ISHAA releases 2020 high school football schedules

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has released the 2020 football schedules for all five of Iowa’s classes.

Glenwood will open its season Aug. 28 on the road at Sioux City West while East Mills opens on the road at Lamoni. Fremont-Mills opens its season with a home contest against Southeast Warren.

The Rams, who reached the state playoffs and finished 7-3 a year ago, will compete in Class 3A, District 9 this season. They will begin the 2020 season with back-to-back road games in the Sioux City area. After opening at West (0-9 last season), they head to Sergeant Bluff-Luton in week two. The Warriors were a Class 3A state semifinalist a year ago.

Glenwood wraps up its non-district season at home against Winterset and Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson.

The Rams’ district season kicks off Sept. 25 on the road against rival Harlan. The home district schedule includes an Oct. 9 game against 3A state semifinalist Council Bluffs Lewis Central.

In all, Glenwood plays five teams that had winning records last season.

“There’s good competition,” Faust said of his 2020 schedule. “When you’re in 3A and 4A everybody is pretty good. You have to play well every night if you want to win. That makes it fun. I don’t get too caught up in whether this is good one or a bad one, an easy one or a hard one. We’ll take every game as it comes.”

East Mills (7-3 last season) and Fremont-Mills (7-2) will both compete in Eight-person, District 7 this season.

After opening at Lamoni, a state playoff qualifier a year ago, East Mills’ schedule includes three other playoff teams from a season ago with a road game at Lenox and home games with Fremont-Mills and C-A-M.

Fremont-Mills hosts a pair of state qualifiers from a year ago to open the non-district portion of their 2020 schedule in Southeast Warren and Lamoni. The Knights will face five teams who made the state playoffs last season.

Iowa’s regular season football schedules are made by the IHSAA. Regular season schedules for all other IHSAA sports are determined by member schools and their conferences.

Under state football scheduling guidelines, districts and groups are assigned by the IHSAA, then schools select preferred non-district opponents through a priority list but are not guaranteed their choices.

This year’s schedule will be for the 2020 season only instead of the typical two-year scheduling cycle. The one-and-done scheduling format is a result of the IHSAA punting a much-discussed decision on whether or not to shift its playoff qualifying format until after the season.

The IHSAA announced Feb. 5 it would use the 2020 season to consider an expansion to the numbers of teams in the playoff field as well as classification equity in Iowa’s five classes.

The Iowa Football Coaches Association has supported a return to the 32 qualifying team format for the playoffs that was used in all classes from 2008 to 2015.

That decision is now expected to be made following the 2020 season.

“I like the idea that the IHSAA seems to be considering the recommendations we, the football coaches association, have given,” Faust said. “If this was the best they could do, I guess it’s better than nothing. I wish they would have gone ahead and made some of those changes but that’s my side of it. At least they’re giving it strong consideration for next year.”

For the upcoming season, teams will play nine regular season games with 16 playoff qualifiers in all classes. The playoff qualifying procedure – with district champions earning automatic berths and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) ranking the remaining at-large qualifiers – will stay the same in Class 3A, 2A, 1A, A, and 8-player. In 4A, all 16 playoff spots will be considered at-large and determined by their RPI.

Area Football Schedules
East Mills
Eight-person, District 7
Aug. 28 at Lamoni
Sept. 4 vs. Murray
Sept. 11 at Lenox
Sept. 18 at Stanton
Sept. 25 vs. Fremont-Mills
Oct. 2 vs. CAM
Oct. 9 at Bedford
Oct. 16 at East Union
Oct. 23 vs. Griswold

Fremont-Mills
Eight-person, District 7
Aug. 28 vs. SE Warren
Sept. 4 vs. Lamoni
Sept. 11 at Bedford
Sept. 18 vs. Griswold
Sept. 25 at East Mills
Oct. 2 at East Union
Oct. 9 vs. Stanton
Oct. 16 at CAM
Oct. 23 vs. Lenox

Glenwood
Class 3A, District 9
Aug. 28 at Sioux City West
Sept. 4 at Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Sept. 11 vs. Winterset
Sept. 18 vs. C.B. T.J.
Sept. 25 at Harlan
Oct. 2 at Creston
Oct. 9 vs. C.B. Lewis Central
Oct. 16 vs. Carroll
Oct. 23 at Denison

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