Prep Softball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their 5th rankings for the season, and it was not a good week to start as the #2 while Class 1A has a new #1 team.
Martensdale-St. Marys jumped over North Linn to take the top spot with a 20-4 record in Class 1A. The Lynx have gone 7-1 in their last 8 games with that lone loss coming against Benton, 7-3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond tumbled three spots down the order from 6th to 9th after going 3-9 in their last 12 games. Newman Catholic dropped two spots from 11th to 13th after falling to Hudson on June 17th, 6-3. Earlham and Twin Cedars each moved up the rankings three spots to be ranked 11th and 12th.
In Class 2A, Regina Catholic keeps the top spot with Van Meter taking the #2 spot. Central Springs 6-4 loss to Clarksville lowered the Panthers one spot to #3. Interstate 35 catapulted three spots up the rankings from 8th to 5th after going 8-1 in their last 9 games including a dismantling of Van Meter 12-2. West Moana and Cascade each moved three spots in the rankings; however, the Spartans fall down the list to 6th with the Cougars rising to the 7th spot. Columbus Catholic dropped out of the top 15 with Wapsie Valley entering the top 15 at the #13 spot.
Williamsburg and Davenport Assumption held on to the top two spots, respectively, but the rest of Class 3A was not as stable as last week. Davis County and Estherville Lincoln Central each fell one spot to 4th and 5th, respectively. Benton had the largest climb as the Bobcats defeated Estherville Lincoln Central, #9 Solon, and North Linn in the span of a week. Benton went from unranked to 11th after the stretch. Sumner-Fredericksburg and Center Point-Urbana were dropped from the rankings with West Liberty entering the rankings to round it out.
In Class 4A, Carlisle kept the #1 spot with a 21-2 record. Dallas Center-Grimes lost to Carlisle 14-4 and #5 Norwalk 9-8 this past week causing them to slide down the list from 2nd to 4th. North Polk made the jump up to #2. Xavier’s wins over #12 Burlington in a doubleheader and the 4-3 win over #8 Western Dubuque catapulted them up the list from 10th to 7th. Clear Creek-Amana and Storm Lake were voted out of the top 15 with ADM and Maquoketa entering the list. The Tigers picked up wins against Benton and Solon, which bolstered their reputation. The Cardinals key win came against #10 North Scott.
Ankeny Centennial keeps the top spot with a 22-4 record for Class 5A. Ankeny’s loss to #3 Fort Dodge in Class 4A resulted in the Hawks flip-flopping with Waukee Northwest for #2 and #3. Linn-Mar faced a gauntlet this past week; consequently, the Lions dropped three spots to #8 after losses to #2 Waukee Northwest, #7 Bettendorf, and #5 Southeast Polk. Waukee reenters the top 15 despite touting a losing record of 14-17. The Warriors have gone 8-2 in their last ten games resulting in a #12 ranking. Cedar Rapids Jefferson replaced Dubuque Senior at the #15 slot and Ottumwa was also dropped from the rankings.