Week 3 Rankings Update
The second week of the high school season is in the books, and as a result, the polls across all four classes saw some substantial changes.
In Class 1A, all ten teams that were ranked last week remain in the rankings, although the order has been shifted a bit. The top three – Grand View Christian (5-0), North Linn (5-0) and Council Bluffs, St. Albert (3-1) – remain the same, despite St. Albert suffering their first loss of the season. That loss was to 3A No. 2 Glenwood, so they won’t be penalized for that. LeMars, Gehlen Catholic (4-1) falls from No. 4 to No. 6, with Remsen, St. Mary’s (4-0) and Wapsie Valley (4-0) each moving up a spot. George-Little Rock (4-1) also moves up a spot from No. 9 to No. 8 off the strength of a win over then-No. 4 in 2A, West Lyon.
One new team enters the rankings in Class 2A, as Unity Christian (4-1) of Orange City debuts at No. 8. The Knights have played one of the toughest schedules to date in the class and have had plenty of success against it. Their schedule really picks up after the holiday break, with games against Sioux City Heelan, Western Chrsitian, Sioux Center and Remsen, St. Mary’s, among others, so we’ll really see where they stand later on this winter. The top three remains the same in the class, with Van Meter (4-0) leading the way. No. 2 Cascade (5-0) had an interesting week, surviving a few scares against Camanche and Maquoketa to stay unbeaten. The biggest drop came from West Lyon (4-1), who fell from No. 4 to No. 10 following a loss to 1A No. 8 George-Little Rock.
There is plenty of shakeup in where three new teams enter the rankings as Dubuque Wahlert, Winterset and Sergeant Bluff-Luton all fall out. The newcomers are No. 7 Dallas Center-Grimes (4-1), No. 9 Harlan (3-0) and No. 10 Pella (4-0). The top six teams from last week all remain, but former No. 3 Mount Pleasant (3-2) falls to No. 6, while Oskaloosa (5-0) and Norwalk (5-0) each move up a spot to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Two-time defending champion Cedar Rapids Xavier (3-0) continues to have a stranglehold on the class following a 21-point win over then-4A No. 9 Linn-Mar on Friday night.
The highest debut for any newcomer across the four classes is in where Johnston (4-0) makes their debut at No. 4. The Dragons have been riding a stifling defense that currently ranks first in the class, allowing just 35.3 points per game. They’re beating opponents by 28 points a game through the first two weeks, and may have established themselves as the team to beat in the always wacky CIML. Iowa City West (3-0), Sioux City East (3-0) and Dubuque Senior (2-0) remain the top three in the class, although Senior will have a difficult week ahead, with games against Cedar Rapids Kennedy and City High (who just beat then-No. 4 Cedar Falls), and they’ll be doing so without star forward Noah Carter, who had to have emergency surgery on his leg. The timetable for his return is unknown at this time. Des Moines North (3-1) and Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-0) also make their debuts in the new poll, at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively.