Waukee NW Tops 5A in First Iowa High School Football AP Poll

Wolves claim top honors in state’s biggest class in first poll of season

Waukee Northwest's Brady Fitz (11) reaches out for a tackle on Roosevelt's Jake Boeding (24) on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Waukee Northwest football team is riding high after knocking off West Des Moines Valley last week.

Now, the pressure is on their shoulders as the No. 1 team in the first Associated Press poll released on Tuesday for Iowa high school football.

High School on SI Iowa High School Football Top 25 State Rankings

Waukee Northwest received five first-place votes, one more than No. 2 Iowa City Liberty. Valley is third followed by four-time defending champion Southeast Polk and Dowling Catholic.

The other No. 1 ranked teams are Cedar Rapids Xavier (4A), Sioux City Bishop Heelan (3A), OABCIG (2A), West Lyon (1A), ACGC (A) and Fremont-Mills (eight-player).

West Lyon earned the No. 1 spot over three-time reigning state champion Grundy Center, who received the most first-place votes but sits third behind the Wildcats and Iowa City Regina to begin the season.

In 2A, Carroll Kuemper earned five first-place votes but finished three points behind OABCIG for the top spot. The Falcons picked up two first-place votes and are led by top prospect Jaxx DeJean.

Here are the Iowa high school football Associated Press Top 10 rankings for each classification:

Iowa High School Football Associated Press Rankings

Class 5A

1. Waukee Northwest
2. Iowa City Liberty
3. West Des Moines Valley
4. Southeast Polk
5. Dowling Catholic
6. Cedar Rapids Prairie
7. Iowa City West
8. Dallas Center-Grimes
9. Sioux City East
10. Waterloo West
11. (tie) Cedar Falls

Others receiving votes: Ankeny; Indianola; Marshalltown; Johnston; Pleasant Valley.

Class 4A

1. Cedar Rapids Xavier
2. North Polk
3. Pella
4. Decorah
5. ADM
6. Clear Creek-Amana
7. Fort Dodge
8. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson
9. Sergeant Bluff-Luton
10. Glenwood
11. (tie) Gilbert

Others receiving votes: Newton; Waverly-Shell Rock; Burlington.

Class 3A

1. Sioux City Bishop Heelan
2. Des Moines Christian
3. Clear Lake
4. Mount Vernon
5. Dubuque Wahlert
6. (tie) Solon
7. Nevada
8. MOC-Floyd Valley
9. West Delaware
10. Central DeWitt

Others receiving votes: Independence; Algona; Humboldt; Sioux Center.

Class 2A

1. OABCIG
2. Carroll Kuemper
3. Woodward-Granger
4. Okoboji
5. Alburnett
6. Van Meter
7. Grand View Christian
8. Chariton
9. Osage
10. PCM

Others receiving votes: Bellevue; Centerville; Dike-New Hartford; Roland-Story; West Burlington; Cherokee; Mid-Prairie.

Class 1A

1. West Lyon
2. Iowa City Regina
3. Grundy Center
4. South Hardin
5. Tri-Center
6. Emmetsburg
7. Pleasantville
8. Underwood
9. Union LaPorte City
10. Durant

Others receiving votes: Dyersville Beckman; Ogden; Treynor; Central Springs; South Central Calhoun; MVAOCOU; RIdge View.

Class A

1. ACGC
2. MMCRU
3. West Hancock
4. Saint Ansgar
5. Wapsie Valley
6. North Linn
7. West Sioux
8. Woodbury Central
9. BGM
10. Pekin

Others receiving votes: West Fork; Madrid; Logan-Magnolia; Riverside; Maquoketa Valley; Nashua-Plainfield; Lynnville-Sully; Clayton Ridge.

Eight-Player

1. Fremont-Mills
2. Bishop Garrigan
3. Iowa Valley
4. Woodbine
5. Montezuma
6. Gladbrook-Reinbeck
7. Bedford
8. Audubon
9. English Valleys
10. Don Bosco

Others receiving votes: Easton Valley; Edgewood-Colesburg; Lamoni; WACO; Northwood-Kensett; Southeast Warren; Liberty Center; GTRA.