Holiday Break Rankings Update
The pre-holiday break portion of the schedule has concluded, and teams around the state now have a break (at least from games) until January 2. Most teams have played about a third of their schedule so far. After another eventful week before the break, it’s time to update the rankings again.
The top three remain the same in Class 1A, where defending champion Grand View Christian (8-0) leads the way, followed by North Linn (9-0) and Remsen, St. Mary’s (8-0). Lynnville-Sully (8-1) moves up a spot into No. 4 following a loss by Wapsie Valley (7-1), who falls to the No. 7 slot. Bishop Garrigan, Algona (8-1) and Don Bosco (7-0) each moved up substantially, with Garrigan going from No. 8 to No. 5 and Don Bosco from No. 10 to No. 6. South O’Brien (6-3) is the lone newcomer, coming in at No. 8 this week.
There isn’t much change in Class 2A, but there is a little shakeup near the top, as Sioux Center (8-0) and Cascade (9-0) swap places, with the former moving to No. 2 while the latter falls to No. 3. After seeing Sioux Center play live on Friday night (more on that later in the week), and now having seen both teams play, we feel Sioux Center is the better team and the rankings will reflect that. Both teams sit behind Van Meter (8-0), who remains No. 1. Nos. 4-9 remain the same, and South Hamilton (10-0), the lone 10-win team in the state, enters the rankings at No. 10.
All ten teams remain in the rankings in although there is some movement. Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-2) falls from No. 3 to No. 5 following another loss, and Oskaloosa (9-0) and Norwalk (8-0) are the beneficiaries, moving up to No. 3 and 4, respectively. Those two play each other the first Friday back from the break in what should be an outstanding game. LeMars (6-2) jumps over Spirit Lake (5-2) after a head-to-head win.
There isn’t a lot of change in where Iowa City West (7-0) remains the No. 1 team after extending their home winning streak to 78 games (one shy of tying the state record held by Palmer). In a class filled with parity, the Trojans are the lone remaining undefeated team in 4A. Dubuque Senior (6-1) falls from No. 2 to No. 5 following a loss to Waukesha West (WI) in overtime. The Rams continue to play without star forward Noah Carter, and have held up well without him and remain a top five team. CIML teams round out the top five, with Des Moines North (7-1) sliding up to No. 2, followed by Johnston (6-1) and Waukee (6-1). North’s star guard Tyreke Locure posted 56 points in a win over St. Joseph Lafayette (MO) last week. The lone newcomer to the rankings is Dubuque Hemsptead (6-1), who enters the break on a six-game winning streak, with their lone loss coming in the season opener to Iowa City West. They take the spot of Linn-Mar, who struggled last week, dropping a pair of games to Mount Pleasant and Cedar Rapids Washington.