Thursday morning the Iowa High School Athletic Association released class and district football assignments for the 2020 season. In addition, the IHSAA's Board of Control announced the results of their months-long study and discussion regarding season length, playoff qualifiers, and much more.

For the 2020 season, West Branch will remain in Class 1A and has been assigned to District 5. The IHSAA has returned to six-team districts in Class 1A for the 2020 season after having seven-team districts the past two seasons.

In District 5, West Branch will be joined by familiar foes from the past few seasons. District 4 2019 members Beckman, Cascade, and Northeast will return to the district schedule. In addition, Durant and Wilton will once again be in a district with West Branch. The full District 5:

• Beckman Catholic, Dyersville
• Cascade, Western Dubuque
• Durant
• Northeast, Goose Lake
• West Branch
• Wilton

Three opponents from the 2019 season have dropped down to Class A: Bellevue, North Cedar, and Regina.

The IHSAA's full listing of classifications and district assignments can be viewed on the association's website.

Along with class and district assignments, the IHSAA's Board of Control has put on hold their discussion of an eight-game regular season schedule and expanding the playoff qualifiers from 16 teams to 32 teams. For the 2020 season, teams will have a nine regular season games and the number of playoff qualifiers remains at 16.

In addition, the IHSAA has decided to shift to a one-year scheduling cycle. This means that a team's classification, district assignment, and schedule will only apply for one season and will not carry over to the following season. The Board of Control says this shift is part of a move to ensure competitiveness in Class 4A.

The full Board of Control announcement can be viewed on the IHSAA's website by clicking here.

The IHSAA has stated that schedules will be released in March, so keep an eye here on WestBranchFootball.com and our social media channels for that announcement.