Prep Football- Six weeks are in the books, and everyone has a spot, whether it be in the top 10 or in the ratings percentage index (RPI). After a long journey for the Mt. Pleasant football program, the Panthers are in the top 10 for Class 3A.
Class 5A
As the only undefeated team remaining in the class, Waukee Northwest claimed the top spot. The Wolves has claimed tight victories over #4 Valley (27-24) and #7 Ankeny (25-24), while decimating the likes of Des Moines East and Ottumwa in the past two weeks.
Wearing the crown provides no relief for the Wolves as their final three contests of the season will be against opponents all within the top 20.
Dowling Catholic and Johnston round out the top three. The top ten has seven teams boasting a 5-1 record, while #15 Waukee’s 2-4 record is the only losing record ranked in the top 25.
Class 4A
Burlington is off to their best start since their trip to the postseason in 2021 with a 7-3 record. Despite claiming their third winning record since 2010, the Grayhounds find themselves ranked #13 and as the lowest of the 5-1 teams.
Keshawn Wyldon has been unstoppable running the football, gaining 1,005 yards and finding the endzone 15 times. But holding Burlington’s resume back is a non-district 16-14 loss to Washington in week three.
Nevertheless, Xavier owns the top spot in the rankings with a winning differential of 25 points per game and a 31-0 shellacking of North Scott bolstering a Saints redemption run at the state championship.
Despite a loss, Sergeant Bluff-Luton is ranked #2 as the Warriors have allowed just 13.2 points per game. Gilbert is the only other undefeated team left in Class 4A as they were slotted in at #3.
Similar to Class 5A, seven of the top ten teams boast a 5-1 record.
Class 3A
The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) had a tough assignment is ranking three undefeated teams, even #4 Bishop Heelan had a case for the top spot with a victory over Class 4A’s Sergeant Bluff-Luton.
The top spot went to Clear Lake with a better opponent’s record followed by West Delaware and Solon, respectively. Hurting the Spartan’s claim was their last two wins. Despite outscoring Fairfield and Keokuk 135 to 6 it brought their strength of schedule back to even.
Additionally, in head-to-head matchups, Clear Lake throttled Benton, while Solon snuck out with a one-possession victory. Still, the Spartans have taken down #6 Mt. Vernon, #15 Assumption, and #17 Williamsburg all by at least two scores.
This has been a special year for Mt. Pleasant already. Their 61-0 thrashing of Fort Madison last Friday cemented the Panthers’ first winning record since 2019 as they currently sit at 5-1 and 9th in the RPI.
They started the year with a narrow 17-14 victory then rode that wave to a 3-0 start that saw their defense rack up 17 sacks and 30 tackles for a loss, while the offense made key plays and did not turn the ball over.
The Panthers hit a speed bump in week four as an impressive #16 Central DeWitt offense managed to fly past the Maroon and Gold for a decisive 49-27 victory.
That loss woke up the offensive line that has paved the way for an average of over 200 rushing yards per game with the trio of Griffen Jones, Ryan Helling, and Ramzy Davis. Add in a defense that can get after the quarterback and force turnovers, and this is a team that can make their first trip to the playoffs since 2010.
Although, head coach John Bowlin is not looking ahead in the schedule,
“Our goal is 1-0 every week and we definitely will not take anybody lightly. So, you know, I think these kids are hungry and know kind of what our goals are and where we want to be at the end of the year.”
The rankings were not as kind to our other local teams with Mt. Pleasant’s next opponent, Keokuk, sitting at #21 with a 3-3 record. The Chiefs have a potent offense but just like last year, the defense is susceptible to bad outings.
Washington sits right behind at #22 with an even record after coming back to beat #28 Fairfield. The Trojans had a tough non-district schedule, and it does not get any easier in District 4 with an offense that can score but a defense that allows 42 points per game.
Lastly, Fort Madison sits at #34 as their opponent winning percentage is tied for the 4th highest in the class. The Bloodhounds are a young team with a bright future, but their currently in the throughs of a 16-game losing streak.
Class 2A
Bellevue stayed true to their mascot and the shot up the rankings, going from unranked to #4 after knocking off #9 Alburnett 33-28 last Friday. The Comets are undefeated and now 3-0 in one possession games this season.
Otherwise, the top three remained unchanged with Kuemper Catholic on top of the standings followed by PCM and Okoboji, respectively. Mid-Prairie gained a spot in the top 10, moving to #7 after a 56-0 waxing of Central Lee.
District 4 will be an interesting race on who ends up in the third and fourth spots for a trip to the playoffs. Mediapolis has already knocked off West Liberty and West Burlington/Notre Dame, while the Falcons will have a showdown with the Comets this Friday.
The Falcons are ranked behind West Liberty due to the point differential tiebreaker. The Comets sit at -0.67, while West Burlington/Notre Dame is at -4.
