4A

[Break the Rock]

We are only a week in.....but what teams do you predict will be a factor in the "Drive to the Dome"?

District 1 - I think Fort Dodge goes on to have a very good season (8-1) and take this district. Webster City had a disappointing week 1 so I'm interesting to see how they respond as they would be by next pick in this district.

District 2 - I think Waverly Shell Rock runs the table in district and may even run the table in the regular season. The game against West Delaware will be their toughest. Behind them is a group of solid teams that could all contend....Western Dubuque, Decorah and Mason City and Marion will give some teams fits.

District 3 - North Scott should take this district and has some very competitive games on their schedule that will give us a better idea where teams sit. Upcoming games with Western Dubuque, Assumption and Xavier will be telling. Who else will contend? Liberty was my guess going into the season but had a tough week 1, Fort Madison is going to score a lot of points.....and watch out for Burlington......They are my surprise team this year - big improvement in the win column.

District 4 - I predict CR Washington to make a big statement this year and take this district. Lots of athletes. Xavier will always be a factor and they play a tough schedule - upcoming games with West Delaware and North Scott and they kick off districts with CR Washington and Pella. Speaking of Pella....I think they could contend as well.

District 5 - Indianola made a strong statement in week 1. Upcoming games with Glenwood, Pella and Lewis Central will tell us more. I predict they win the district. Bondurant and Carlisle and Norwalk will battle for the number 2 spot.

District 6 - After losing a heart breaker in week 1 I think we see Lewis Central go on a tear and win this district. Winterset will have an explosive offense and set up a huge showdown in the last game of the season with Lewis Central to decide this district Glenwood and DCG will also battle for the top 2 spots in this district as well but DCG will have to show great improvement after surprising week 1 result.

Give me your early season thoughts and observations as we head into week 2. I will update my thoughts weekly as the season goes on.

 

[Minnesotaref]

DCG Faces Bondurant farrar. I don't really know much of both teams. But DCG does have the home field advantage. I believe it will be either a touchdown game.

 

[SoonerBeAHawk]

Someone undoubtedly can answer this in a snap and I'm too lazy to research it further ...

Watched CR Wash last night and was curious why they were 4A? Thought the new 5A classification included the largest 36 schools. Wash is 30th in the IHSAA "BEDS" enrollment.

Regardless, congrats to them. They've looked good.

 

[KidSilverhair]

As I understand it, in the numbers the IHSAA used for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 classification, Wash came in at 39th. I don’t have a link, but I made a list last March when the classes came out.

Urbandale is at 36, smallest school in 5A, with a BEDS number of 959. Council Bluffs Jefferson is at 37, biggest 4A school, with a BEDS of 939. Iowa City Liberty’s BEDS is 886, then CR Washington at 874. Wash’s drop in BEDS of 160 from the previous list is the largest drop in the state.

 

[SoonerBeAHawk]

As I understand it, in the numbers the IHSAA used for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 classification, Wash came in at 39th. I don’t have a link, but I made a list last March when the classes came out.

Urbandale is at 36, smallest school in 5A, with a BEDS number of 959. Council Bluffs Jefferson is at 37, biggest 4A school, with a BEDS of 939. Iowa City Liberty’s BEDS is 886, then CR Washington at 874. Wash’s drop in BEDS of 160 from the previous list is the largest drop in the state.

Yep, that's it. I was looking at the '20/'21 school year numbers. For '21/'22 CRW dropped dramatically from 1034 to 874.

I did hear the CRW coach mention Covid and the derecho affecting their numbers. Guess a lot of CRW families in particular were displaced by the derecho.

 

[rc1963]

As I understand it, in the numbers the IHSAA used for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 classification, Wash came in at 39th. I don’t have a link, but I made a list last March when the classes came out.

Urbandale is at 36, smallest school in 5A, with a BEDS number of 959. Council Bluffs Jefferson is at 37, biggest 4A school, with a BEDS of 939. Iowa City Liberty’s BEDS is 886, then CR Washington at 874. Wash’s drop in BEDS of 160 from the previous list is the largest drop in the state.

