Jeff Linder, CR Gazette –
Iowa City Regina and Decorah are overwhelming choices as No. 1 football teams in the first Associated Press poll of the season.
Regina carries a 29-game winning streak and has won the last two Class 2A state championships. The Regals are in Class 1A this year, and opened the season with a 47-0 rout of West Liberty.
The Regals received 14 of 16 first-place votes.
Decorah tops the 3A poll, earning 13 of 16 first-place votes. The Vikings (1-0) were 3A runners-up last year, falling to Union in the finals. They opened the season with a 35-7 victory over Waverly-Shell Rock.
West Des Moines Valley (4A), Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (2A), West Lyon (Class A) and Adair-Casey (Eight Man) are the other No. 1 teams.
Valley is the defending 4A champion.
Iowa City West is No. 5 in 4A; Cedar Rapids Xavier is No. 7. Both teams won convincingly Friday; West smacked Linn-Mar, 49-14; Xavier hammered Dubuque Hempstead, 48-7.
Despite a 4-5 season last year, Marion opens at No. 5 in 3A. The Indians blasted Mount Pleasant, 70-7, in their opener. Marion hosts Decorah on Friday.
Solon is No. 8 in 3A. The Spartans host Regina this week.
Other area ranked teams are Union (sixth) and Center Point-Urbana (seventh) in 2A, West Branch (seventh) and South Winneshiek (ninth) in 1A, and North Tama (seventh) in Class A.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FOOTBALL POLL
(First-place votes in parentheses)
Class 4A
1. West Des Moines Valley (15) 2-0
2. Ankeny 1-0
3. Bettendorf 1-0
4. West Des Moines Dowling (1) 2-0
5. Iowa City West 1-0
6. Cedar Falls 1-0
7. Cedar Rapids Xavier 1-0
8. Pleasant Valley 1-0
9. Urbandale 1-0
10. Southeast Polk 0-1
Class 3A
1. Decorah (13) 1-0
2. Sioux City Heelan 1-0
3. Norwalk (2) 1-0
4. Harlan 1-0
5. Marion (1) 1-0
(tie) Creston/Orient-Macksburg 1-0
7. Clear Lake 1-0
8. Solon 1-0
9. Grinnell 1-0
10. Lewis Central 1-0
Class 2A
1. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (7) 1-0
2. Mediapolis (2) 1-0
3. Spirit Lake (2) 1-0
4. West Marshall (2) 2-0
5. Carroll Kuemper (1) 1-0
6. Union (2) 0-1
7. Center Point-Urbana 1-0
8. New Hampton 1-0
(tie) South Central Calhoun 1-0
10. Sheldon 1-0
Class 1A
1. Iowa City Regina (14) 1-0
2. Emmetsburg 1-0
3. Aplington-Parkersburg 1-0
4. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (1) 1-0
5. Council Bluffs St. Albert 1-0
6. Saint Ansgar (1) 1-0
7. West Branch 1-0
8. Pella Christian 1-0
9. South Winneshiek 1-0
10. Panorama 1-0
Class A
1. West Lyon (10) 1-0
2. Woodward-Granger (3) 1-0
3. West Hancock (2) 1-0
4. Logan-Magnolia 1-0
5. Wapsie Valley (1) 1-0
6. Woodbury Central 1-0
7. North Tama 1-1
8. Mason City Newman 0-1
9. WACO 1-0
10. Pekin 1-0
Eight Man
1. Adair-Casey (1) 2-0
2. Murray (2) 2-0
3. Newell-Fonda (5) 1-0
4. Fremont-Mills (2) 1-0
5. Janesville 1-0
6. West Bend-Mallard (2) 2-0
7. Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira (2) 1-0
(tie) Melcher-Dallas (1) 2-0
9. Don Bosco 1-0
10. Preston 1-0