Here is Jeff Linder’s football ballot for the Associated Press, submitted Aug. 30:
CLASS 4A
1. West Des Moines Dowling (2-0)
2. Fort Dodge (1-0)
3. Cedar Falls (1-0)
4. Bettendorf (1-0)
5. Ankeny (2-0)
6. Iowa City High (1-0)
7. Cedar Rapids Xavier (1-0)
8. Cedar Rapids Washington (1-0)
9. Linn-Mar (1-0)
10. Urbandale (1-0)
CLASS 3A
1. Harlan (1-0)
2. Solon (1-0)
3. Williamsburg (1-0)
4. Pella (1-0)
5. Clear Lake (1-0)
6. Sioux City Heelan (0-1)
7. Grinnell (1-0)
8. Marion (1-0)
9. Ballard (1-0)
10. Union (1-0)
CLASS 2A
1. New Hampton (1-0)
2. Iowa City Regina (1-0)
3. Carroll Kuemper (1-0)
4. North Fayette (1-0)
5. Pella Christian (1-0)
6. South Central Calhoun (1-0)
7. …

Area prep football standings, through Aug. 27:

Chris Evers said it simply and accurately:
“One thing about high school sports,” said Evers, the football coach at Alburnett High School. “Yesterday doesn’t matter.”
Double-digit losing streak? Doesn’t matter. It’s over now. For Alburnett. And for Independence.
All that matters now: 1-0.
Independence broke a 27-game losing streak Friday, coming back from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Waterloo Columbus, 27-24.
“Three years have been too long,” Blaize Cabell told the Waterloo Courier after rushing for 216 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Independence had not won since a 27-26 win over …

153 — Tipton’s Brian Goerdt gains yardage on the ground against North Cedar while Knight free safety Jordan Hay closes in.
260 — North Cedar linebacker George Housley forces Tipton quarterback Cole Cook to fumble Friday during a 35-0 Knight victory in Stanwood. Also show for Tipton is Tyler Cawiezell.

Slash marks in the win column have been hard to come by for the Independence Mustangs in recent years.
But behind a workhorse effort from Blaize Cabell, the Mustangs snapped a 27-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 27-24 win over Waterloo Columbus to kick off the 2010 season Friday,
Cabell rushed 33 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns, including 141 yards and three scores in the second half as Independence erased a 17-7 halftime deficit.
“Three years has been too long, it feels pretty good,” Cabell said.
Independence dominated the second half and …

At Delhi, Iowa: Kyle Whitman rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown and caught another score as the Wildcats overwhelmed the Vikings.
-Courtesy: The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald

At Maquoketa, Iowa: Craig Johnson found a clutch Bradley Waller on a go-ahead 8-yard fourth-quarter touchdown and Waller kicked three field goals as the Cardinals dodged the Hawks in a non-district opener.
Courtesy: The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald

At Bellevue, Iowa: Caleb Fruend scored twice and the Wildcats grounded the Comets to 135 yards and seven first downs while taking the season opener. Daniel Brown made eight tackles, including three sacks, for Bellevue.
Courtesy: The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald

Clayton Ridge’s Jeremy Greve’s blue-collar big rushing show was the difference in a wild shootout between the Eagles and Cascade Friday night.
Greve trucked for 214 yards and five touchdowns on 24 carries and Clayton Ridge survived the Cougars’ fourth-quarter rally storm to win, 38-34, in Guttenberg, Iowa.
Clayton Ridge (2-0) led, 18-15 at halftime before Greve broke the game open at 38-15 with three third-quarter touchdown runs of 5, 25 and 1 yard.
-Click here to read the entire article from the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald

The Stars started off big in the first quarter and kept coming to clinch a victory over the Buccaneers.
Starmont scored 24 of its 43 points in the first quarter and was led by Vinnie Otdoerfer, who rushed for 145 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Ethan Moses also aided the Stars’ offense, rushing for 87 yards on 11 carries and adding another touchdown.
-Courtesy: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier