Southeast Polk is back at the top of Class 5A after one of the biggest finishes of the Iowa high school football season so far.
The Rams knocked off Dowling Catholic, 31-28, in a Week 4 spotlight game and used a late game-winning field goal to seal it. That win pushed Southeast Polk into the No. 1 spot in the Class 5A rankings and also lifted the Rams to No. 1 in the High School On SI Iowa Top 25. The victory came in a matchup that had the feel of a possible title game preview, and it delivered exactly that kind of drama.
Dowling Catholic slid from first to third, while Sioux City East stayed put at No. 2.
Elsewhere in the weekly rankings, the other top teams in each class remained a familiar group. Cedar Rapids Xavier sits No. 1 in Class 4A, Clear Lake leads Class 3A, Kuemper Catholic holds the top spot in Class 2A, Iowa City Regina Catholic is No. 1 in Class 1A, Woodbury Central leads Class A and Woodbine is the top team in eight-player.
Class 2A also featured a ranked showdown with real weight behind it. Defending state champion Kuemper Catholic got a strong performance from Jarin Hoffman and handled OABCIG, 35-20, in a battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the class. The Knights took care of business on their home field and stayed unbeaten in the process.
In Class 1A, Mid-Prairie climbed into the Top 10 after edging Wilton, 20-19. Spirit Lake made a similar move after taking care of Okoboji.
There’s also a strong Week 5 matchup looming in Class 4A. Sergeant Bluff-Luton already owns a key win over Lewis Central and now turns to another ranked test as district play begins.
The Warriors will host unbeaten Fort Dodge, and the Dodgers are making the trip for a matchup that should say plenty about where both teams stand. Last season, Sergeant Bluff-Luton beat Fort Dodge convincingly on its way to a run to the state semifinals.
In Other News...
Iowa's Contender Talk Faces A Real Test At Michigan
Iowas early season contender chatter is about to get a lot louder or a lot quieter in Ann Arbor, where the Hawkeyes walk into a Big Ten measuring stick game against Michigan. The matchup has the feel of a classic strength-on-strength test: Iowa wants to lean on a rushing offense that has powered its rise, while Michigan brings a pass defense that has been among the nations best and can make every snap feel like a chore.
The individual battles should tell plenty of the story, from Cam Buffington trying to help slow Michigans Bryce Underwood on the ground to Tony Diaz giving Iowa a needed edge if the Hawkeyes are going to loosen things up through the air. With conference positioning and the College Football Playoff picture both in play, this is the kind of game that can validate a teams place in the conversation or expose just how far it still has to go. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Heads To Michigan With One Big Question Suddenly Settled
Iowa wrapped up its non-conference slate with a performance that looked a lot like the formula it will need once Big Ten play begins. The Hawkeyes leaned on the ground game against Northern Iowa, with three different running backs topping 100 yards, while Hank Brown was sharp enough through the air to keep the offense balanced by completing all 12 of his passes. After a strong start to the season, Iowa heads into conference play ranked 17th and carrying momentum into a road trip that will quickly tell us a lot about where this team really stands.
Brown now appears set to take the first snap against Michigan, which gives Iowa at least one major question mark a little more clarity before a difficult three-game stretch against ranked opponents. The bigger test is whether the Hawkeyes can keep that run game rolling once the competition stiffens, because the next few weeks will demand more than just efficiency and a clean box score. For a team with postseason ambitions, this is the part of the schedule where early confidence starts to meet reality. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Ground Game Just Reignited A Huge Hawkeyes Debate
For a program built on line play and field position, Iowas 422 rushing yards against Northern Iowa landed like more than just a season-opening stat line. It was the most in the Kirk Ferentz era, a reminder of what the Hawkeyes can look like when the ground game is functioning at full force. Xavier Williams pointed to the offensive line afterward, and with good reason, because the group carried over continuity from last years Joe Moore Award-winning unit and helped set a tone that looked old-school even by Iowa standards.
What makes the afternoon even more intriguing is how it unfolded without the Hawkeyes top two running backs, both sidelined by injury. Iowa still produced three rushers over 100 yards, something the program had not done since 1983, which naturally brings the conversation back to how much of this rushing surge is sustainable and how much depends on the health of the backfield. For a team that lives in the trenches, it was the kind of performance that can reshape expectations quickly, even if the bigger answer still has to wait. [Read more 🡒]