Iowa high school football Top 25 rankings (10/31/2023)

Here are SBLive’s Iowa high school football rankings for the week of Oct. 29:

1. Southeast Polk (10-0) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 18 Cedar Falls (7-3) at home. 

Rams jumped on Linn-Mar early last week, leading 35-0 at the half before winning 49-9.

2. West Des Moines Dowling (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 10. Ankeny (7-3) at Williams Stadium.

Maroons beat Ankeny 35-14 back in Week 3 of the regular season.

3. Western Dubuque (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent: No. 9 North Scott (8-2) at home.

Bobcats have a tough test this week against North Scott, whom they beat 31-24 in Week 4.

4. Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (10-0) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: Carroll Kuemper (8-2) at home.

Lions have scored at least 39 points in nine of 10 games, and allowed double-digit points in only two of 10.

5. Van Meter (10-0) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At PCM (8-2).

Bulldogs have held five straight opponents to seven points or fewer, while scoring at least 47 on each occasion.

6. Creston (10-0) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: Webster City (8-2) at home.

In a hard-fought 35-27 win over Harlan Community, Cael Turner threw for 184 and Brennan Hayes ran for 196 and three scores.

7. Lewis Central (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 24 ADM (7-3) at home.

Titans now face perhaps the state's most dangerous player: QB Aiden Flora (1,770 rushing yards, 25 TDs; 1,019 passing yards, 12 TDs).

8. Cedar Rapids Xavier (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 23 North Polk (8-2).

Trailing Indianola 10-9 with less than two minutes to go, Saints converted a miracle 4th-and-26 play to keep their season alive. They went on to score and win 17-10.

9. North Scott (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 1 Western Dubuque (9-1).

In the Lancers' 31-24 regular-season loss to Western Dubuque, they allowed Grant Glausser to rush 31 times for 389 yards and four TDs, the second-most rushing yards in a game in the state this year.

10. Ankeny (7-3) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (9-1) at Williams Stadium.

In Ankeny's 35-14 regular-season loss to Dowling, the Hawks allowed Ra'Shawd Davis to rush 36 times for 242 yards and three TDs.

11. Ankeny Centennial (6-4) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At Bettendorf (8-2).

The Jaguars scored one of the most impressive first-round victories, dominating Waukee Northwest 35-7.

12. Underwood (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At OA-BCIG (8-2).

Eagles rushed for 393 yards, including 254 and three touchdowns by Maddox Nelson, in a 42-0 win over AHSTW last week.

13. Solon (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: West Delaware (7-3) at home.

Spartans now face red-hot QB Brent Yonkovic of West Delaware, who carried 34 times for 288 yards and five TDs, and also completed 16 of 21 for 202 and another two scores in a wild 58-45 win over Davenport Assumption.

14. Waukee (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 15 West Des Moines Valley (5-5) at home.

The Warriors beat Valley 37-15 in Week 4 of the regular season, outgaining the Tigers just 325-285.

15. West Des Moines Valley (5-5) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 14 Waukee (8-2).

For the second straight year, the Tigers scored a huge opening-round playoff win at Pleasant Valley, winning 31-21 and getting a 100-yard kickoff return for a score by Isaiah Pinks.

16. West Lyon (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At Spirit Lake (9-1).

Wildcats face a stiff challenge at Spirit Lake, as the Indians have allowed six points or fewer in six of their last seven games.

17. Williamsburg (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 19 Mount Vernon (9-1) at home.

There are some who believe the winner of this quarterfinal matchup will win the 3A championship.

18. Cedar Falls (7-3) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 1 Southeast Polk (10-0).

Drake Gelhaus rushed 30 times for 174 yards and touchdown, and caught a 70-yard TD pass as the Tigers rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 30-26.

19. Mount Vernon (9-1) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 17 Williamsburg (9-1).

Last year's state runners-up in 3A (Mount Vernon) and 2A (Williamsburg) will play for a trip to the UNI-Dome.

20. Pleasant Valley (8-2) Season completed.

Spartans' season again ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 31-21 loss to West Des Moines Valley.

21. Johnston (5-5) Season completed.

All of the Dragons' losses were to 5A quarterfinalists. Two were to Ankeny, including last week's 21-9 playoff setback.

22. Grundy Center (10-0) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: Dike-New Hartford (7-3) at home.

Last year's Class A champion, Grundy Center gets another look at a team it edge 7-6 back on Aug. 25.

23. North Polk (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: No. 8 Cedar Rapids Xavier (8-2) at home.

Comets get one of Iowa's prep bluebloods on its home field, with a trip to the UNI-Dome on the line.

24. ADM (7-3) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At No. 7 Lewis Central (8-2).

Quarterback Aiden Flora carried 28 times for 334 yards and three TDs in his team's 38-31 loss to Lewis Central in Week 3.

25. Bondurant-Farrar (8-2) Quarterfinal opponent Friday: At Glenwood (8-2).

In the absence of injured all-staters Titus Cram and Reed Pfalzgraff, Caleb Moore carried 37 times for 309 yards and two TDs in a 23-6 win over Pella.