After posting preliminary classification assignments last week for the 2025 and 2026 football seasons, the IHSAA on Wednesday morning made those assignments official: West Branch will compete in Class 2A for the next two seasons.

Along with those classifications brings district assignments. For 2025 and 2026, West Branch will be in Class 2A's District #5. The full Class 2A District 5 lineup:

• Alburnett
• Anamosa
• Bellevue
• Monticello
• Tipton
• West Branch

Now that district opponents are known, over the next month or so teams will submit their preferred non-district game opponents to the IHSAA who will then develop the full 2025 and 2026 schedules.

The full list of classification and district assignments can be viewed on the IHSAA's website.

Alburnett

The Bears and Pirates last played in a Varsity game back in 2015 with West Branch winning 24-14 in Alburnett to clinch a district championship, an undefeated regular season, and a #1 seed in the playoffs.

Alburnett comes into the 2025 season after a 5-3 regular season and first-round playoff loss in 2024. Like West Branch, they are also moving up to Class 2A after being in Class 1A the previous cycle.

Anamosa

The Bears and Blue Raiders haven't played a Varsity football game against each other since the 1930s, a decade in which the teams played each other five times, splitting those games at 2-2-1 each (source: BC Moore).

Anamosa is coming off a very successful 2024 campaign which took them to the quarterfinals round of the playoffs after a 7-1 regular season in Class 2A.

Bellevue

After playing six seasons in a row to close out the 2010s, the Bears and Comets have yet to play in this decade. Many of those games in the previous decade were highly-entertaining matchups, something each team is hoping to replicate this time around.

Bellevue finished their 2024 regular season with a 6-2 record in Class A, falling in the second round of the playoffs. Bellevue is making a big jump from Class A to Class 2A for the next two seasons.

Monticello

The Panthers and Bears have not played a game (varsity) against each other since 1947 (source: BC Moore). Monticello is coming off a 2-6 regular season in 2024 (Class 2A) and a first-round playoff exit.

Tipton

Long-time Cedar County rivals Tipton and West Branch last played a regular season varsity game in the 2020 season opener, part of a run of five straight seasons that saw the Bears winning all five of them. The Tigers finished their 2024 regular season in Class 2A with a 2-6 record.