Here's the list:

Classifications: Football

www.iahsaa.org

 

[PNation]

https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-2022-BEDS-Num-3.17.21.pdf

 

[Break the Rock]

We are only a week in.....but what teams do you predict will be a factor in the "Drive to the Dome"?

District 1 - I think Fort Dodge goes on to have a very good season (8-1) and take this district. Webster City had a disappointing week 1 so I'm interesting to see how they respond as they would be by next pick in this district.

District 2 - I think Waverly Shell Rock runs the table in district and may even run the table in the regular season. The game against West Delaware will be their toughest. Behind them is a group of solid teams that could all contend....Western Dubuque, Decorah and Mason City and Marion will give some teams fits.

District 3 - North Scott should take this district and has some very competitive games on their schedule that will give us a better idea where teams sit. Upcoming games with Western Dubuque, Assumption and Xavier will be telling. Who else will contend? Liberty was my guess going into the season but had a tough week 1, Fort Madison is going to score a lot of points.....and watch out for Burlington......They are my surprise team this year - big improvement in the win column.

District 4 - I predict CR Washington to make a big statement this year and take this district. Lots of athletes. Xavier will always be a factor and they play a tough schedule - upcoming games with West Delaware and North Scott and they kick off districts with CR Washington and Pella. Speaking of Pella....I think they could contend as well.

District 5 - Indianola made a strong statement in week 1. Upcoming games with Glenwood, Pella and Lewis Central will tell us more. I predict they win the district. Bondurant and Carlisle and Norwalk will battle for the number 2 spot.

District 6 - After losing a heart breaker in week 1 I think we see Lewis Central go on a tear and win this district. Winterset will have an explosive offense and set up a huge showdown in the last game of the season with Lewis Central to decide this district Glenwood and DCG will also battle for the top 2 spots in this district as well but DCG will have to show great improvement after surprising week 1 result.

Give me your early season thoughts and observations as we head into week 2. I will update my thoughts weekly as the season goes on.

A weekly continuation of my thoughts in 4A:

District 1 - I think Fort Dodge is going to run away with this district. They have a balanced attack with some very good athletes. Webster City has a big match up with Waverly Shell Rock this Friday. The rest of the district is up for grabs.

District 2 - Speaking of WSR....they have looked very good so far...but have been able to just pound the ball. Can they throw it against tougher teams if they need to? Next Friday's game with West Delaware will be a test. The next spot in this district is up for grabs between a few teams. Western Dubuque is 0-2 but has played 2 powerhouse teams (Xavier and North Scott). Decorah comes off a tough loss to Waukon and faces another stiff test Friday against West Del. Watch out for Marion to sneak into the district conversation.

District 3 - North Scott has been as good as advertised so far. The offense putting up big points and the defense as stout as ever. Huge games the next 2 weeks against Assumption and Xavier. Liberty has started slow but have the athletes to turn it around during district play. Their over-all record may not impress but they will contend in the district. Fort Madison and Burlington are off to a good start and may both be undefeated heading into district play....will they be contenders or pretenders?

District 4 - Xavier with a huge win last week over West Delaware. They should be undefeated when they face North Scott next week. Pella has a huge game with Indianola this week and should give us a better idea about both teams. I predict an Indianola win. CR Wash plays a massive game with CR Kennedy. In my opinion Washington has not played very tough competition thus far....so this game will tell us what Washington has (win or lose). I still predict Washington takes the district followed by Xavier.

District 5 -Indianola was probably been the most impressive in 4A thus far in my opinion. If they beat Pella and Lewis Central in the coming weeks....watch out. Bondurant has looked really good thus far and if they get by Pella next week they may go into the last 2 weeks of the year undefeated (Indianola and Norwalk are last 2 games). Norwalk has a tough test against Lewis Central this week. If they can stand toe-to-toe with them they may prove to be a contender as well.

District 6 - This District will come down to the last week of the season between Winterset and Lewis Central. Winterset may be undefeated going into that game while Lewis Central faces a much tougher non-district schedule with Norwalk and Indianola the next 2 weeks. No matter the records going into the last game, I predict a Lewis Central win.

Share your thoughts and observations.

 

[ronsss]

sort of disagree about distict 6, ur thoughts that winterset and lewis central will decided the district. indianola i feel is a must better team than winterset, and may be a tough one for lewis central. indianola may be one of the top 5 in 4a and they just just keep hammering everyone they play, not even close

 

[Break the Rock]

sort of disagree about distict 6, ur thoughts that winterset and lewis central will decided the district. indianola i feel is a must better team than winterset, and may be a tough one for lewis central. indianola may be one of the top 5 in 4a and they just just keep hammering everyone they play, not even close

Indianola is District 5.

 

[IGo42]

2-0 Winterset (4A) vs 2-0 Van Meter (#1 ranked in 1A).

Who wins this one??? I'd put my money on Van Meter, 20-0.

 

[PNation]

Van Meter handled them last year.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Good thoughts about District 4. Xavier has kind of a breather this week at Wahlert, then the next three games are North Scott/CR Wash/Pella. Wow.

That Pella-Indianola game should tell us something tonight, just like CR Wash vs CR Kennedy. Wash has looked pretty darn good, but against CR Jefferson and a Marion team that didn't play well at all, I don't know how much we've found out yet.

 

[Break the Rock]

A weekly continuation of my thoughts in 4A:

District 1 - I think Fort Dodge is going to run away with this district. They have a balanced attack with some very good athletes. Webster City has a big match up with Waverly Shell Rock this Friday. The rest of the district is up for grabs.

District 2 - Speaking of WSR....they have looked very good so far...but have been able to just pound the ball. Can they throw it against tougher teams if they need to? Next Friday's game with West Delaware will be a test. The next spot in this district is up for grabs between a few teams. Western Dubuque is 0-2 but has played 2 powerhouse teams (Xavier and North Scott). Decorah comes off a tough loss to Waukon and faces another stiff test Friday against West Del. Watch out for Marion to sneak into the district conversation.

District 3 - North Scott has been as good as advertised so far. The offense putting up big points and the defense as stout as ever. Huge games the next 2 weeks against Assumption and Xavier. Liberty has started slow but have the athletes to turn it around during district play. Their over-all record may not impress but they will contend in the district. Fort Madison and Burlington are off to a good start and may both be undefeated heading into district play....will they be contenders or pretenders?

District 4 - Xavier with a huge win last week over West Delaware. They should be undefeated when they face North Scott next week. Pella has a huge game with Indianola this week and should give us a better idea about both teams. I predict an Indianola win. CR Wash plays a massive game with CR Kennedy. In my opinion Washington has not played very tough competition thus far....so this game will tell us what Washington has (win or lose). I still predict Washington takes the district followed by Xavier.

District 5 -Indianola was probably been the most impressive in 4A thus far in my opinion. If they beat Pella and Lewis Central in the coming weeks....watch out. Bondurant has looked really good thus far and if they get by Pella next week they may go into the last 2 weeks of the year undefeated (Indianola and Norwalk are last 2 games). Norwalk has a tough test against Lewis Central this week. If they can stand toe-to-toe with them they may prove to be a contender as well.

District 6 - This District will come down to the last week of the season between Winterset and Lewis Central. Winterset may be undefeated going into that game while Lewis Central faces a much tougher non-district schedule with Norwalk and Indianola the next 2 weeks. No matter the records going into the last game, I predict a Lewis Central win.

Share your thoughts and observations.

Updated thoughts as we head into the start of District Play:

District 1 - Fort Dodge will win this district and may win out....although narrowly beating Marshalltown has me wondering how good they are vs. just benefitting from a marginal schedule strength. They have some great talent so we will see. I think Spencer and Webster City battle for the #2 spot.

