Week 5 Whip-Around: Cloudy 5A Playoff Picture

The state's largest classification has a lot to settle during the next four weeks. Two-time defending state champion Southeast Polk along with Dowling Catholic and Bettendorf are the remaining unbeaten programs. Pleasant Valley, Waukee and Cedar Rapids Jefferson at 4-1 are the only other teams with fewer than two losses.   Jefferson dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten on Friday, falling to rival Cedar Rapids Washington, 21-13. Pleasant Valley has won four games in a row since losing to Bettendorf in the season opener. Waukee has put together a three-game winning streak after losing by a field goal to rival Waukee Northwestern in Week 2.   Will the state semifinalists come from that group of six teams or does a team or two that has lost two games already rise up? The next four weeks is as much about postseason positioning as it is getting into the field. Matchups and locations weigh heavily on playoff outcomes.   The race resumes this week with several key games on the slate. Ankeny Centennial (3-2) plays host to Dowling, Bettendorf travels to an improving Cedar Rapids Kennedy (3-2), Cedar Falls (3-2) is at Pleasant Valley, and Ankeny (3-2) visits Cedar Rapids Prairie (3-2).   WINS OF THE WEEK   5A - Waukee 14, Johnston 10: After losing at home, 10-0, against Johnston last year, the Warriors exacted revenge and boosted their resume for the postseason. [player_tooltip player_id='1279995' first='Grant' last='Gammell'] rushed 20 times for 114 yards and a touchdown for the winners. Orson Harrop recorded 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack to go with a team-best 7.5 tackles. Cole Tedesco returned a fumble for a score.   4A - Indianola 30, Ballard 27: The first-ever meeting between these formidable 4A schools turned into a doozy. Indianola's [player_tooltip player_id='1418132' first='Andrew' last='DeWall'] threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns to go with 40 yards and a score on the ground. Eli Fox caught seven of his passes for 176 yards and two TDs. Ballard's [player_tooltip player_id='247947' first='Eli' last='Rouse'] ran for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.   3A - Creston 25, Harlan 22: The Panthers moved to 5-0 with a hard-fought victory against a team to which it had lost the last six meetings. [player_tooltip player_id='320765' first='Cael' last='Turner'] threw for 127 yards and a score, and rushed for 95 yards and a TD for the winners. Jack Walter piled up 11.5 tackles and intercepted a pass for Creston. [player_tooltip player_id='1279799' first='Lukas' last='Francis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='247962' first='Cade' last='Sears'] stood out for the Cyclones.   2A - West Lyon 20, Western Christian 3: The Wildcats scored 14-unanswered, fourth-quarter points in winning a battle of unbeatens. [player_tooltip player_id='827113' first='Jaxan' last='Huyser'] led a stellar defensive effort with 11.5 tackles, including 4.0 for loss, and registered 3.0 sacks. [player_tooltip player_id='318135' first='Tate' last='Hawf'] had 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the victors. Kaden VanRegenmorter rushed for 119 yards and led Western with 7.0 tackles.   1A - Sumner-Fredericksburg 13, MFL MarMac 9: The Cougars became the first team to top MFL MarMac in the regular season since the Bulldogs lost by three points in the '22 opener last August. Davis Van Sickle completed 13 of 19 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the winning effort. Tatum Nuss caught three of his passes for 68 yards and a score, while Jesse Jones led the defense with 10.5 tackles (3.0 for loss). [player_tooltip player_id='156623' first='Tristen' last='Koehn'] racked up 2.5 sacks for the Bulldogs.   A - Saint Ansgar 28, Nashua-Plainfield 6: The Saints delivered another statement win in a matchup of previously unbeaten programs. Christian Michels carried 12 times for 120 yards and a score for the winners. Korben Michels, Jayce Schwiesow and Regan Witt each added a rushing touchdown. Titus Evans ran for 90 yards and the Huskies' lone TD.   8-Player - BGM 55, Montezuma 50: In an important matchup in the race for postseason bids, the Bears secured a big road win in a wild game. [player_tooltip player_id='1221942' first='Beau' last='Burns'] threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns, and added 126 yards and three scores on the ground for BGM. Dominic Coleman caught 14 balls for 218 yards and two scores and added 10.5 tackles in the victory. [player_tooltip player_id='1358956' first='Brett' last='Plants'] rushed for 224 yards and [player_tooltip player_id='1242284' first='Brady' last='Boulton'] supplied six combined TDs for Montezuma.   EXTRA POINTS   -I received my first in-person viewing of Cedar Rapids Kennedy OL [player_tooltip player_id='847892' first='Nick' last='Brooks'] on Friday. The Iowa Hawkeye commit and Red Zone's topped-ranked 2025 player in the state dominated. I wrote up a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/09/scouting-report-cedar-rapids-kennedy-city-high/">scouting report</a> from the game, which also includes a writeup on Cougar quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='847811' first='Vincenzo' last='Gianforte'], who has 15 touchdown passes and just one interception this season.   -[player_tooltip player_id='1123309' first='Javon' last='Sanders'] (6-1, 185) is enjoying a tremendous year for 3-2 Des Moines Lincoln. The junior has 1,101 yards (10.6 YPC) and 15 touchdowns on the ground. I <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18557356/650b3cdd2ab1340be4ec0bae">watched highlight</a>s from his first four games of '23. He showed a nice mix of size, speed and patience.   -Ballard's [player_tooltip player_id='156495' first='Brody' last='Sampson'] (6-0, 195) leads all classes with 10.0 sacks through five games. It comes on the heels of him dropping the opposing QB 6.5 times as a junior in '22.   -You can find multiple outlets around the state that rank teams. For the first time this week, we can see <a href="https://www.iahsaa.org/football-2023-rankings/">the official rankings</a> from the Iowa High School Athletic Association in Class 2A down to 8-Player. Ratings in the other classes are scheduled for release Oct. 2.   Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (2A), Grundy Center (1A), Saint Ansgar (A) and Winfield-Mount Union (8-Player) are the top teams in the first IHSAA poll. All of them are unbeaten.

The state's largest classification has a lot to settle during the next four weeks. Two-time defending state champion Southeast Polk along with Dowling Catholic and Bettendorf are the remaining unbeaten programs. Pleasant Valley, Waukee and Cedar Rapids Jefferson at 4-1 are the only other teams with fewer than two losses.