12 Iowa high school football games to watch in Week 8

When setting up your schedule of must see games for this week, these contest should top the list

Indianola's quarterback Asher Brueck (11) runs with the ball against Ballard earlier this season. The Indians will look to pull and upset this week at ADM. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here is a look a dozen key games involving high school teams from the state of Iowa that you should keep an eye on. After reading about these great match-ups, click on the links for more details on each game and to vote for the teams you believe will win in our Pick 'Em Challenge.

All of these games are scheduled to be played Friday, Oct. 18:

Indianola at ADM

While ADM should have no trouble in this one, they must not be looking ahead to a showdown for the district with North Polk next week. Indianola is battle-tested and knows what it takes to defeat ADM, having knocked them off last year, 24-0.

West Des Moines Valley at Ankeny

One of the top Class 5A matchups there is, the Tigers and Hawks have had many, many meetings - including some inside the UNI-Dome at state. While Valley is positioned comfortable inside the RPI Top-5, Ankeny is right on the outside at No. 15 this week, meaning they need to pull the upset to stay in postseason talks.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton at Sioux City Bishop Heelan

The District 1 title will be handed out in Sioux City when these two collide. Sergeant Bluff-Luton has dominated the series as of late, winning nine of 10, but Sioux City Heelan scored the 34-14 victory last year and won all seven meetings between 2008-14.

Humboldt at Clear Lake

After taking down top-ranked Algona last week, can Humboldt keep the momentum going? The task will not be any easier this Friday, as Clear Lake is one of the more balanced offenses in the state and features University of Iowa recruit Thomas Meyer.

Wilton at Iowa City Regina

While Wilton holds court in the district standings, you can never count Iowa City Regina out. In fact, since 2008, Wilton has never beaten Iowa City Regina, including a 33-18 victory for the Regals last year.

Pleasant Valley at Iowa City West

The Trojans are fighting for their playoff lives and riding high after taking down Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Cedar Rapids Washington in back-to-back weeks. But Pleasant Valley will be no easy task, as the Spartans are 6-2 in the series since 2008.

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Iowa City High at Linn-Mar

Linn-Mar Stadium will be rocking when Bobby Bacon leads Iowa City High into battle with Linn-Mar and star running back Dylan Muszynski. Bacon, who became the school’s career passing leader, and the Little Hawks have scored over 40 each of the last five games while the Lions have not lost since a September 27-24 defeat to Bettendorf.

Ankeny Centennial at Waukee Northwest

The Wolves and Jaguars battling for the postseason with the winner likely keeping themselves in the running. Both rebounded from losses to pick up wins last Friday. Centennial won last year, 35-7, while Northwest won the first three.

Southeast Polk at West Des Moines Dowling

These two have controlled the 5A championship trophy for nearly the past decade. The Rams have won three of four while the Maroons are on a four-game win streak. Since 2008, these two have met 12 times with each winning six.

Western Dubuque at Decorah

A win by Western Dubuque could throw the district standings into chaos, as it would leave the Top-3 teams all with one loss heading into the final week. The Bobcats have bounded back since a loss to Waverly-Shell Rock while nobody has been within shouting distance of the Vikings since September.

West Delaware at Independence

Both of these teams are looking up at Dubuque Wahlert in the district race, meaning that pivotal runner-up spot and home playoff game is at stake. Both are led by dynamic playmakers in Brent Yonkovic of West Delaware and Brady Kurt from Independence.

Cedar Rapids Prairie at Bettendorf

The Bulldogs remain atop the RPI as the lone unbeaten left standing in 5A. Prairie, meanwhile, is in the 16th and final playoff spot, meaning they will likely need to pull the upset in order to stay within shouting distance.