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CEDAR RAPIDS – Guessing the number one team was easy. But the rest of Class 4A?
Not so much.
Cedar Falls is your top boys’ basketball team in the state’s largest class in the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s first rankings of the season, which were released Monday.
The Tigers are 7-0 and coming off a huge 73-57 win over two-time defending 4A state champion West Des Moines Valley at this past Saturday’s Crossover Challenge in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Falls also has a win on its impressive early season resume over Cedar Rapids Kennedy and blowout wins over Linn-Mar and Iowa City West.
Kennedy (6-2) is No. 4 in the IHSAA’s initial 4A poll, while Linn-Mar (5-2) is seventh.
Valley is ranked second in what has been a topsy turvy class, followed by Waukee Northwest, Kennedy and Johnston. Kennedy beat Johnston in overtime Saturday.
The bottom five in 4A are Muscatine, Linn-Mar, Waukee, West Des Moines Dowling and Dubuque Senior, in that order.
In Class 3A, Huxley Ballard (7-0) is your top team. Decorah (6-0) comes in at No. 3, the Vikings owning a win over a 4A team (Dubuque Hempstead), which was its closest game this season, that being 16 points.
Junior center Cael LaFrentz is averaging 33.5 points per game and shooting 70.4 percent from the field for Decorah. He’s also averaging 11.3 rebounds.
Clear Lake is second in 3A, Dubuque Wahlert fourth and Adel-DeSoto-Minburn fifth.
Western Christian has a 6-2 record, but is the top-ranked team in Class 2A. There’s a reason for that.
The Wolfpack always are state title contenders, this year being no exception of course, and both losses were to Nebraska schools considered among the best in that state. In fact, Western plays 10 out-of-state teams this season since it has no conference.
Monticello (7-0) checks in at seventh in the first 2A rankings, with nearby rival Cascade (6-0) ninth. Monti gave the Cougars their only loss, 54-45, just before the holiday break.
For the first time, North Linn is not part of the 1A rankings. The defending state champion Lynx lost by 20 points this past Saturday night at Dunkerton, which knocked them out of consideration for the poll.
Fellow Tri-Rivers Conference school Bellevue Marquette (8-0) comes in at No. 1. The Defenders own a win over Class 4A North Scott this season.
The rest of the top five in the class are Madrid, Fort Dodge St. Edmond, Remsen St. Mary’s and Woodbine.
Below are the entire first rankings, with team record in parentheses. The second IHSAA poll will be released next Monday.
CLASS 4A
- 1. Cedar Falls (7-0)
- 2. West Des Moines Valley (6-2)
- 3. Waukee Northwest (6-2)
- 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (5-2)
- 5. Johnston (7-2)
- 6. Muscatine (6-0)
- 7. Linn-Mar (6-2)
- 8. Waukee (6-2)
- 9. West Des Moines Dowling (6-2)
- 10. Dubuque Senior (5-1)
CLASS 3A
- 1. Huxley Ballard (7-0)
- 2. Clear Lake (6-0)
- 3. Decorah (6-0)
- 4. Dubuque Wahlert (4-2)
- 5. Adel-DeSoto-Minburn (6-2)
- 6. Knoxville (6-0)
- 7. MOC/Floyd Valley (6-2)
- 8. Des Moines Christian (7-0)
- 9. Nevada (8-0)
- 10. DeWitt Central (4-2)
CLASS 2A
- 1. Western Christian (6-2)
- 2. Carroll Kuemper (7-1)
- 3. West Lyon (8-1)
- 4. Des Moines Grand View Christian (9-0)
- 5. Orange City Unity Christian (6-1)
- 6. West Burlington (9-0)
- 7. Monticello (7-0)
- 8. Grundy Center (6-0)
- 9. Cascade (6-1)
- 10. Tri-Center (7-0)
CLASS 1A
- 1. Bellevue Marquette (8-0)
- 2. Madrid (9-0)
- 3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (6-0)
- 4. Remsen St. Mary’s (5-1)
- 5. Woodbine (5-0)
- 6. Fort Madison Holy Trinity (6-1)
- 7. Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center (5-0)
- 8. Algona Garrigan (7-1)
- 9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (6-1)
- 10. Northwood-Kensett (7-0)
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
