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The Iowa High School Athletic Union released the district pairings for the fall 2021-22 football season for the state of Iowa Friday.
The 2021 football season will be the first with a new seventh classification (Class 5A), approved in January by the Board of Control to reduce the disparity in enrollment in the IHSAA’s largest class of football, and to increase the number of participating teams and student-athletes in the postseason across all classes. Following the one-year assignments in 2020, districts and Class 5A groups are effective for a two-year cycle.
Classifications for area teams are as follows.
Class 5A and 4A
No area teams are featured in Class 5A or 4A. Several schools featured in Class 4A’s 36-team listing have been prior opponents of Creston football, who will be playing in Class 3A.
Former area opponents and fellow Hawkeye 10 schools Glenwood, Dallas Center-Grimes, Lewis Central and Winterset will all play in Class 4A next season In 4A District 6, all four teams will battle one another in district play. Boone, who was the the season-opening opponent for Creston last fall, will play in Class 4A District 5.
Class 3A
Creston, playing now without the affiliation of Orient-Macksburg (which made them Creston/O-M), will play next season in Class 3A.
After playing in a meat grinder of a district last season, the Panthers (1-7 in 2020-21) will face ADM (3-5), Atlantic (7-2), Harlan (11-2), Knoxville (1-7) and Saydel (4-5) in Class 3A District 6.
Harlan, who was a district opponent a year ago for Creston, played in the Class 3A state finals against North Scott. The Cyclones lost 30-6.
Atlantic was the Class 2A District 9 champion last season, going undefeated in district play, and will bump up a class.
Class 2A
Osceola-area school Clarke (1-7) will stay in Class 2A for this upcoming season, playing in District 8.
Clarinda (4-5), Des Moines Christian (4-3), Greene County (7-3), Red Oak (0-8) and Shenandoah (3-5) will be District opponents for the Indians, who will be seeking a new head coach for the second straight offseason.
Clarke has not had a season of more than three wins in the Quickstats era, finishing its season either one or three wins every year but 2014-15 since the inception of the stats database in 2007-08.
Class 1A
CNA-area school Nodaway Valley and OST-area school Central Decatur appear in different districts for the Class 1A 2021-22 season.
In Class 1A District 7 the Wolverines will play ACGC (4-5), Interstate 35 (6-3), Panorama (6-3), Van Meter (11-1) and West Central Valley (1-7). The Wolverines have history from last year with just West Central Valley, who they beat Aug. 28 48-0.
The Wolverines had their first state playoff-qualifying season last year since the 2002 season. The Wolverines lost in the first round of the Class 1A postseason last year to Grundy Center in a 40-0 final. Van Meter will return to in the district as a Class 1A state finalist, losing in the finals last fall to OABCIG in a 33-26 final.
Central Decatur’s (2-6) season will be played in District 6 against Cardinal (5-4), Pella Christian (6-4), Pleasantville (5-3), Sigourney-Keota (10-1) and Van Buren County (1-6).
Sigourney-Keota was bounced out of the Class 1A state playoffs against eventual champion OABCIG, and is headed by former Creston native Jared Jensen. The two-win season for the Cardinals is the lowest its had in the Quickstats era, the previous low being three wins in 2015-16.
Class A
Mount Ayr (7-2) and Southwest Valley (6-3) will play in Class A next fall, both in District 7.
District opponents for Raiders and Timberwolves will be AHSTW (2-3), Earlham (4-3), Riverside (8-2), Sidney (0-8) and St. Albert (8-3).
St. Albert went to the Class A state semifinals, falling in a 34-6 final to Grundy Center last season. AHSTW missed three games of its season due to COVID protocols, which they were unable to postpone.
Mount Ayr drops from Class 1A after falling in the first round of Class 1A playoffs a year ago. It was the third straight season with seven wins for the Raiders. Southwest Valley spent part of the season ranked, getting off to a 4-0 start before ending the season on a 2-3 stretch.
Eight-man
Returning to 8-man next season are Lenox (4-2), Murray (4-4) and East Union (1-5).
East Union and Lenox will play in District 9 while district 8 is the home for Murray.
Opponents for the Eagles and Tigers in District 9 are Bedford (1-6), East Mills (5-4), Fremont-Mills (8-2), Griswold (0-6) and Stanton (4-4).
In District 8 the Mustangs will face Lamoni (7-3), Martensdale-St Marys (8-1), Moravia (1-7), Mormon Trail (3-5), Seymour (0-8), Southeast Warren (7-2).
East Union fell victim last season season to COVID-19 protocols, unable to reschedule games through the season. Fremont-Mills worked its way to the 8-man finals but fell to Remsen St. Marys 48-0.