Week 7 Whip-Around: Friday's Top Wins in Each Class

We've reached the stage of the season where the wins and losses loom larger than earlier in the campaign. Dowling and Southeast Polk, who play this week in Pleasant Hill, have been the only two programs in the state's two largest classes to reach Week 8 without a loss.   Here's a look at the top victories in each class for the most recent round of contests:   WINNERS OF WEEK 7   5A - Southeast Polk 38, Waukee 0: In a week of lopsided scores among the state's largest class, the Rams shutting out Waukee on the road was the most surprising. The Warrriors had been ranked No. 5 in the RPI heading into the contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='376911' first='Connor' last='Moberly'] completed 15 of 21 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown without an interception for the winners. The Iowa State commitment added two rushing scores. [player_tooltip player_id='247943' first='CJ' last='Phillip'] rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries, and Carson Robbins caught four balls for 84 yards and a TD.  [player_tooltip player_id='156485' first='Zeb' last='Hinze'] paced Southeast Polk with five solo tackles, while Carter Pesek recorded a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Hunter Chanthaphon was 2 for 2 on field goals.   The Rams beat Waukee for the third time in a row after losing the previous six meetings with the Warriors. [player_tooltip player_id='1277154' first='Carter' last='Johnson'] led Waukee with 8.0 tackles against Southeast Polk.   4A - Bondurant-Farrar 38, Gilbert 7: Like the week's winner in 5A, this game was expected to be closer. Credit the Bluejays for serving notice in a class that looks wide open. They've ripped off six wins in a row after dropping their season opener to North Polk, 43-39.   [player_tooltip player_id='156487' first='Titus' last='Cram'] provided 168 yards and three touchdowns in the latest victory. [player_tooltip player_id='156631' first='Caleb' last='Moore'] aded 111 yards and a score on the ground, while Cole Miller caught six passes for 115 yards and a TD. [player_tooltip player_id='247976' first='Dalton' last='House'] disrupted the Gilbert offense with help from Cram, [player_tooltip player_id='156631' first='Caleb' last='Moore'], Jacob VanderLinden and [player_tooltip player_id='247978' first='Noah' last='Winger']. [player_tooltip player_id='1418106' first='Bowen' last='Kruse'] and [player_tooltip player_id='252314' first='Will' last='Hawthorne'] played well defensively for Gilbert.   Bondurant-Farrar defeated Gilbert for the fourth time in a row, yielding exactly seven points in each contest. The Bluejays were scheduled to finish up the regular season with a game at Pella on Friday followed by their senior night against Carlisle on Oct. 20.   3A - Solon 21, Williamsburg 14 : The Spartans win against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Williamsburg may have opened more eyes around the state than any other result. The Raiders had been steamrolling opponents and owned a win against one of the top 4A programs, Cedar Rapids Xavier. Solon and Williamsburg have now split their last four meetings.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1242954' first='Conlan' last='Poynton'] rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown during the victory. It was the defense that carried the night for Solon, however. The effort included a 59-yard, scoop-and-score fumble recovery by linebacker Barret Schade, while [player_tooltip player_id='248019' first='Brett' last='White'] racked up 12.0 tackles (1.5 for loss) and a sack. The unit held Williamsburg to 27 ground yards on 26 carries.   Solon (6-1) rides a six-game winning streak into this week's matchup against Fairfield on the road. The Spartans wrap up the regular season by playing host to South Tama on Oct. 20.   2A - Central Lyon-George/Little Rock 42, Western Christian 7: Playing on the road proved uneventful for the defending state champion Lions, who cruised against a Western Christian outfit with only one loss previously and the No. 5 ranking in the class. They ran their winning streak to 20 games.   CL-G/LR had not yet entered its stats from this game in Bound data base. Iowa Hawkeye commitments [player_tooltip player_id='573617' first='Reece' last='Vander Zee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='320758' first='Graham' last='Eben'] have been leading the Lions this season with a lot of help from [player_tooltip player_id='245890' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1282232' first='Drew' last='Kupferschmid'], [player_tooltip player_id='1282248' first='Matt' last='Elbert'], Lane Kruger and others.   