Group 1 Team Previews (5A) Including Record Predictions!

This year is going to be a great year for Iowa High School Football. With teams like Southeast Polk and Ankeny (loaded with stars) - and tons of elite prospects scattered throughout the entire state of Iowa - we could be entering one of the best seasons Iowa has seen. In this article, I will predict each 5A team’s record and include a percentage to win. This year should be fun so let’s dive into it. Disclaimer: these predictions are my thoughts on what might happen and could turn out differently as the season unfolds! WDM Valley Season Prediction Record: (6-3) Inner Group Record: (2-1) Home Record: (3-2) Away Record: (3-1) Point Differential: 215-165. <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: Waukee Northwest 21-17 Win (Home) 50% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: At Southeast Polk 14-31 Loss (Away) 25% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: At Urbandale 38-14 Win (Away) 65% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: Waukee 28-10 Win (Home) 70% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: At Marshalltown 42-7 Win (Away) 95% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: Ankeny 7-27 Loss (Home) 35% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: At Des Moines Lincoln 45-7 Win (Away) 95% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: Dowling Catholic 17-31 Loss (Home) 40% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: Des Moines Roosevelt 31-21 Win (Home) 65% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (7-2) Realistic Worst Case: (4-5) Team Preview: Valley had a tough season last year. Jake Rubley did not pan out as they’d hoped and their defense struggled at times. They did have star power, featuring Jayden Williams and [player_tooltip player_id="23946" first="Eli" last="Raridon"] on offense and [player_tooltip player_id="23829" first="Nasir" last="Washington"] on defense. Valley ended up finishing the season on a bright spot, becoming one of the hottest teams in the state. They have a strong senior group that will surprise a lot of people. [player_tooltip player_id="147986" first="Danny" last="Rankins"], [player_tooltip player_id="148360" first="Mason" last="Morrow"], and, of course, [player_tooltip player_id="23946" first="Eli" last="Raridon"] are the leaders of this team. There are some serious concerns on offense, but if those are answered they could end up being one of the best teams in the state. Ankeny South Season Prediction Record: (9-0) Inner Group Record: (4-0) Home Record: (5-0) Away Record: (4-0) Point Differential: 298-77 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: Waukee 34-7 Win (Home) 80% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: At Ankeny Centennial 30-13 Win (Away) 75% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: At Dowling Catholic 20-17 Win (Away) 50% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: Southeast Polk 27-20 Win (Home) 60% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: Des Moines Roosevelt 28-3 Win (Home) 85% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: At Valley 27-7 Win (Away) 65% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: Des Moines North 56-0 Win (Home) 100% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: At Waukee Northwest 27-10 Win (Away) 70% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: Des Moines Lincoln 49-0 Win (Home) 99% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (9-0) Realistic Worst Case: (7-2) Team Preview: Ankeny is the returning state champion, and boy, do they return a lot on defense! They welcome back 6/11 starters from a defense that only gave up 10.3 points per game last season. The big question mark for them this upcoming season will involve offense. They lost a huge amount of production and will need to find a way to put points up on the board. Transfer QB [player_tooltip player_id="104081" first="JJ" last="Kohl"] should help with that tremendously, but at the receiver position, they have some holes to fill. WR Brady McCullough will be a beast this upcoming season. He may carry them in the receiving game. Mankato State commit [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"] will also be a stud as one of the best backs in the state. Overall, this team could easily repeat. Note: To be transparent, I attend Ankeny High School. Des Moines Roosevelt Record: (6-3) Inner Group Record: (2-2) Home Record: (3-1) Away Record: (3-2) Point Differential: 276-158. <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: Des Moines East 58-10 Win (Home) 100% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: At Waukee 28-24 Win (Away) 55% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: At Ottumwa 38-0 Win (Away) 100% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: Urbandale 21-27 Loss (Home) 45% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: At Ankeny 3-28 Loss (Away) 15% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: Des Moines North 42-0 Win (Home) 100% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: At Marshalltown 34-13 Win (Away) 95% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: Sioux City East 31-21 Win (Home) 75% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: At Valley 21-31 Loss (Away) 35% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (7-2) Realistic Worst Case: (5-4) Team Preview: The Roughriders are going to be exciting to watch. In my opinion, Roosevelt has been the best metro area team for the past three years, and I do not think it stops now. [player_tooltip