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The Des Moines Register's 2023 preseason Iowa high school football class by class team rankings

alyssa hertel, des moines register
·2 min read

Fall sports have returned to Iowa, which means it’s time to extend a warm welcome to the Iowa high school football season.

The Des Moines Register’s football rankings for the 2023 season are here. To get fans ready for the action, we’re pleased to announce the Register’s preseason class-by-class rankings.

More: Introducing the top 100 Iowa high school football players heading into the 2023 season

These initial standings were compiled with input from coaches statewide, a look at last season’s statistics and this season’s returning players, and thorough discussions and observations among staff writers from the Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Ames Tribune.

Southeast Polk is searvhing for its third straight state title in 2023.
Southeast Polk is searvhing for its third straight state title in 2023.

Many of the teams in this first set of rankings will look familiar, but expect a bit of a standings shuffle through the first weeks of the season. Each week’s results will reveal which teams will rise to the top or fall from the rankings.

Our preseason number ones: Southeast Polk in Class 5A; Lewis Central in 4A; Mount Vernon in 3A; Central Lyon in 2A; Grundy Center in 1A; West Hancock in Class A and Gladbrook-Reinbeck in 8-Player.

Class 5A

  1. Southeast Polk

  2. Dowling Catholic

  3. Valley

  4. Johnston

  5. Cedar Falls

  6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy

  7. Pleasant Valley

  8. Ankeny Centennial

  9. Linn-Mar

  10. Iowa City Liberty

More: Introducing the top 25 Iowa high school football recruits in the 2025 class

Class 4A

  1. Lewis Central

  2. Xavier

  3. ADM

  4. North Scott

  5. Bondurant-Farrar

  6. Western Dubuque

  7. LeMars

  8. Glenwood

  9. North Polk

  10. Spencer

More: Ranking the top 50 Iowa high school football recruiting prospects in the 2024 class

Class 3A

  1. Mount Vernon

  2. Harlan

  3. Solon

  4. Webster City

  5. Williamsburg

  6. Independence

  7. Central DeWitt

  8. Creston

  9. Hampton-Dumont-CAL

  10. Fort Madison

More: Johnston quarterback Will Nuss flew under the radar in 2022. Now, he has a target on his back

Class 2A

  1. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock

  2. Van Meter

  3. Greene County

  4. Monticello

  5. West Lyon

  6. West Marshall

  7. Osage

  8. Spirit Lake

  9. New Hampton

  10. Kuemper Catholic

More: West Des Moines Valley football returns stars on offense. The biggest question for the team? QB.

Class 1A

  1. Grundy Center

  2. Underwood

  3. MFL MarMac

  4. South Hamilton

  5. Sigourney-Keota

  6. Columbus Catholic

  7. Iowa City Regina

  8. AHSTW

  9. West Branch

  10. Aplington-Parkersburg

More: Dowling Catholic football handing quarterback job to experienced senior Dante Cataldo

Class A

  1. West Hancock

  2. Woodbury Central

  3. East Buchanan

  4. Lynnville-Sully

  5. Columbus

  6. Southwest Valley

  7. Madrid

  8. Nashua-Plainfield

  9. South Central Calhoun

  10. North Linn

More: Des Moines Register's preseason list of the top 25 Iowa high school volleyball players for 2023

8-Player

  1. Gladbrook-Reinbeck

  2. CAM, Anita

  3. Winfield-Mt. Union

  4. Central City

  5. Moravia

  6. Southeast Warren

  7. Lenox

  8. Fremont-Mills

  9. Remsen St. Mary’s

  10. Montezuma

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 2023 preseason team rankings