CR Jefferson's resurgence highlights 10 things we learned in Week 3 of Iowa high school football

We’re quickly approaching the halfway point in the Iowa high school football regular season already, and much of the playoff picture and many title contenders are starting to emerge.

Here’s what we learned in Week 3 of the Iowa high school football season.

1. Southeast Polk has legit skill talent on offense. A big question this offseason was whether or not the Rams could fill the void of guys like Abu Sama (2022's leading rusher) or Joe Zelenovich (second-leading receiver). There wasn’t much doubt they would be stout up front on both sides of the ball with the size they had, and having a Division I commit at quarterback can solve a lot of problems too.

Friday night against No. 4 Prairie, Sam Zelenovich (seven receptions, 90 yards and a touchdown), Carson Robbins (two receptions, 46 yards and a touchdown) and Braden Lundgren (three receptions, two touchdowns) answered that bell. Currently, until someone can find and exploit something, the back-to-back 5A champions don’t have a glaring weakness.

More: Connor Moberly throws five TDs as Southeast Polk dominates Prairie in stadium's debut

2. Back to the drawing board for Prairie. I mentioned this in my analysis of the game, but I don’t believe the scoreline was indicative of how the game transpired. The Hawks had a chance to tie the game early in the second quarter, before throwing an interception and everything sort of snowballing from there.

Against a behemoth like Southeast Polk, those mistakes are going to burn you quickly. Before that, Prairie had success in the passing game between Will Phillips and Apollo Payne. Their leading rusher, Casey Kelley, didn’t get the ball much in the face of a strong Rams front seven.

All this to say, Prairie is a much-improved team from the squad a year ago that lost to Southeast Polk twice by a score of 41-0, but there’s some ground to make up before playoffs roll around if they want to seriously compete.

3. Iowa City High remains top dog in Little Cy-Hawk Rivalry. The Little Hawks made it four wins in a row, dating back to 2019, over Ames, with a 49-28 win on the road. Two touchdowns in the fourth helped gap the Little Cyclones.

Something had to give in this one, with both teams being 0-2 heading into the matchup. Iowa City High’s schedule doesn’t get any easier with Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the next two weeks, but Ames should have a good opportunity to get one in the win column against Des Moines Roosevelt next week if they can contain quarterback Jecari Patton.

More: What we learned from Iowa City High's 49-28 Little Cy-Hawk game win over Ames

4. Bettendorf shows flashes they can compete with the best of 5A in the trenches. The Bulldogs continue to not just win, but win big against their opponents to start 2023. Most of that has been credited to the offensive and defensive line by Bettendorf’s coach Aaron Willey.

If this run is to be taken seriously, their line play is going to be the biggest key in succeeding against the likes of Dowling, Southeast Polk and other heavy hitters in Class 5A.

More: Bettendorf 48, Urbandale 10: J-Hawks struggle as Bulldogs remain undefeated

5. It’s time to take Cedar Rapids Jefferson seriously. Off to a 3-0 start after not winning a single game since October of 2019, Cedar Rapids Jefferson is in a much different place than it has been for the last couple years. Their next two opponents, Des Moines East and Cedar Rapids Washington, are a combined 0-6.

Yes, there is a world in which a team that went on a 26-game losing streak from 2020-22 could start the 2023 season 5-0. One area that's flourished is the defense, a group that has limited their opponents to just eight points in their last two games. One of those opponents, Marshalltown, had scored 116 points in two games against Jefferson during that extensive losing streak but was then shut out by the J-Hawks in Week 2.We likely won’t know until Week 6 (Iowa City West) and Week 7 (Prairie) just how good this squad really is, but this is a fun story in the meantime.

6. Ankeny Centennial’s offense is going to be pesky for any opposition. There was a point in Ankeny Centennial’s loss to their rival Ankney where they led 17-0 early on. That was much in part due to Elijah Porter getting a first down nearly every time he touched the ball, and Trenton Smith and Max Snyder connecting on deep balls for chunk plays as well.That loss could have easily taken the wind out of the sails of the Jaguars, but their 42-13 win over Cedar Falls on Friday showed they’re still very much all-in on the season.

More: Coaches Confidential: Iowa high school football coaches reveal who is the toughest to gameplan for

After watching Dowling Catholic and Southeast Polk in back-to-back weeks, No. 1 and No. 2 in 5A respectively, the one area opposing teams found success in sustaining drives was by exploiting areas in their pass coverage. Both Valley against Dowling and Prairie against Southeast Polk had driven down into their opponent's territory set up by the long ball, but couldn’t execute when it mattered.

The Maroons and Rams are no doubt the leaders in 5A once again, and there aren't extreme concerns about either’s pass defense, but Centennial might have a recipe for success in making a run here.

7. Should we be worrying about Valley? The short answer is no. An 0-3 start is not something Valley is accustomed to, considering the last time they had a losing streak of more than two games was in 2020. However, the Tigers’ injury luck has been brutal, coupled with their first three games being against semifinalists in the 5A playoffs last season. It was always going to be tough sledding early on.They have to get healthy on offense, but the schedule is going to provide some opportunities to get back on track in time for when it really matters in the late fall.

More: Recap: Scores and highlights from Week 3 of Iowa high school football action

8. Lewis Central is still among the best in 4A. After a close loss to Creston in Week 2, any questions that the Titans may not be up for a return to the 4A title game were squashed when they defeated No. 1 ADM on Friday.

The offensive line played a big part in that win, opening up holes for the skill players to accumulate 317 rushing yards. It’s shaping up to be a fun race between them, Cedar Rapids Xavier, ADM and North Scott for the 4A crown.

9. North Scott remains the lone unbeaten of 4A title favorites. The Lancers have won their first three games of the season by a combined score of 132-63, winning games that they should fairly convincingly. Senior quarterback Kyler Gerardy is leading the way with 443 yards in the air and 290 yards on the ground. Have to like what you’re seeing from the 4A semifinalist from a year ago.

10. Webster City and Williamsburg are emerging as contenders in 3A. Webster City dropped down to 3A and Williamsburg moved up into 3A this season, but both are taking hold of the narrative in the title race.

More: Webster City's Jaxon Cherry, despite a stellar football career, might be Iowa's best kept secret

Jaxon Cherry continues to shine for the Lynx, racking up 161 yards on the ground and 10.5 tackles at linebacker in their 21-20 win over North Polk. After defeating powerhouse Xavier last week, Williamsburg moved to 3-0 with a 49-20 win over Clear Creek Amana.

Despite navigating new terrain, the two schools look poised to compete in the playoffs.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 10 things we learned in Week 3 of Iowa high school football