Small changes in the Register's high school football rankings set up exciting Week 6 games

There weren't many changes to the Des Moines Register's high school football rankings after Week 5, but some of the changes that were made set up an exciting Week 6.

Each of the seven No. 1-ranked teams held serve last Friday: Pleasant Valley in Class 5A; Lewis Central in 4A; Harlan in 3A; Williamsburg in 2A; Van Meter in 1A; West Hancock in Class A and Don Bosco in 8-Player.

Really, only seven total teams dropped out of our polls after losses last week, allowing a couple of teams to return to the rankings — a hearty welcome back to both Solon and Independence — and a handful more to make their debut:

• Davenport West, now 5-0, in Class 5A;

• Mid-Prairie and Greene County, both 4-1, in Class 2A;

• South Hamilton, also 4-1, in Class 1A;

• and GTRA, 5-0, in 8-Player.

Though changes were few, the Week 6 schedule will feature potentially explosive matchups.

In Class 5A, No. 6 Urbandale (4-1) hosts a surging No. 8 Ankeny Centennial (3-2). Both teams have won three in a row, and this result may loom large when it comes to playoff positioning.

The Class 3A slate is loaded:

• No. 2 Humboldt (5-0) vs. No. 7 North Polk (4-1)

• No. 3 ADM (5-0) vs. No. 8 Creston (5-0)

• No. 6 Hampton-Dumont-CAL (4-1) vs. No. 9 Independence (4-1)

Humboldt-North Polk will be the first domino to fall in deciding 3A's District 2. HDC-Independence may very well decide 3A's District 3. ADM-Creston is not only a battle of unbeaten teams, but the winner keeps pace with top-ranked Harlan in 3A's District 6.

In Class 2A, Mid-Prairie, ranked No. 9 after two straight dominant wins, gets a crack at top-ranked Williamsburg. In Class 1A, West Branch and Durant, two undefeated teams with strong run games, will clash in a top-10 matchup. In Class A, No. 6 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn has won four straight and will play top-ranked West Hancock this week.

More games will draw just as much interest, for a number of reasons — RPI positioning, district races, rivalries, pride. But we've officially entered the homestretch of the 2022 season. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Class 5A

1. Pleasant Valley (5-0), beat Davenport North 49-12

2. Dowling Catholic (4-1), beat Council Bluffs Lincoln 52-0

3. Ankeny (4-1), beat Des Moines Roosevelt 35-18

4. Southeast Polk (4-1), beat Waterloo West 56-0

5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (5-0), beat Dubuque Senior 38-0

6. Urbandale (4-1), beat Des Moines East 48-0

7. Cedar Rapids Prairie (4-1), beat Ottumwa 49-14

8. Ankeny Centennial (3-2), beat Sioux City East 31-28

9. Sioux City East (4-1), lost to Ankeny Centennial 31-28

10. Davenport West (5-0), beat Dubuque Hempstead 14-7

Dropped Out: Iowa City West

Class 4A

1. Lewis Central (5-0), beat Council Bluffs Jefferson 63-0

2. Cedar Rapids Xavier (5-0), beat Cedar Rapids Washington 38-0

3. Waverly-Shell Rock (5-0), beat Waterloo East 56-0

4. Carlisle (4-1), beat Bondurant-Farrar 36-20

5. Iowa City Liberty (4-1), beat North Scott 20-16

6. Spencer (4-1), beat Denison-Schleswig 28-14

7. Fort Madison (5-0), beat Mount Pleasant 46-0

8. Indianola (4-1), beat Perry 49-0

9. Bondurant-Farrar (4-1), lost to Carlisle 36-20

10. North Scott (3-2), lost to Iowa City Liberty 20-16

Dropped Out: none

Class 3A

1. Harlan (4-1), beat Saydel 62-6

2. Humboldt (5-0), beat Ballard 26-14

3. ADM (5-0), beat Atlantic 56-20

4. Mount Vernon (5-0), beat Benton 47-0

5. Nevada (4-1), beat Gilbert 25-22

6. Hampton-Dumont-CAL (4-1), beat Charles City 33-0

7. North Polk (4-1), beat Algona 55-28

8. Creston (5-0), beat Knoxville 39-0

9. Independence (5-1), beat South Tama County 56-6

10. Solon (3-2), beat West Burlington 36-0

Dropped Out: MOC-Floyd Valley, Central DeWitt

Class 2A

1. Williamsburg (5-0), beat Centerville 55-7

2. Central Lyon (5-0), beat Cherokee 43-8

3. New Hampton (5-0), beat Crestwood 24-14

4. West Marshall (5-0), beat Iowa Falls-Alden 42-14

5. Spirit Lake (5-0), beat OABCIG 28-13

6. Dubuque Wahlert (4-1), beat North Fayette Valley 48-14

7. OABCIG (4-1), lost to Spirit Lake 28-13

8. West Lyon (3-2), beat Sheldon 29-3

9. Mid-Prairie (4-1), beat Central Lee 51-0

10. Greene County (4-1), beat Clarinda 43-12

Dropped Out: Red Oak, Crestwood

Class 1A

1. Van Meter (4-1), beat West Central Valley 48-0

2. West Sioux (4-1), beat Western Christian 49-22

3. West Branch (5-0), beat Mediapolis 35-13

4. Dike-New Hartford (4-1), beat East Marshall 62-0

5. Underwood (5-0), beat MVAOCOU 68-12

6. Aplington-Parkersburg (5-0), beat South Hardin 28-12

7. Durant (5-0), beat Louisa-Muscatine 56-0

8. Kuemper Catholic (5-0), beat West Monona 57-6

9. South Hamilton (4-1), beat Woodward-Granger 38-14

10. Pella Christian (4-1), lost to Sigourney-Keota 15-13

Dropped Out: Cascade

Class A

1. West Hancock (5-0), beat North Union 60-27

2. Grundy Center (5-0), beat AGWSR 35-0

3. Woodbury Central (5-0), beat Lawton-Bronson 42-0

4. Lynnville-Sully (5-0), beat Madrid 36-14

5. AHSTW (5-0), beat Riverside 39-19

6. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (4-1), beat Alta-Aurelia 51-16

7. North Linn (4-1), beat South Winneshiek 42-7

8. East Buchanan (4-1), beat Maquoketa Valley 48-12

9. Alburnett (4-1), beat Highland 55-14

10. Mount Ayr (4-1), beat Sidney 56-6

Dropped Out: none

8-Player

1. Don Bosco (5-0), beat Dunkerton 57-12

2. Newell-Fonda (5-0), beat Kingsley-Pierson 48-28

3. Remsen St. Mary’s (5-0), beat St. Edmond 63-0

4. WACO (6-0), beat New London 43-6

5. Easton Valley (4-1), beat Central City 49-6

6. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (5-0), beat GMG 76-8

7. Baxter (5-0), beat BGM 46-44

8. Lenox (5-0), beat Stanton 70-20

9. West Harrison (5-0), beat Coon Rapids-Bayard 35-18

10. GTRA (5-0), beat West Bend-Mallard 38-24

Dropped Out: Central City

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Week 6 high school football rankings set up exciting Week 6 matchups