Cedar Falls switches from MVC to District 5 for 2014 football season

There will still be elite strength, speed, talent and passion clashing against each other on fall Friday nights, but the players who are clashing under the lights across Iowa high school football fields will be faced with a sense of unfamiliarity. Changes are surging through Iowa high school football as the Iowa High School School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has announced it will go to district football for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Cedar Falls will play in class 4-A District 4 alongside metro rivals Waterloo East and Waterloo West. Joining the metro trio is a triplet of Cedar Rapids area schools: Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Linn-Mar.

Junior quarterback Trey Hansen, who moved to Cedar Falls this year from Minnesota is optimistic about the new districts. “Even though I’m new, I have quickly found out that everyone brings their best against CF, and even though we have new teams, that doesn’t mean it will be easier. I think our district is good to us, but we don’t know who our other games will be against.”

The combined 2013 records of East, West, Jefferson, Kennedy and Linn-Mar were an unimpressive 15-34.

“We all have the same goal, and that is to make the playoffs and win State,” Hansen said. While his goal will remain intact, the road will look a little bit different.

Postseason brackets have been eliminated and playoff matchups will now be determined on a round to round basis. The IHSAA stated that “reasonable attempts will be made to find non-district playoff opponents for the first and second round games, but district match-ups could reoccur if an opponent cannot be found within a reasonable distance.”

Even with cold temperatures and white snow still hanging around another Iowa winter, football is always on Hansen’s mind. “I’m hoping we can all come together and work hard and get better. I am excited to see what we will do next season with new guys and opponents.”

District 1

Ames

Ankeny

Council Bluffs, Thomas Jefferson

Des Moines, East

Sioux City, North

Southeast Polk

District 2

Des Moines, North

Des Moines, Roosevelt

Dowling Catholic,

West Des Moines

Johnston

Lewis Central

Sioux City, East

District 3

Ankeny Centennial

Council Bluffs, Abraham Lincoln Des Moines, Hoover

Des Moines, Lincoln

Sioux City, West

Valley, West Des Moines

District 4

Fort Dodge

Indianola

Marshalltown

Mason City

Urbandale

Waukee

District 5 

Cedar Falls

Cedar Rapids, Jefferson

Cedar Rapids, Kennedy

Linn-Mar, Marion

Waterloo, East

Waterloo, West

District 6

Burlington

Cedar Rapids, Washington

Iowa City, City High

Muscatine

Ottumwa

Prairie, Cedar Rapids

District 7

Davenport, Central

Davenport, North

Dubuque, Hempstead

Iowa City, West

Pleasant Valley

District 8

Bettendorf

Clinton

Davenport, West

Dubuque, Senior

North Scott, Eldridge