Iowa football playoffs: brackets released for four classes

Opening-round pairings for Iowa high school football were set Saturday, when the Iowa High School Athletic Association released brackets for Class 2A, Class 1A, Class A and eight-player. First-round games in those four classifications are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23. Winners advance, and the IHSAA will post next-round pairings after Friday results are finalized.

Class 2A includes 16 first-round games, with Southeast Valley traveling to Central Lyon / George-Little Rock, Cherokee visiting Spirit Lake, and Bellevue at Waukon. Other 2A road trips send New Hampton to Dike-New Hartford, Vinton-Shellsburg to Alburnett, Chariton to Mid-Prairie and West Liberty to PCM. In the bracket's remaining 2A games, Albia plays at Van Meter, OABCIG at Western Christian, Unity Christian at Kuemper Catholic, Hampton-Dumont/CAL at Crestwood, Grand View Christian at Roland-Story, Osage at West Branch, Anamosa at Wilton, West Burlington / Notre Dame at Centerville, Pella Christian at Clarinda and Albia at Van Meter.

Class 1A also fields 16 games on Oct. 23. Tri-Center visits West Lyon, Hinton plays at Emmetsburg, and MFL MarMac travels to Clarion-Goldfield / Dows. Rounding out the 1A slate are Eagle Grove at Aplington-Parkersburg, Cardinal at Northeast, Columbus Catholic at Iowa City Regina, Manson Northwest Webster at West Marshall, West Central Valley at Treynor, South Hardin at Ridge View, Lawton-Bronson at South Central Calhoun, Cascade at Grundy Center, Sigourney Keota at Hudson, Sumner-Fredericksburg at Dyersville Beckman Catholic, Pleasantville at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Shenandoah at Interstate 35 and East Sac County at Underwood.

Class A pairs Logan-Magnolia with West Sioux, North Butler with West Fork, and Belmond-Klemme with Saint Ansgar. The rest of the Class A first round lists Columbus Community at East Buchanan, Wapsie Valley at Pekin, Southwest Valley at Madrid, Earlham at Riverside, Sibley-Ocheyedan at Woodbury Central, West Monona at MMCRU, Starmont at Mason City Newman Catholic, West Hancock at Nashua-Plainfield, Van Buren County at North Linn, Maquoketa Valley at Danville, Mount Ayr at Lynnville-Sully, Martensdale-St. Marys at ACGC and Le Mars Gehlen Catholic at Council Bluffs St. Albert.

The eight-player bracket sends Wayne to Iowa Valley, East Union to Audubon, CAM to Kingsley-Pierson and GTRA to Bishop Garrigan. Also scheduled are Moravia at Don Bosco, WACO at Edgewood-Colesburg, Springville at Gladbrook-Reinbeck, North Tama at Montezuma, Fremont-Mills at Bedford, Murray at Woodbine, Janesville at North Union, Riceville at Kee, Boyer Valley at Remsen St. Mary's, Clarksville at Turkey Valley, Lenox at Southeast Warren and English Valleys at Coon Rapids-Bayard.

Classes 5A, 4A and 3A are still finishing their regular seasons this week and open postseason play next week. The IHSAA has not released pairings for those three classifications. The association said it will publish updated brackets once all Friday games are complete.

Advancing teams will continue toward the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, which hosts the semifinals and state title games. Friday's results will determine second-round matchups across all four classifications currently in play.