District 2 - I'll stick with WSR winning this district however I think they will be challenged by Western Dubuque who seems to have found some offense after a tough early schedule. WSR relies on their ground game almost exclusively.....can they be successful against the "big boys" in class 4A or will a more balanced attack like WD expose them? Decorah may have a say in this district and look for Marion to exceed expectations. WSR wins this district followed by WD.

District 3 - North Scott is the clear favorite after an impressive win over Xavier. North Scott's defense has shut people down until late in games when they begin to substitute. There are a few teams who will battle for the number 2 spot in this district. Liberty is 0-4 but has played some top notch 5A schools and may turn things around in district play. Burlington has a star running back who leads class 4A in rushing yards......but they have only completed a handful of passes all year - that won't work against team like NS. Fort Madison has quietly gone undefeated and has a dynamic QB.....but their wins have come against team with a combined 5-11 record. I'm going with Liberty in the 2 spot in this district.

District 4 - Wow! This district is balanced and going to be wild. To this point Xavier would be the front runner with a 3-1 record against some tough competition. CR Washington looked impressive in their first 2 wins, but those were against marginal competition. They then got blown out in successive games against very good 5A schools. So how good are they? Probably somewhere in the middle which could put them in the thick of this district. We'll find out friday against Xavier. Pella is 1-3 but wow....they have played a tough schedule and have been in every game. They are battle tested and I really think they will content for the district title. What about Newton? They are 4-0 and blew out a Marshalltown team that Fort Dodge almost lost to. Their game Friday against Pella will tell us if they are the real deal. Oskaloosa is undefeated but the teams they have beaten are a combined 4-12. Clear Creek Amana is a quiet 3-1 and will be a tough out for every team in the district. I'm going to say Xavier wins the district followed by Pella. The unfortunate thing for the other teams is that they may have too many losses to qualify for an at large bid.

District 5 -Indianola has been impressive against quality teams. They are clearly the team to beat. Bondurant is undefeated as well and made me a believer with their win over Pella. I think they will be 7-0 heading into their game with Indianola. Norwalk will be a factor as well. They beat Pella in week 1 but were blown out against Lewis Central. Indianola comes to town in week 2 of district play. I'll go with Indianola followed by Bondurant to come out of this district.

District 6 - Lewis Central is 2-2....but the CLOSE losses come to #1 3A Harlan and #1/#2 4A Indianola. I think they run the table in district play. WInterset will be #2 team in this district. Forgy may be the best running back in the state and he runs wild against lesser competition but I don't think he will be enough to beat Lewis Central in the season finale.

At this point my picks for the dome are as follows (mind you it is impossible to predict before knowing the POD assignments)...but here it goes:

Indianola
North Scott
Xavier
Lewis Central

 

[KidSilverhair]

Your four Dome teams look good at this point. North Scott is really, really impressive - they handled Xavier easily in the first half, getting out to a 13-3 lead and never punting. When Xavier made adjustments and played it closer after halftime, even pulling to within 13-6, North Scott responded with a couple of big plays and the clinching TD. They are really good on both sides of the ball.

We’ll see if Xavier is up to their usual standards this year - I do think they’re probably the D-4 favorite at this point but Pella (and maybe CCA or Wash) could also be in the thick of things.

I know WSR is pretty good this year, but it’s hard for me to go against West Delaware. They barely missed a trip to the Dome last year and they are back, baby. Those two are probably the qualifiers from D-2 (Marion has to get things together, they have not looked that good since giving up a 4th quarter 2-TD lead to CCA in week 1).

Indianola may be the class of 4A this year, it certainly appears that way so far. Bondurant-Farrar is very good, Lewis Central is Lewis Central … I can’t speak to D-1, I don’t know anything about those guys.

 

[PNation]

West Delaware is 3A

 

[KidSilverhair]

West Delaware is 3A

D’OH!

Pretend I meant Western Dubuque. Or Decorah. Along with WSR they should be the contenders.

 

[Break the Rock]

Updated thoughts as we head into the start of District Play:

District 1 - Fort Dodge will win this district and may win out....although narrowly beating Marshalltown has me wondering how good they are vs. just benefitting from a marginal schedule strength. They have some great talent so we will see. I think Spencer and Webster City battle for the #2 spot.

