SBLive Iowa high school football power 25 football rankings for Week 9

This week's Iowa prep football Top 25 rankings

By Kevin White

1. West Des Moines Dowling (7-1)

Maroons flexed their muscle with 443 total yards in their 35-3 win over West Des Moines Valley. 

2. Ankeny (7-1)

Hawks’ defense held Waukee Northwest to 44 rushing yards on 26 carries in their 31-7 victory.

3. Southeast Polk (7-1)

With their offensive firepower, defending champs are going to be a tough out in the playoffs again.

4. Pleasant Valley (8-0)

Will Spartans get one of the battle-tested 4-4 teams from the CIML (Waukee NW, Centennial, Waukee, WDM Valley) in the first round?

5. Cedar Rapids Xavier (8-0)

Saints held Newton (6-2) to four first downs in last week’s district victory.

6. Waverly-Shell Rock (8-0)

Go-Hawks rank fourth in 4-A in rushing yards per game (301.1) and first in average per carry (8.4).

7. Council Bluffs Lewis Central (8-0)

Titans allowed just 120 total yards in their shutout victory over Dallas Center-Grimes (41-0).

8. Harlan Community (7-1)

Since their opening-night loss to Lewis Central, Cyclones are outscoring their foes an average of 53-9.

9. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (8-0)

Zach Lutmer is averaging 19.5 yards per completion and 14.1 yards per carry for the Lions.

10. Williamsburg (8-0)

Raiders will be heavy favorites in their first-round matchup with Camanche (4-4) on Friday.

11. Mount Vernon (8-0)

There are some who think the Mustangs have the best chance to derail Harlan’s repeat hopes in 3-A.

12. Spirit Lake (8-0)

Indians open at home in the 2-A playoffs against Sheldon (4-4).

13. Iowa City Liberty (7-1)

Backup QB Cody Nichols hit Wyatt Williams on a 52-yard TD with 26 seconds left, then found Christian Barney for the 2-point conversion in a 29-28 escape of Burlington last week.

14. Carlisle (7-1)

Nobody in 4-A wants to see the Wildcats in the first round. They’ve beaten Bondurant-Farrar, Indianola and Norwalk all in the past four weeks.

15. North Scott (6-2)

QB Kyler Gerardy’s (1,849 total yards) presence gives the Lancers a chance against anyone in 4-A.

16. Cedar Falls (6-2)

Tigers are a solid seventh in the 5-A RPI entering their regular-season finale against Dubuque Senior (4-4).

17. West Branch (8-0)

The Bears open the playoffs against a South Hardin (3-5) club that’s faced one of the strongest schedules in 1-A.

18. Linn-Mar (5-3)

Lions are 10th in the 5-A RPI entering their regular-season finale against Cedar Rapids Prairie (6-2).

19. Underwood (8-0)

Massive win for the Eagles over previously unbeaten Carroll Kuemper last week catapults the 1-A Eagles into the rankings. They’ll host Interstate 35 (3-5) in the first round.

20. West Hancock (8-0)

Defending Class A champions held six of their eight regular-season opponents to single-digit points.

21. Western Dubuque (5-3)

The Bobcats churned out 378 total yards in their 35-14 loss to unbeaten Waverly-Shell Rock.

22. West Des Moines Valley (4-4)

Tigers are teetering at 16th in the 5-A RPI rankings entering their regular-season finale against Des Moines Roosevelt (3-5).

23. Van Meter (7-1)

Bulldogs host Pleasantville (4-4) in the first round of the 1-A playoffs on Friday.

24. Waukee Northwest (4-4)

Wolves are 12th in the 5-A RPI rankings entering their regular-season finale against Urbandale (5-3), which is 18th.

25. Ankeny Centennial (4-4)

Jaguars are 14th in the 5-A RPI rankings entering their regular-season finale against Des Moines East (1-7).