2021 Iowa High School Football Rankings – Poll 2
More than a dozen teams from the Cedar Valley and northeast Iowa are ranked in the second high school football poll of the season released Tuesday afternoon by the Associated Press.
Cedar Falls (2-1) moved into the Class 5A Top 10 this week after pulling out a thrilling last-second victory at Cedar Rapids Prairie Friday night. The Tigers rallied for the victory after Prairie took a 21-17 lead with 51 second remaining in the game. On its ensuing possession, Cedar Falls lateraled four times on a 62-yard hook-and-latter play, which set up a 12-yard game-winning touchdown pass for the Tigers with :07 left (see video above).
Waverly-Shell Rock (3-0) moved up four spots in the Class 4A survey. The Go-Hawks are ranked No. 4 following a 31-14 victory at Webster City.
West Delaware and Independence are both ranked among the Class 3A favorites, but they moved in opposite directions since the previous poll was released a week ago. West Delaware (2-1) dropped from third to fifth after a 42-21 loss to Decorah at home. The Mustangs (3-0) jumped three spots to No. 6 following a 45-0 shutout of Decorah.
Three area teams -- all unbeaten after three games -- are ranked in Class 1A. They include Dike-New Hartford (No. 6), Denver (No. 8) and MFL-Mar-Mac (No. 10).
The Class A survey also features three teams from the regional: North Tama (3-0) at No. 5, Grundy Center (2-1) at No. 7 and North Butler (3-0) at No. 9.
Janesville is also off to a strong start. The Wildcats (3-0) held on to the No. 7 ranking in the 8-player poll for a second-straight week.
New Wins Leader Among Iowa Coaches
One other team that joined the rankings this week is Ankeny Centennial. The Jaguars (2-1) jumped into the Class 5A Top 10 after Friday night's 42-7 victory over Waukee at home. The win was a notable one for Centennial Co-Head Coach Jerry Pezzetti, who set the all-time record for most career coaching victories in Iowa.
Pezzetti's 432 wins moved him past the former leader Dick Tighe, who won 431 games during a 63-year career that included stops at Fort Dodge St. Edmond (most recent), Iowa Falls, Webster City, Carroll Kuemper and Hamilton Catholic (Ont.).
This is Pezzetti's ninth season at Centennial and his 61st overall. Pezzetti previously won 319 games at Ankeny, before the district opened a second school. Early in his career, Pezzetti coached at Melcher-Dallas and Murray.
The Top Ten teams in the Associated Press Iowa high school football polls of the 2020 season with first-place votes in parentheses and won-loss record, total points and position last week at right:
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Southeast Polk (12) | 3-0 | 120 | 1 |
2. Cedar Rapids Kennedy | 3-0 | 107 | 2 |
3. West Des Moines Valley | 2-1 | 72 | 7 |
4. Iowa City High | 3-0 | 70 | 6 |
5. Des Moines Roosevelt | 3-0 | 46 | 8 |
6. Ankeny | 2-1 | 45 | NR |
7. Cedar Falls | 2-1 | 40 | NR |
8. Urbandale | 2-1 | 37 | 4 |
9. Ankeny Centennial | 2-1 | 28 | NR |
10. Johnston | 2-1 | 25 | 9 |
Others receiving votes: Marion Linn-Mar 21. West Des Moines Dowling 19. Sioux City East 13. Cedar Rapids Prairie 12. Pleasant Valley 3. Sioux City West 1. Waukee Northwest 1.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Indianola (6) | 3-0 | 113 | 1 |
2. Eldridge North Scott (5) | 3-0 | 107 | 3 |
3. Cedar Rapids Xavier (1) | 3-0 | 94 | 2 |
4. Waverly-Shell Rock | 3-0 | 75 | 7 |
5. Council Bluffs Lewis Central | 2-1 | 69 | 8 |
6. Bondurant Farrar | 3-0 | 54 | 9 |
7. Fort Dodge | 3-0 | 53 | 10 |
8. Cedar Rapids Washington | 2-1 | 22 | 4 |
9. Winterset | 2-1 | 16 | 6 |
10. Norwalk | 2-1 | 15 | 5 |
Others receiving votes: Oskaloosa 13. Fort Madison 11. Newton 8. Pella 4. Spencer 2. Glenwood 2. Burlington 2.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Harlan (11) | 3-0 | 118 | 1 |
2. Boyden-Hull-RV (1) | 3-0 | 100 | 2 |
3. Solon | 3-0 | 84 | 5 |
4. Humboldt | 3-0 | 73 | 7 |
5. Manchester West Delaware | 2-1 | 67 | 3 |
6. Independence | 3-0 | 59 | 9 |
7. Nevada | 3-0 | 48 | 8 |
8. Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2-1 | 28 | 4 |
9. Algona | 3-0 | 27 | 10 |
(tie) Davenport Assumption | 2-1 | 27 | 6 |
Others receiving votes: Adel ADM 14. DeWitt Central 13. Grinnell 1. Van Horne Benton 1.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. O-A BCIG (10) | 3-0 | 118 | 1 |
2. Spirit Lake (2) | 3-0 | 106 | 3 |
3. Southeast Valley, Gowrie | 3-0 | 93 | 4 |
4. Estherville-Lincoln Central | 2-1 | 69 | 2 |
5. Pocahontas Area | 3-0 | 61 | T7 |
6. West Union North Fayette | 3-0 | 53 | T7 |
7. Waukon | 2-1 | 26 | NR |
8. Central Lyon-GLR | 2-1 | 23 | 10 |
9. Monticello | 2-1 | 19 | 5 |
10. State Center West Marshall | 2-1 | 18 | NR |
(tie) Clarion-Goldfield-Downs | 2-1 | 18 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Cherokee 17. Osceola Clarke 13. Greene County 10. Centerville 9. Inwood West Lyon 3. Orange City Unity Christian 3. Forest City 1.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Van Meter (12) | 3-0 | 120 | 1 |
2. Underwood | 3-0 | 99 | 2 |
3. Iowa City Regina | 3-0 | 84 | 3 |
4. Sigourney-Keota | 3-0 | 76 | 5 |
5. Pella Christian | 3-0 | 62 | 6 |
6. Dike-New Hartford | 3-0 | 50 | 7 |
7. Dyersville Beckman | 3-0 | 48 | 8 |
8. Denver | 3-0 | 34 | 9 |
9. Hawarden West Sioux | 2-1 | 28 | 4 |
10. Monona MFL-Mar-Mac | 3-0 | 24 | 10 |
Others receiving votes: Mediapolis 16. AC-GC 9. Eldon Cardinal 7. West Branch 2. Wilton 1.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Britt West Hancock (10) | 3-0 | 116 | 1 |
2. Troy Mills North Linn (1) | 3-0 | 95 | 2 |
3. Moville Woodbury Central | 3-0 | 89 | 3 |
4. Oakland Riverside (1) | 3-0 | 78 | 4 |
5. Traer North Tama | 3-0 | 61 | 5 |
6. Logan-Magnolia | 2-1 | 43 | 8 |
7. Grundy Center | 2-1 | 36 | 10 |
8. Ogden | 3-0 | 34 | 7 |
9. North Butler | 3-0 | 21 | NR |
10. Lisbon | 2-1 | 14 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Hartley HMS 13. Alta 12. St. Ansgar 12. Wapello 8. Earlham 8. Mason City Newman 8. Fairbank Wapsie Valley 5. Lawton-Bronson 4. Paullina South O'Brien 1. Neola Tri-Center 1. Southwest Valley 1.
Record | Pts | Prv | |
1. Anita CAM (5) | 3-0 | 109 | 1 |
2. Montezuma (4) | 4-0 | 100 | 3 |
3. Audubon (1) | 3-0 | 98 | 2 |
4. Easton Valley (1) | 3-0 | 91 | 4 |
5. Remsen Saint Mary's (1) | 3-0 | 71 | 5 |
6. Newell-Fonda | 3-0 | 56 | 6 |
7. Janesville | 3-0 | 39 | 7 |
8. New London | 2-0 | 34 | T8 |
9. Lenox | 3-0 | 17 | T8 |
10. Wayland WACO | 4-0 | 11 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Gladbrook-Reinbeck 8. Jackson Junction Turkey Valley 8. Algona Garrigan 7. Lansing Kee 5. Graettinger-Terril-Ruthven-Ayrshire 4. North English English Valleys 1. Baxter 1.
Video Credit: Cedar Falls Channel 15 via YouTube