District 2 - I'll stick with WSR winning this district however I think they will be challenged by Western Dubuque who seems to have found some offense after a tough early schedule. WSR relies on their ground game almost exclusively.....can they be successful against the "big boys" in class 4A or will a more balanced attack like WD expose them? Decorah may have a say in this district and look for Marion to exceed expectations. WSR wins this district followed by WD.

District 3 - North Scott is the clear favorite after an impressive win over Xavier. North Scott's defense has shut people down until late in games when they begin to substitute. There are a few teams who will battle for the number 2 spot in this district. Liberty is 0-4 but has played some top notch 5A schools and may turn things around in district play. Burlington has a star running back who leads class 4A in rushing yards......but they have only completed a handful of passes all year - that won't work against team like NS. Fort Madison has quietly gone undefeated and has a dynamic QB.....but their wins have come against team with a combined 5-11 record. I'm going with Liberty in the 2 spot in this district.

District 4 - Wow! This district is balanced and going to be wild. To this point Xavier would be the front runner with a 3-1 record against some tough competition. CR Washington looked impressive in their first 2 wins, but those were against marginal competition. They then got blown out in successive games against very good 5A schools. So how good are they? Probably somewhere in the middle which could put them in the thick of this district. We'll find out friday against Xavier. Pella is 1-3 but wow....they have played a tough schedule and have been in every game. They are battle tested and I really think they will content for the district title. What about Newton? They are 4-0 and blew out a Marshalltown team that Fort Dodge almost lost to. Their game Friday against Pella will tell us if they are the real deal. Oskaloosa is undefeated but the teams they have beaten are a combined 4-12. Clear Creek Amana is a quiet 3-1 and will be a tough out for every team in the district. I'm going to say Xavier wins the district followed by Pella. The unfortunate thing for the other teams is that they may have too many losses to qualify for an at large bid.

District 5 -Indianola has been impressive against quality teams. They are clearly the team to beat. Bondurant is undefeated as well and made me a believer with their win over Pella. I think they will be 7-0 heading into their game with Indianola. Norwalk will be a factor as well. They beat Pella in week 1 but were blown out against Lewis Central. Indianola comes to town in week 2 of district play. I'll go with Indianola followed by Bondurant to come out of this district.

District 6 - Lewis Central is 2-2....but the CLOSE losses come to #1 3A Harlan and #1/#2 4A Indianola. I think they run the table in district play. WInterset will be #2 team in this district. Forgy may be the best running back in the state and he runs wild against lesser competition but I don't think he will be enough to beat Lewis Central in the season finale.

At this point my picks for the dome are as follows (mind you it is impossible to predict before knowing the POD assignments)...but here it goes:

Indianola
North Scott
Xavier
Lewis Central

The play off picture continues to get more clear after seeing some key match ups this past week. Here is my 4A update:

District 1 - I have been predicting that Fort Dodge would run the table and Spencer and Webster City would battle for the #2 spot. Well....Webster City made a statement this past Friday with a over Fort Dodge. Now the biggest question may be who wins between Spencer and Fort Dodge as Webster City looks the like favorite to win the district.

District 2 - Not much change in thought here. WSR is my clear pick to win the district however WD has found their offense in recent weeks and will be a stiff test. Decorah is the only other team that may contend for a play off spot in this district.

District 3 - This district will be interesting to watch. NS remains the clear choice but Fort Madison (5-0) and Burlington (4-1) are making noise. Who will battle for the 2nd place spot.......Liberty. Yes, 0-5 Liberty - you heard it here first. Burlington has an impressive record and one of the most dynamic players in 4A....but their loss was to an Oskaloosa team that just got blown out by CCA. The NS match up on Friday will be telling. Fort Madison is undefeated and ranked #6 but I'm not sure they have faced a team with a winning record. Which brings me back to Liberty. Take a look at the schedule they have played in comparison. I look for them to win 4 straight and make the play offs with a 4-5 record. Which would then leave Fort Madison/Burlington in the mix for an at large bid.

District 4 - This Friday's game between Xavier and Pella is most likely for the district crown. Washington continues it's downward spiral but CCA has quietly compiled a 4-1 record. I will stick with Xavier winning the district followed by Pella, with CCA making the play offs with an at large bid. I think Washington, Newton and Oskaloosa fade down the stretch.

District 5 - Indianola continues to impress and so does Bondurant. I think Indianola has more depth and balance than Bondurant so I'll stick with Indianola coming out on top followed by Bondurant.

District 6 - Lewis Central will roll through district. The only competitive game will be the season finale against Winterset. Not a lot in question in this district.

My picks for the dome:

North Scott
Indianola
Xavier
Lewis Central

Next in line to contend - Bondurant, WSR, Pella

At large bids (13-16) - Fort Madison, Decorah, CCA, Spencer

 

[ronsss]

district 1, i believe spencer will beat fort dodge...i do like ur picks for the dome

 

[Break the Rock]

The play off picture continues to get more clear after seeing some key match ups this past week. Here is my 4A update:

District 1 - I have been predicting that Fort Dodge would run the table and Spencer and Webster City would battle for the #2 spot. Well....Webster City made a statement this past Friday with a over Fort Dodge. Now the biggest question may be who wins between Spencer and Fort Dodge as Webster City looks the like favorite to win the district.

District 2 - Not much change in thought here. WSR is my clear pick to win the district however WD has found their offense in recent weeks and will be a stiff test. Decorah is the only other team that may contend for a play off spot in this district.

District 3 - This district will be interesting to watch. NS remains the clear choice but Fort Madison (5-0) and Burlington (4-1) are making noise. Who will battle for the 2nd place spot.......Liberty. Yes, 0-5 Liberty - you heard it here first. Burlington has an impressive record and one of the most dynamic players in 4A....but their loss was to an Oskaloosa team that just got blown out by CCA. The NS match up on Friday will be telling. Fort Madison is undefeated and ranked #6 but I'm not sure they have faced a team with a winning record. Which brings me back to Liberty. Take a look at the schedule they have played in comparison. I look for them to win 4 straight and make the play offs with a 4-5 record. Which would then leave Fort Madison/Burlington in the mix for an at large bid.

District 4 - This Friday's game between Xavier and Pella is most likely for the district crown. Washington continues it's downward spiral but CCA has quietly compiled a 4-1 record. I will stick with Xavier winning the district followed by Pella, with CCA making the play offs with an at large bid. I think Washington, Newton and Oskaloosa fade down the stretch.

District 5 - Indianola continues to impress and so does Bondurant. I think Indianola has more depth and balance than Bondurant so I'll stick with Indianola coming out on top followed by Bondurant.

District 6 - Lewis Central will roll through district. The only competitive game will be the season finale against Winterset. Not a lot in question in this district.

My picks for the dome:

North Scott
Indianola
Xavier
Lewis Central

Next in line to contend - Bondurant, WSR, Pella

At large bids (13-16) - Fort Madison, Decorah, CCA, Spencer

With the release of RPI I'm going to switch things up a bit.....
Here is my prediction of how the top 16 seeds will look at season end. I'm doing this by taking the current RPI and considering who I think will win and lose in the remaining 3 weeks and ultimately who will place in the top 2 in district play and get the 4 at-large bids.

1 North Scott (District Champ)
2 Xavier (District Champ)
3 Indianola (District 2nd)
4 Norwalk (District Champ)
5 Waverly Shell Rock (District Champ)
6 Webster City (District 2nd)
7 Spencer (District Champ)
8 Lewis Central (District Champ)
9 Winterset (District 2nd)
10 Bondurant (At Large)
11 Fort Madison (At Large)
12 Decorah (District 2nd)
13 Clear Creek Amana (At Large)
14 Fort Dodge (At Large)
15 Pella (District 2nd)
16 Liberty (District 2nd)

Teams still in the mix - Burlington, Newton

Some interesting things in this potential RPI list. If Indianola wins out they could be ahead of a Norwalk team that beat them in the RPI. Pella and Liberty could have the 2 lowest seeds (due to brutal schedules) even though they could finish as district runner ups.

Should be an interesting last 3 weeks!

 

[ronsss]

sort of a surprise that norwalk beat indianol ok, watch the video of the game, 2 very good teams

 

[KidSilverhair]

I love the RPI discussion, but (except for the last 4 in) RPI will have no impact on seeding/home fields or anything. According to the IHSAA postseason manual, home fields are determined by district finish; then head to head; then if no head to head it goes to [EDIT (whoops, sorry) FIRST] alphabetical hosting this year. I guess it could have something to do with bracketing, that’s possible ...

Which is odd, because they have this RPI available but they’re not going to use it for anything but playoff qualifiers 13-16.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Thinking some more about how this works out …

You‘ve got 6 district champions who will all host first-round games. Thing is, you’ve got two additional games to play, which means 2 teams that didn’t win their district will host. Instead of using RPI for that, the IHSAA is sticking with district finish as host criteria, which means (unless there are some ties for second) all four of the at-large teams will travel, and the two second-place teams with the best district record (or a head-to-head win over their opponent) get a home game.

 

[Break the Rock]

Thinking some more about how this works out …

You‘ve got 6 district champions who will all host first-round games. Thing is, you’ve got two additional games to play, which means 2 teams that didn’t win their district will host. Instead of using RPI for that, the IHSAA is sticking with district finish as host criteria, which means (unless there are some ties for second) all four of the at-large teams will travel, and the two second-place teams with the best district record (or a head-to-head win over their opponent) get a home game.

Looking back at 2019 for reference, they did seed all teams and appears to have been based on RPI,
To some of your points above...refer to what was called, "The POD of Death". You had:

District Champ Western Dubuque as the number 2 overall seed
v
Washington who was either an at large or a 2nd place district finisher and the number 10 seed overall

District Champ North Scott was the number 7 overall seed
v
District runner up Xavier.....who was the number 4 overall seed

In other words - they appeared to seed everyone based on RPI but then pair teams with consideration to geography and avoiding rematches in round 1.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Yeah I think they might use RPI somewhat in setting up the brackets, but still … it’s the other criteria (district finish, geography) that holds more importance. I mean, a 4 seed should play someone around seed 13, but since you didn’t win your district you have to go on the road, even if it’s a 7 seed.

 

[Prancing Ponies]

i guess we find out in a week how the state is going to do the seeding. You would think they would play the first games and then reseed. All #1 seeds are not the same. Just like there will be 3-4 #2 seeds that are much better then the others #2 seeds.

 

[KidSilverhair]

Man, I don’t know if I just flat-out missed it or if the IHSAA is updating the postseason manual on the fly - it seems like I’m finding new info every time I look at it, as if it’s being updated daily, but I dunno, maybe I’m just a doofus.

Anyway, RPI will be used in 3A/4A for these purposes:

• Selection of the four at-large playoff qualifiers
• As a tiebreaker in multi-team ties if head-to-head can’t break it
• To determine which 2 district runners-up host the first round

So now we know the 6 district champs host, along with the 2 district runners-up with the best RPI. The four at-large teams will have to travel, regardless of their RPI ranking.

Once again they’ll go with four pods of four for first/second rounds, then re-seed the four Dome teams for the semifinals.

Also, I am in progress with my 2021 4A Playoff Guesser, so look for that coming your way soon.

 

[KidSilverhair]

And I think they’re STILL making changes to the postseason manual, because here’s what I just found for site assignments:

“The RPI at the end of week 9 will be used to determine site assignments for quarterfinal round contests.”

I swear that wasn’t there last week, that it said head-head/district finish/district record were the tiebreakers for 2nd round home fields, and then it came down to first alphabetical. Now it’s RPI.

Anybody else think things have been changing in the manual even after the IHSAA first posted it?