woodward-Granger, 4-3, 3-1
South Central Calhoun, 3-4, 2-2
Eagle Grove, 3-4, 2-2
These four teams are in.
District 3
Aplington-Parkersburg, 6-1, 3-1
Dike-New Hartford, 5-2, 3-1
Denver, 5-2, 3-1
South Hardin, 3-4, 2-2
These four teams are in. Dike-New Hartford beat Aplington-Parkersburg, who beat Denver, who beat Dike-New Hartford. If they're all still tied after this week, a tiebreaker decides the district champ.
District 4
MFL MarMac, 6-1, 4-0
Columbus Catholic, 4-3, 3-1
Cascade, 4-3, 2-2
Sumner-Fredericksburg, 4-3, 2-2
These four teams are in.
District 5
West Branch, 7-0, 4-0
Mediapolis, 6-1, 3-1
Iowa City Regina, 4-3, 2-2
Durant, 5-2, 2-2
These four teams are in.
District 6
Sigourney-Keota, 5-2, 4-0
Pella Christian, 6-1, 3-1
Central Decatur, 4-3, 3-1
Pleasantville, 3-4, 1-3
Van Buren, 3-4, 1-3
Pleasantville beat Van Buren head-to-head, so Pleasantville must lose to Cardinal and Van Buren must beat Sigourney-Keota for Van Buren to get in.
District 7
Van Meter, 6-1, 4-0
ACGC, 6-1, 4-0
West Central Valley, 4-3, 2-2
Interstate 35, 3-4 2-2
These four teams are in. Van Meter plays ACGC this week for the district title. West Central Valley plays Interstate 35 for third and fourth.
District 8
Kuemper Catholic, 7-0, 4-0
Underwood, 7-0, 4-0
Treynor, 4-3, 2-2
East Sac County, 1-6, 1-3
MVAOCOU, 1-6, 1-3
Kuemper plays Underwood this week for the district title. East Sac County beat MVAOCOU head-to-head, so East Sac County must lose to West Monona and MVAOCOU must beat Treynor for MVAOCOU to get in.
Class A
District 1
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, 5-2, 5-0
Gehlen Catholic, 6-1, 4-1
Hinton, 4-3, 3-2
South O’Brien, 4-3, 3-2
These four teams are in.
District 2
West Hancock, 7-0, 5-0
Newman Catholic, 6-1, 4-1
Saint Ansgar, 4-3, 3-2
North Union, 5-2, 3-2
These four teams are in.
District 3
Grundy Center, 7-0, 5-0
Wapsie Valley, 5-2, 4-1
Nashua-Plainfield, 5-2, 3-2
BCLUW, 4-3, 2-3
Hudson, 3-4, 2-3
AGWSR, 3-4, 2-4
AGWSR is playing a non-district game this week. They’ve beaten BCLUW but lost to Hudson, and BCLUW beat Hudson. BCLUW plays Wapsie Valley and Hudson plays Nashua-Plainfield.
If BCLUW wins, they’re in, no matter what. If Hudson wins and BCLUW loses, Hudson is in. If all finish 2-4, a tiebreaker decides the fourth playoff spot from this district.
District 4
North Linn, 6-1, 5-0
East Buchanan, 6-1, 4-1
Maquoketa Valley, 5-2, 4-1
Bellevue, 3-4, 2-3
South Winneshiek, 2-5, 2-3
Bellevue beat South Winneshiek head-to-head, so Bellevue has to lose to Clayton Ridge and South Winneshiek has to beat East Buchanan for South Winneshiek to make the playoffs.
District 5
Columbus, 7-0, 5-0
Alburnett, 6-1, 5-0
Lisbon, 4-3, 4-2
Wapello, 3-4, 2-3
Pekin, 2-5, 1-4
North Cedar, 1-6, 1-4
If Wapello beats North Cedar, they’re in. If North Cedar wins and Pekin loses to Highland, North Cedar is in. If North Cedar and Pekin both win, a tiebreaker decides the third playoff spot. Columbus and Alburnett play this week for the district title.
District 6
Lynnville-Sully, 7-0, 5-0
Madrid, 5-2, 4-1
Ogden, 5-2, 4-2
Belle Plaine, 4-3, 3-2
These four teams are in.
District 7
AHSTW, 7-0, 5-0
Mount Ayr, 6-1, 4-1
Southwest Valley, 6-1, 4-1
Earlham, 2-5, 2-3
St. Albert, 2-5, 2-3
Riverside, 2-5, 1-4
If Earlham beats Riverside, they’re in. If Riverside beats Earlham but St. Albert beats AHSTW, St. Albert is in. If Riverside wins and St. Albert loses, a tiebreaker decides the final playoff spot, since Earlham beat St. Albert.
District 8
Woodbury Central, 7-0, 5-0
Logan-Magnolia, 4-3, 4-1
Tri-Center, 3-4, 3-2
Westwood, 4-3, 3-2
These four teams are in.
8-Player
District 1
Remsen St. Mary’s, 7-0, 5-0
Newell-Fonda, 6-1, 4-1
Kingsley-Pierson, 3-4, 3-2
These three teams are in.
District 2
West Bend-Mallard, 5-2, 5-1
Harris-Lake Park, 5-2, 4-1
GTRA, 6-1, 4-1
St. Edmond, 4-3, 3-2
If St. Edmond beats GTRA and Harris-Lake Park beats North Iowa, St. Edmond is in. If St. Edmond wins and Harris-Lake Park loses, a tiebreaker comes into play to decide the second and third playoff spots.
If GTRA and Harris-Lake Park both win, that forces a three-way tie at the top, with West Bend-Mallard, who is playing a non-district game this week.
District 3
Turkey Valley, 5-1, 4-0
Tripoli, 5-2, 4-1
Clarksville, 4-3, 2-2
West Central, 4-4, 2-2
Riceville, 2-6, 1-3
If Clarksville beats Riceville, they’re in as the third team. If Riceville pulls the upset but West Central beats Turkey Valley, West Central is in as the third team. If Riceville beats Clarksville and West Central loses, a tiebreaker decides the third spot.
District 4
Don Bosco, 7-0, 5-0
Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 6-1, 3-1
Colo-Nesco, 3-4, 2-2
Collins-Maxwell, 3-3, 2-2
If Colo-NESCO beats GMG, they’re in as the third team. If they lose and Collins-Maxwell beats Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Collins-Maxwell sneaks in.
District 5
Easton Valley, 5-1, 4-0
Central City, 6-1, 4-1
Midland, 4-2, 2-2
Edgewood-Colesburg, 3-3, 2-2
Midland and Edgewood-Colesburg play this week for the third playoff spot here.
District 6
WACO, 8-0, 6-0
New London, 5-3, 5-1
Iowa Valley, 5-3, 4-2
Winfield-Mt. Union, 5-3, 3-3
Lone Tree, 3-4, 3-3
If Iowa Valley beats Lone Tree, they’re the third team in. If Lone Tree wins and Winfield-Mt. Union loses to English Valleys, then Lone Tree is the third team in. If Lone Tree and Winfield-Mt. Union both win, a tiebreaker decides the third spot.
District 7
Montezuma, 6-2, 5-0
Baxter, 6-1, 4-1
BGM, 5-2, 3-2
Grand View Christian, 4-3, 3-3
Melcher-Dallas, 3-4, 2-3
If BGM beats Melcher-Dallas, they’re the third team in. If Melcher-Dallas wins, it’ll force a three-way tie between those two teams and Grand View Christian, who beat Melcher-Dallas but lost to BGM.
District 8
Southeast Warren, 7-1, 5-0
Moravia, 6-2, 4-1
Martensdale-St. Marys, 3-4, 3-2
These three teams are in.
District 9
Fremont-Mills, 6-1, 5-0
Lenox, 7-0, 5-0
East Mills, 5-2, 3-2
Bedford, 4-3, 2-3
Stanton/Essex, 4-3, 2-3
If East Mills beat Stanton/Essex, they’re in as the third team. If Stanton/Essex wins and Bedford loses to East Union, Stanton/Essex is in. If Stanton/Essex and Bedford both win, a tiebreaker decides the third playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Fremont-Mills plays Lenox this week for the district title.
District 10
West Harrison, 7-0, 6-0
CAM, 5-2, 4-1
Audubon, 3-5, 3-2
These three teams are in.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football district, playoff breakdowns ahead of Week 8