Fellow unbeaten West Lyon visits Rock Rapids Friday night for the District 1 championship. The Wildcats are trying to win for the first time in the last four meetings with their rival.   1A - Wilton 21, West Branch 17: Wilton overcame a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to remain unbeaten and one of the more surprising teams from around the state. The Beavers improved to 7-0 after winning just four games a year ago.   [player_tooltip player_id='1286459' first='Owen' last='Hassell'] rushed for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Wilton against the Bears. Owen Milder, Chaz Allison and [player_tooltip player_id='1241496' first='Kane' last='Willey'] were among the leaders in a defensive effort by the Beavers that held West Branch scoreless in the fourth quarter.   Wilton should receive another challenge this week when No. 8 Regina comes to town. The Regals lead the all-time series, 11-0.   A - West Hancock 41, Lake Mills 0: Lake Mills arrived in Britt with a 6-0 record and the No. 8 ranking in Class A. West Hancock overwhelmed the visitors with a 23-0, third-quarter advantage.   Mitchell Smith, Kellen Smith and Jaxen Peterson combined for 253 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries for the victors. Mitchell Smith, [player_tooltip player_id='247996' first='David' last='Smith'] and Luis Sandoval stood out on defense for West Hancock, which won for the fifth time in a row against the Bulldogs.   The Eagles lone loss this season came at the hands of top-ranked Saint Ansgar, 24-15, on the road. They were scheduled to face Newman Catholic (2-5) on senior night this Friday.   Eight-Player - Clarksville 38, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 36: The battle of unbeaten teams went to the ninth-ranked team over No. 2. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.   Eli Schmidt, MaKade Bloker and [player_tooltip player_id='1242268' first='Owen' last='Backer'] teamed up for 319 yards and four touchdowns on 73 carries for Clarksville (8-0). Bloker hit [player_tooltip player_id='1352846' first='Sam' last='Hoodjer'] on a 29-yard scoring pass on one of only two throws in the game for the winners. Backer and [player_tooltip player_id='1242848' first='Kaiven' last='Kielman'] were among the defensive standouts.   Clarksville moved up to No. 4 in the eight-player rankings released on Monday. It was scheduled to face the Meskwaki Settlement (0-6) in this week's regular-season finale.   EXTRA POINTS   -Maquoketa Valley's [player_tooltip player_id='986657' first='Lance' last='McShane'] is the all-class leader in rushing touchdowns after finding the end zone twice during an important, 22-15 victory against North Linn on Friday. The senior raised his '23 total to 28.   -Independence junior [player_tooltip player_id='1406617' first='Tate' last='Wood'] heads into Week 8 as the all-class leader with 93.0 tackles. He's posted 69 solo stops with 11.0 resulting in lost yardage.   -[player_tooltip player_id='1216655' first='Nash' last='Dykes']' nine interceptions lead all Iowa high schoolers this season. The Central Decatur junior has returned one of the picks for a touchdown and has added 3.5 tackles for loss.   -Monticello senior [player_tooltip player_id='156453' first='Preston' last='Ries'] is the 11-on-11 leader in total yards with 2,486. The Iowa Hawkeye commitment has thrown for 1,484 yards and 16 touchdowns, adding 1,002 and 15 scores on the ground.   -Clarke's [player_tooltip player_id='1279942' first='Brock' last='Watson'] has returned four kicks for touchdowns this season, the most in the state for all players. He's averaged 38.4 yards on his 13 returns in '23. The junior has caught 52 passes for 709 yards and seven TDs, too.   -Iowa City West's [player_tooltip player_id='1205128' first='Santana' last='Miller'] has delivered big plays for the Trojan defense. The senior has returned a pair of picks for touchdowns. He also housed a fumble recovery. He has 2.0 tackles for loss and two rushing scores on offense.

We've reached the stage of the season where the wins and losses loom larger than earlier in the campaign. Dowling and Southeast Polk, who play this week in Pleasant Hill, have been the only two programs in the state's two largest classes to reach Week 8 without a loss.