player_id="24030" first="Jamison" last="Patton"] will be a star and one of the most exciting players to watch this upcoming season. In addition, former Iowa State QB, Jared Barnett has become the head coach of the Roughriders. Altogether, this team has the ability to finally beat a suburban school, and I believe they can do that Week 2 against Waukee. Des Moines Lincoln Record: (6-3) Inner Group Record: (2-2) Home Record: (2-2) Away Record: (4-1) Point Differential: 202-199. <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: At Sioux City West 34-18 Win (Away) 75% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: Norwalk 13-23 Loss (Home) 40% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: Des Moines East 35-10 Win (Home) 90% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: At Carlisle 34-14 Win (Away) 90% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: At Des Moines North 35-14 Win (Away) 95% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: Marshalltown 20-13 Win (Home) 50% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: Valley 7-45 Loss (Home) 5% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: At Ames 24-13 Win (Away) 60% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: At Ankeny 0-49 Loss (Away) 1% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (6-3) Realistic Worst Case: (4-5) Team Preview: Des Moines Lincoln finally has some star power. QB Trent Brown transferred from Des Moines East to Lincoln, and they also have a star running back: [player_tooltip player_id="23969" first="Joshua" last="Jenkins"]. This team’s offense should be good. I am interested to see how their defense plays. Lincoln’s schedule is pretty weak, so they have a good chance for quality seeding when it comes to playoff time. Marshalltown Record: (4-5) Inner Group Record: (1-3) Home Record: (2-3) Away Record: (2-2) Point Differential: 175-201. <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: Ames 35-21 Win (Home) 60% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: At Waterloo East 3-20 Loss (Away) 35% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: At Newton 28-3 Win (Away) 75% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: Fort Dodge 13-37 Loss (Home) 30% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: Valley 7-42 Loss (Home) 5% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: At Des Moines Lincoln 13-20 Loss (Away) 50% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: Des Moines Roosevelt 13-34 Loss (Home) 5% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: Cedar Rapids Jefferson 35-14 Win (Home) 70% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: At Des Moines North 28-10 Win (Away) 70% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (5-4) Realistic Worst Case: (3-6) Team Preview: Marshalltown was pretty senior-heavy last year. They had one of their best players ever in [player_tooltip player_id="23822" first="Carson" last="Williams"], who is heading off to Buffalo. Luckily they have Carson’s little brother, [player_tooltip player_id="99198" first="Gannon" last="Williams"], who is also a stud. Similar to Des Moines Lincoln, Marshalltown has a pretty weak schedule. I feel confident they will either be one win above .500 or just below it. Des Moines North Record: (3-6) Inner Group Record: (0-4) Home Record: (2-3) Away Record: (1-3) Point Differential: 147-277. <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Week 1: Des Moines Hoover 27-17 Win (Home) 65% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 2: At Des Moines East 31-20 Win (Away) 65% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 3: Sioux City North 20-30 Loss (Home) 45% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 4: At Waterloo East 17-28 Loss (Away) 35% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 5: Des Moines Lincoln 14-35 Loss (Home) 5% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 6: At Des Moines Roosevelt 0-42 Loss (Away) 0% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 7: At Ankeny 0-56 Loss (Away) 0% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 8: Ottumwa 28-21 Win (Home) 55% Chance to Win.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Week 9: Marshalltown 10-28 Loss (Home) 30% Chance to Win. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Realistic Best Case: (4-5) Realistic Worst Case: (2-7) Team Breakdown: Des Moines North has struggled in football the past couple of years. The truth is, it’s hard for Des Moines Schools to produce outstanding football teams with less funding and not as many players to choose from. That being said, they have an excellent prospect in [player_tooltip player_id="104803" first="Kevin" last="Quayee"], who can be a Division One offensive lineman in the future. Des Moines North also produced its first Division One football athlete (Deavin Hilson) who committed to Iowa. I am pulling for this Des Moines North team, and I hope they prove me wrong! Group 1 MVP: [player_tooltip player_id="23967" first="Colin" last="Kadolph"] HB Ankeny South Final Points: This group is one of the most exciting groups. Lots of elite QB play featuring [player_tooltip player_id="148360" first="Mason" last="Morrow"], [player_tooltip player_id="104081" first="JJ" last="Kohl"], and [player_tooltip player_id="24030" first="Jamison" last="Patton"]. This group also has quality crosstown Des Moines matchups that never seem to disappoint. Overall, I am excited to see how they each perform. Please keep in mind these predictions are my opinion and are not meant to be offensive to anyone. At the end of the day, I cannot predict what will happen on the turf.