Marshalltown and eight other area football schools found out who they would play the majority of their regular-season games against in the 2023 and 2024 seasons Monday, as the Iowa High School Athletic Association released the pairings and districts for all to see. Full schedules will be released in April.

Marshalltown will have Waterloo West, Waukee Northwest, West Des Moines Valley, Ames and Ottumwa in its Class 5A group, and is required to play Waterloo West, Valley, Ames and Ottumwa the next two seasons — as well as Des Moines Lincoln. The Bobcats have the 28th-highest BEDS (Basic Educational Data Survey) number from grades 9-to-11 of the 36 schools in 5A at 922.83. This number includes the recently-introduced percent of free and reduced school lunches into the equation. Marshalltown went 5-4 last year but missed the playoffs.

In Class 3A, South Tama County remains the smallest school in the class according to BEDS. The Trojans will be in District No. 5 of Class 3A alongside WaMaC West conference opponents Williamsburg and Benton Community, Fairfield, Solon and Grinnell.

West Marshall is the 32nd-highest in Class 2A out of 48 teams by BEDS numbers. In the Trojans’ district is Union Community, Vinton-Shellsburg, PCM, Jesup and Iowa Falls-Alden. West Marshall went 9-1 last year and lost in the round of 16 of the playoffs.

East Marshall is the area’s only school in Class 1A, with the Mustangs ranked 183rd in the state according to BEDS numbers. Their district (District 4) includes Grundy Center, Alburnett, Columbus Catholic, Hudson and South Hardin.

North Tama remains the smallest school in Class A football, but after a recent vote to remain in 11-man football passed, the Redhawks will be in District 3 alongside area rivals BCLUW. BCLUW and North Tama will go up against AGWSR, Nashua-Plainfield, North Butler, South Winneshiek and Wapsie Valley the next two seasons.

Three 8-Man schools in the area find themselves in the same district — Gladbrook-Reinbeck, GMG and Meskwaki will all compete in District 4 against Tripoli, Janesville, Clarksville and Dunkerton.