The Ankeny football team is No. 3 in Class 5A in the first RPI rankings of the season from the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
Southeast Polk (6-0), the lone remaining unbeaten team, is No. 1 with an RPI of .7078. The Rams are just ahead of No. 2 Johnston (5-1), which has an RPI of .7063 after handing Ankeny its first loss, 27-0, on Friday.
The Hawks (5-1) boast an RPI of .6703. Defending state champion Dowling Catholic (5-1) is No. 4 with an RPI of .6551.
Sioux City East (5-1), Waukee (4-2) and Waukee Northwest (4-2)–three teams that Ankeny has defeated–are Nos. 5, 6 and 8, respectively.
Ankeny Centennial (2-4) is No. 23 with an RPI of .4673. The Jaguars visit No. 11 Indianola (4-2) on Friday before hosting Dowling on Oct. 16, giving them two opportunities to pull off an upset before traveling to winless Sioux City North (0-6) for their season finale on Oct. 23.
The top 16 teams in the final RPI rankings will qualify for the playoffs.