Here are 10 Iowa high school football games to watch and our predictions for Week 5
Four weeks of the Iowa high school football season have come and gone and, just like that, it’s on to Week 5.
High school football fans are finally starting to see which teams are poised to make a run in the postseason, while there are still some tight races among undefeated teams in Iowa’s smaller classes.
Each week, we’re making educated guesses about the results of some high school games. We’re sticking to mostly central Iowa and Class 5A games, but will throw in picks that draw statewide interest, as well.
Through the first three weeks, we went 26-9 in our predictions.
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Last week, we picked 10 more games and went 7-3. That’s a 33-16 overall record ahead of Week 5, and there are 10 more predictions this week.
No. 10 Ankeny at Iowa City West
The stat-to-stat comparison is this matchup is close, but it looks like Ankeny should have the edge. Both of the Hawks' losses came against the top teams in Class 5A, and Ankeny is rolling into this road game off a win against Johnston last week. Ankeny, 27-17
No. 5 Waukee at Johnston
Johnston has a solid quarterback in Will Nuss, and he has consistent receivers. But Ankeny found a way to shut down that aspect of the Dragons’ game and Waukee could do the same. This matchup comes down to Grant Gammell (Waukee) vs. D’Angelo Barkue (Johnston) and the defenses. Johnston, 17-14
No. 7 Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Iowa City High
Iowa City High had a tough time against Liberty at the beginning of the season, and Kennedy has a similar strong-armed quarterback, Vincenzo Gianforte, and his offensive line has been heating up as of late. The Little Hawks' defense will have a tough time containing the Cougars. Kennedy, 35-21
More: Friday's Week 5 schedule of Iowa high school football games, kickoff times across the state
No. 2 Southeast Polk at Sioux City East
Sioux City East sophomore quarterback Cal Jepsen has quietly put up some pretty impressive statistics. But expect Southeast Polk’s defense to make things difficult on Friday, and the Rams should have no issue extending their winning streak. Southeast Polk, 45-17
Waukee Northwest at Waterloo West
The Wolves are 2-2 against some tough, central Iowa competition. Waterloo West is 3-1 against unranked teams on the eastern side of the state. That doesn’t mean Waterloo West should be completely counted out of this contest. Northwest, 23-14
Winterset at 4A-No. 4 Norwalk
Led by Aidan Harder on offense and Will Clark on defense, Norwalk is on a roll to start the season. But both teams lost to ADM, and Winterset scored more points against the top-ranked Tigers, so this matchup could be interesting. Norwalk, 28-24
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Ames at Valley
Do the Tigers pick up their first win of the season on Friday or does Ames continue its success after winning its first game last week? Valley is hungry to get in the win column, and they may do it this week. Valley, 23-15
Iowa City Liberty at No. 9 Prairie
Both of these teams lost to Pleasant Valley. Liberty was beaten by Cedar Falls last Friday, but Prairie beat the Tigers in the season opener. The edge goes to the Hawks, particularly because of their defense. Prairie, 35-21
3A-No. 3 West Lyon at 3A-No. 4 Western Christian
Both of these teams enter Friday’s matchup with undefeated records, and one of those streaks will come to an end. Western Christian has a slight edge on the ground. West Lyon has the edge in the air. West Lyon, 49-28
More: Dowling, ADM take over No. 1 spots in the Register's Iowa high school football rankings
Ballard at Indianola
Eli Rouse is going to be a problem for Indianola’s defense, and Jackson Wacha, well he’ll cause problems for Indianola’s offense. Unless Indianola finds a way past Ballard’s defense — which shut out DCG last week — this one is all about the Bombers. Ballard, 27-14
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school football Week 5 predictions and games to watch
