The new face of Iowa high school football 2020 season is set. The Iowa High School Athletic Association has announced its classifications and districts for the fall.
Class 4A, the state’s largest classification, is shrinking by two teams from 42 to 40. The IAHSAA has elected to eliminate districts in 4A in favor of a “tiered system” that is designed to make the class competitively balanced.
2020 Iowa 4A Group and Assigned Games
Below how the IAHSAA describes the new system for grouping teams:
CLASS 4A SUCCESS MODEL SCHEDULE
- The new success model used for Class 4A was designed with the intent of adding competitive games to regular season scheduling of the large-school class. It measures a program’s last four years of football through: a) Ratings Percentage Index; b) Playoff Success.
- The results of that model are available HERE.
- The model used ranking within the RPI and ranking of “points” in playoff success (5 for championship, 4 for runner-up, 3 for semifinal appearance, 2 for quarterfinal appearance, and 1 for playoff appearance).
- Teams are tiered by their ranking within the model. Tier 1 is teams ranked #1-7, Tier 2 is teams ranked #8-13, Tier 3 is teams ranked #14-20, Tier 4 is teams ranked #21-27, Tier 5 is teams ranked #28-34, and Tier 6 is teams ranked #35-40.
- Every group contains a team from within each tier. Group schedules are designed for teams to play similarly tiered teams. Unlike district play, group play is not round robin. Group contests are as follows…
- Tier 1: Plays Tiers 2, 3, and 4.
- Tier 2: Plays 1, 3, and 5.
- Tier 3: Plays 1, 2, and 6.
- Tier 4: Plays 1, 5, and 6.
- Tier 5: Plays 2, 4, and 6.
- Tier 6: Plays 3, 4, and 5.
- In addition to group games arranged by tiers, Class 4A teams will play two “assigned games” against teams from similar tiers of other groups. Teams from Tiers 1 and 2 are together, Tiers 3 and 4 are together, and Tiers 5 and 6 are together.
- Two groups have five teams instead of six with the model omitting one Tier 2 and one Tier 6 team. Assigned games due to the schedule gap have been added from approved tiers.
- The five total group and assigned games may not be scheduled consecutively as they are in district play.
- In the group format, there are no district champions or group champions. All 16 playoff qualifying spots will be considered at-large through RPI.
- Through BEDS numbers, one school has been added to 40-team field in Class 4A: Iowa City, Liberty.
- Iowa City, Liberty was a playoff qualifier in Class 3A and joins Tier 3.
- Waukee Northwest will begin 4A varsity play in 2021.
There’s no change in the number of playoff qualifiers. Once again, each classification will have 16 playoff teams.
Class 4A
Group 1
Dowling Catholic
Urbandale
Fort Dodge
Des Moines Roosevelt
Council Bluff Abraham Lincoln
Sioux City North
Group 2
Ankeny Centennial
Iowa City Liberty
Ames
Marshalltown
Des Moines East
Group 3
West Des Moines Valley
Ankeny
Indianola
Sioux City East
Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson
Sioux City West
Group 4
Cedar Falls
Cedar Rapids
Dubuque
Davenport Central
Dubuque Hempstead
Davenport West
Group 5
Waukee
Johnston
Linn-Mar Marion
Waterloo West
Cedar Rapids Jefferson
Group 7
Bettendorf
Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Pleasant Valley
Muscatine
Davenport North
Ottumwa
Class 3A
District 1
Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
Le Mars
Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Sioux City Heelan
Spencer
Storm Lake
District 2
Ballard
Boone
Humboldt
Gilbert
Mason City
Webster City
District 3
Charles City
Decorah
Waterloo East
Waverly-Shell Rock
West Delaware
Western Dubuque
District 4
Clinton
Davenport Assumption
DeWitt Central
Dubuque Wahlert
Marion
North Scott
District 5
Burlington
Fairfield
Fort Madison
Keokuk
Mount Pleasant
Washington
District 6
Benton Community
Cedar Rapids Xavier
Clear Creek-Amana
Grinnell
Newton
Oskaloosa
District 7
Bondurant-Farrar
Carlisle
Knoxville
Pella
Nevada
North Polk
District 8
Adel ADM
Dallas Center-Grimes
Des Moines Hoover
Norwalk
Perry
Winterset
District 9
Carroll
Creston/O-M
Denison-Schleswig
Glenwood
Harlan
Lewis Central
Class 2A
District 1
Central Lyon/George-Little Rock
MOC-Floyd Valley
Sheldon
Sioux Center
Unity Christian
West Lyon
District 2
Algona
Cherokee
Estherville-Lincoln Central
Garner GHV
Okoboji
Spirit Lake
District 3
Clear Lake
Forest City
Hampton-Dumont-CAL
Iowa Falls-Alden
Roland-Story
West Marshall
District 4
Crestwood
Independence
New Hampton
North Fayette Valley
Oelwein
Waukon
District 5
Anamosa
Camanche
Maquoketa
Monticello
Tipton
West Liberty
District 6
Center Point-Urbana
Mount Vernon
Solon
South Tama
Union
Vinton-Shellsburg
District 7
Central Lee
Davis County
Eddyville EBF
Mid-Prairie
West Burlington/Notre Dame
Williamsburg
District 8
Albia
Centerville
Chariton
Clarke
Monroe PCM
Saydel
District 9
Atlantic
Clarinda
Des Moines Christian
Greene County
Red Oak
Shenandoah
Class 1A
District 1
Emmetsburg
Hinton
Sibley-Ocheyedan
Sioux Central
West Sioux
Western Christian
District 2
Belmond-Klemme
Clarion CGD
Eagle Grove
Pocahontas Area
South Central Calhoun
Southeast Valley
District 3
Aplington-Parkersburg
Dike-New Hartford
East Marshall
Hudson
South Hamilton
South Hardin
District 4
Central Springs
Denver
Jesup
Osage
Sumner-Fredericksburg
Waterloo Columbus
District 5
Cascade
Durant
Dyersville Beckman
Northeast
West Branch
Wilton
District 6
Cardinal
Louisa-Muscatine
Mediapolis
Pekin
Sigourney-Keota
Van Buren County
District 7
Central Decatur
Colfax-Mingo
Interstate 35
Mount Ayr
Pella Christian
Pleasantville
District 8
Carroll Kuemper
Guthrie Center ACGC
Panorama
Van Meter
West Central Valley
Woodward-Granger
District 9
East Sac County
Ida Grove OABCIG
Mapleton MVAOCOU
Missouri Valley
Treynor
Underwood
Class A
District 1
Akron-Westfield
Hartley HMS
Lawton-Bronson
Le Mars Gehlen
Marcus MMCRU
South O’Brien
District 2
Algona Garrigan
Alta-Aurelia
Fort Dodge St. Edmond
Manson Northwest Webster
North Union
West Hancock
District 3
Lake Mills
Mason City Newman
Nashua-Plainfield
North Butler
Saint Ansgar
West Fork
District 4
Clayton Ridge
MFL MarMac
Postville
South Winneshiek
Starmont
Wapsie Valley
District 5
Alburnett
Bellevue
East Buchanan
Edgewood-Colesburg
Maquoketa Valley
North Linn
District 6
Columbus Community
Highland
Iowa City Regina
Lisbon
North Cedar
Wapello
District 7
Belle Plaine
Conrad BCLUW
Grundy Center
Lynnville-Sully
North Mahaska
North Tama
District 8
Earlham
Madrid
Nodaway Valley
Ogden
Wayne
Woodward Academy
District 9
Avoca AHSTW
Council Bluffs St. Albert
Oakland Riverside
Sidney
Southwest Valley
Tri-Center
District 10
IKM-Manning
Logan-Magnolia
Ridge View
West Monona
Westwood
Woodbury Central
8-Player
District 1
Graettinger GTRA
Harris-Lake Park
Kingsley-Pierson
Newell-Fonda
Remsen St. Mary’s
River Valley
Siouxland Christian/Whiting
West Bend-Mallard
District 2
Ackley AGWSR
Clarksville
Janesville
Northwood-Kensett
North Iowa
Riceville
Rockford
Tripoli
Turkey Valley
District 3
Central City
Don Bosco
Dunkerton
Easton Valley
Elkader Central
Lansing Kee
Midland
Springville
West Central
District 4
English Valleys
Lone Tree
Montezuma
Moravia
New London
Tri-County
Twin Cedars
WACO
Winfield-Mount Union
District 5
Baxter
BGM
Collins-Maxwell
Colo-Nesco
Gladbrook-Reinbeck
GMG
HLV
Iowa Valley
Meskwaki
District 6
Grand View Christian
Lamoni
Martensdale-St. Marys
Melcher-Dallas
Mormon Trail
Murray
Seymour
Southeast Warren
District 7
Anita CAM
Bedford
East Mills
East Union
Fremont-Mills
Griswold
Lenox
Sidney (pending appeal)
Stanton
District 8
Ar-We-Va
Audubon
Boyer Valley
Coon Rapids-Bayard
Exira-EHK
Glidden-Ralston
West Harrison
Woodbine
