Prep Redzone Iowa Preseason Class 5A Rankings

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school football teams from around the state kicked off official practices on Monday. The season was scheduled be underway for everyone by Aug. 30.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Class 5A, they're working to unseat three-time defending champion Southeast Polk. The Rams will be formidable once again, but are replacing plenty of firepower from last year's title run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can count on it being a wild ride in the large school division. It always is. Taking a look at how programs look on paper, here's our Prep Redzone Iowa Preseason 5A Top 10:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. West Des Moines Valley - </strong>The Tigers feature one of the state's top players in receiver [player_tooltip player_id='847795' first='Xzavion' last='Robinson'], an Iowa State commit who missed most of last season with an injury. OL [player_tooltip player_id='1209595' first='Marcus' last='McGregor'] (Wyoming commit), TE [player_tooltip player_id='1279870' first='Zach' last='Schemper'] (North Dakota), DB [player_tooltip player_id='1280032' first='Cam' last='Cribari'] (South Dakota State), RB [player_tooltip player_id='847993' first='Darius' last='Mason'], DB [player_tooltip player_id='533051' first='Gage' last='Olsen'], C [player_tooltip player_id='1273296' first='Derek' last='Ellens'], ATH [player_tooltip player_id='283946' first='Jayden' last='McGregory'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='283945' first='Jayden' last='Brown'] and QB [player_tooltip player_id='401870' first='Drake' last='DeGroote'] are among a large group of impact starters returning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Ankeny - </strong>The Hawks flew all the way to the state championship game last season. They bring back a roster that could take them back there again, and, perhaps, be the last team standing. Returning starting QB [player_tooltip player_id='1280955' first='Luke' last='Anderson'] will have 1,000-yard rushers [player_tooltip player_id='1278885' first='Caden' last='Henkes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='401669' first='Daniel' last='Larmie'] alongside him again as well as leading receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1280082' first='Evan' last='Irlmeier']. Key defenders Manning Allen, [player_tooltip player_id='1280953' first='Andrew' last='Haase'], [player_tooltip player_id='1280079' first='Sam' last='Sandvig'], Kinnick Vos and Kingston Ukpabi also are back in the fold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Cedar Falls - </strong>The Tigers lead the charge of Eastern Iowa teams trying to break the central part of the state's hold on 5A. Cyclone commitment [player_tooltip player_id='847962' first='Will' last='Tompkins'] leads what should be one of the best O-Lines around. OL [player_tooltip player_id='1183033' first='Connor' last='Best'] (Northern Iowa), TE [player_tooltip player_id='1096164' first='Kailer' last='Smith'] (Northern Iowa), LB [player_tooltip player_id='1080239' first='Jarrett' last='Kies'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='1221961' first='William' last='Remmert'] join other experienced players and talented newcomers in making Cedar Falls a contender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Southeast Polk</strong> - Don't be surprised if the Rams retain the crown. This program is as sound as any in the state and has done an excellent job of replacing talent lost to graduation. That said, they've supplied a lot of colleges with student-athletes after the last three seasons, including QB Connor Moberly, a freshman at Iowa State. One of his favorite targets, [player_tooltip player_id='1278273' first='Sam' last='Zelenovich'], returns along with other key contributors to the most recent title, including Landon Vander Werff, [player_tooltip player_id='1279607' first='Emmanuel' last='Gaye'], [player_tooltip player_id='1279618' first='Kaden' last='Hills'] and [player_tooltip player_id='640854' first='Cooper' last='Martinson'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5. Dowling Catholic</strong> - The Maroons' incredible run of seven consecutive large-school championships ended in '19. They'll be seeking their first trip back to the title game since that amazing streak. This team certainly has a chance to break through with dynamic RB [player_tooltip player_id='847998' first='Rashawd' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1278782' first='Dylan' last='Manning'], a disrupter at linebacker. [player_tooltip player_id='1271437' first='Owen' last='Pins'], Aiden Ducharme, [player_tooltip player_id='1279753' first='Trey' last='Wilson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='245539' first='Parker' last='Pearson'] provide important experience and leadership. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6. Waukee</strong> - This could end up being too low for the Warriors, which had designs on The Dome last season before getting upended at home by Valley in the quarterfinals. They'll take another run at it in 2024 with a lot of the guys that helped win eight games a year ago. That begins with junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1240560' first='Beckett' last='Bakker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1279995' first='Grant' last='Gammell'], the team's leading rusher. Tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1221928' first='Evan' last='Jacobson'] is one of the state's top players, and [player_tooltip player_id='1279956' first='Ian' last='Samples'] is a menace on the D-Line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7. Pleasant Valley</strong> - PV also was a Valley upset victim in '23, losing to the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs on its home turf. The Spartans should be motivated to not letting it happen again. They'll be replacing a lot, including the starting quarterback, but can lean heavily on dominant two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='252328' first='Joey' last='VanWetzinga'], a Hawkeye commitment. DE [player_tooltip player_id='1278822' first='Max' last='Schmeltzer'] wrecks opponent game plans, and [player_tooltip player_id='1320126' first='Harrison' last='Fierce'] delivers in the secondary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy</strong> - The Cougars will once again face a difficult schedule, including a season-opener at Dowling before entertaining PV in Week 2. They should have the talent to navigate it successfully, however. Senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='847811' first='Vincenzo' last='Gianforte'] (Drake) is one of the best in Iowa. RB [player_tooltip player_id='332995' first='Jacob' last='Doyle'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='1101671' first='Pierce' last='McCrary'] are high-end skill guys, while [player_tooltip player_id='342733' first='Braylon' last='Edwards'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1238497' first='Ethan' last='Sloan'] lead a sound OL. LB [player_tooltip player_id='1361687' first='Sam' last='Adams'] and DB Ryan Bartels are back on an always salty Kennedy D.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>9. Ankeny Centennial</strong> - The Jaguars clawed their way to The Dome last season, when rival Ankeny topped them 10-7 in the semis. Versatile RBs [player_tooltip player_id='1280497' first='Braeden' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='401673' first='Javaris' last='Morgan'] key the offense with OL [player_tooltip player_id='533048' first='Braylin' last='Dieken-Keahey'] helping pave the way for them. Kansas commit [player_tooltip player_id='245544' first='Malachi' last='Curvey'] teams up with [player_tooltip player_id='1279727' first='Reed' last='Anderson'] to form a knockout LB tandem, and [player_tooltip player_id='1286629' first='Chase' last='Kluver'] locks down the back end. Centennial faces Ankeny in Week 1 with a trip to Cedar Falls on the horizon two weeks later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>10. Bettendorf</strong> - The Bulldogs surprised some onlookers with a 20-point win against rival PV in Week 1 en route to a 5-0 start. They picked up a playoff victory against Iowa City High before bowing out at home against Centennial in the next round. Lead ground gainer Jacob Whipple returns along with the impactful TE duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1280007' first='Amari' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1272825' first='Tommy' last='Bloome']. [player_tooltip player_id='1277230' first='Jackson' last='Laver'] contributes all over the place. [player_tooltip player_id='1295017' first='Sam' last='Beecher'] and Connor Mack join him on a tough defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others to Watch -</strong> City High, Waukee Northwest, Sioux City East, Johnston, Iowa City West, Urbandale, Davenport West, Waterloo West, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Dubuque Hempstead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->