Class 1A
The top five remained unchanged with West Lyon, Grundy Center, and Regina Catholic all remaining undefeated and as the top three teams, respectively.
Union’s loss to unranked Hudson not only derailed a perfect season, but also knocked the Knights out of the top 10. Interstate 35 now rounds out the top 10.
Class A
Business as usual in Class A as everyone kept their spots from last week. This gives us a chance to talk about District 5 and how everything can shake out for our local teams.
For automatic bids, the top three has been decided for the district with that fourth spot currently leaning in Columbus’ favor—we’ll touch on that in a bit.
Pekin sits above everyone with a 6-0 record as their potent rushing attack has led to a point differential of +31. North Mahaska tested them last Friday with a narrow 28-22 final, but they now will take on a team that has two weeks to prepare.
Danville had an unprecedented two-week bye and currently sits 5-1 on the year and 4-0 in the district. After a narrow 19-13 loss to West Burlington/Notre Dame in the season opener, the Bears allowed just 14 points in their next three games.
Wapello had not had a winning season since 2021, but now they sit at 5-1 having already punched their ticket to the postseason. Rowen Atkinson has shown out in his senior season, totaling over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns.
A loss to Pekin puts them back in third place in the district but their final matchup of the season pits them against Danville as that game might decide who gets that second seat.
In terms of that last spot, Columbus holds favor on two fronts: district record and point differential. Add in a Wildcat victory over Van Buren County back in week two and road is narrow for the Warriors.
Eight-Player
The top six went unchanged as #4 Iowa Valley got a much-needed bye week after being the first team in the state to count up six wins in the season.
GTRA and Don Bosco leapfrogged to #7 and #8, respectively, as Kingsley-Pierson and Fremont-Mills took over the vacated spots left by Southeast Warren and Easton Valley.
District five has gotten very interesting after the last couple of weeks. WACO, once 3-0 and having scored 40 points in every game, has nosedived after losing to #10 Fremont-Mills, Belle Plain, and to English Valley, who they almost came back to beat in a wild second half.
With two consecutive district losses, the Warriors are now tied with the Bears and Winfield-Mt. Union for the third and final automatic bid. This is where that 17-point tiebreaker may become very important.
The Warriors and Bears have one district opponent left on their schedule: Iowa Valley. Winfield-Mt. Union will have to take on Belle Plaine to end their season.
Here’s how the carousel ride goes: WACO defeated Winfield-Mt. Union 41-22 in week two. The Wolves responded the next week with a narrow 28-26 win over English Valleys, who just beat WACO 54-52 last Friday.
Still, the Warriors boast the best point differential at 5.5, followed by English Valleys at 2.75, then Winfield-Mt. Union at -4. The Wolves’ best shot at an automatic bid will be a win against the Plainsmen.
While WACO or English Valleys will have to keep it close against the Tigers or pull off the upset to earn a playoff berth.
Up Next
Our local district standings have been listed below. For a full look at the rankings and district standing after week six, follow the link: Football: 2025 Rankings, Oct. 6 | IHSAA
Eight-Player Local District Rankings
#4 Iowa Valley: 6-0 (3-0)
Belle Plaine: 2-4 (2-1)
WACO: 3-3 (2-2)
English Valleys: 4-2 (2-2)
Winfield-Mt. Union: 2-4 (2-2)
HLV-TC: 1-5 (0-4)
Class A Local District Rankings
Pekin: 6-0 (4-0)
Danville: 5-1 (4-0)
Wapello: 5-1 (3-1)
Columbus: 2-4 (2-2)
New London: 2-4 (1-4)
Van Buren County: 2-4 (1-3)
Highland: 0-6 (0-5)
Class 2A Local District Rankings
#7 Mid-Prairie: 5-1 (3-0)
Wilton: 4-2 (2-1)
Mediapolis: 3-3 (2-1)
West Liberty: 2-4 (1-2)
West Burlington/Notre Dame: 3-3 (1-2)
Central Lee: 2-4 (0-3)
Class 3A Local District Rankings
#3 Solon: 6-0 (2-0)
#9 Mt. Pleasant: 6-0 (2-0)
Keokuk: 3-3 (1-1)
Washington: 3-3 (1-1)
Fairfield: 1-5 (0-2)
Fort Madison: 0-6 (0-2)
Class 4A Local District Rankings
Burlington: 5-1 (2-0)
Western Dubuque: 4-2 (2-0)
North Scott: 3-3 (1-1)
Davenport North: 4-2 (1-1)
Clinton: 3-3 (0-2)
Davenport West: 0-6 (0-2)
Raymond Paul DeRosear, 77, formerly of Primrose, Iowa, succumbed to rapid onset dementia at 7:38 a.m. Friday, October 3, 2025, at Living Center West in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.