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Vote now: Who should be SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week? (Oct. 3-9)

Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Oct. 3-9
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By CJ Short 

Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Oct. 3-9. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email athlteteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.  

Graham Beckman, Iowa City Liberty football

Beckman completed 10-of-17 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score in No. 19 Liberty’s 49-0 shutout of Fort Madison. Liberty improved to 6-1 as Beckman threw TD passes to four different receivers.

Tadyn Brown, Clarinda football

The senior RB rambled for 275 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries as the Cardinals won a 58-43 shootout over Des Moines Christian.

Bennett Brueck, Indianola football

The senior QB threw for 286 yards, including three touchdowns strikes to Drew Kingery, but No. 14 Indianola fell to No. 22 Carlisle.

Bryce Buckley, Camanche football

The junior QB completed 13-of-16 passes for 197 yards and four touchdowns in the Storm’s 41-20 win over Northeast.

Carson Burns, Benton football

The junior workhorse carried the football 38 times and ran for 243 yards and four touchdowns as the Bobcats improved to 5-2 with a 28-14 win over Davenport Assumption.

Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Des Moines Roosevelt girls cross country

The fourth-ranked (Class 4A) Buettner-Cable, who became the fourth Iowa female under 18 minutes this season with her fastest time of the season (17:40.7), was good for third at Fort Dodge. She was last year’s CIML Metro Division Conference runner-up.

Connor Carver, Fort Dodge football

The senior passed for 287 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 67 yards and hit paydirt on the ground to lead the Dodgers to a 50-17 triumph over Storm Lake.

Jaxon Cherry, Webster City football

The junior ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns and also found his way to paydirt with an 85-yard reception in the Lynx 49-40 loss to Spencer.

Cole Clarahan, Sigourney-Keota football

The senior ran for four touchdowns and 178 yards on 22 carries as the Cobras bit Central Decatur 53-6.

Owen Cook, Montezuma football

The senior passed for 437 yards and six touchdowns in a 64-62 eight-player win over previously unbeaten Baxter.

Ty Cozad, Muscatine football

A week after setting the single-game school rushing record with over 400 yards, the junior set a new single-season rushing record for Muscatine, carrying 19 times for 167 yards to surpass 1,500 yards for the season. Muscatine lost to Dubuque Senior, 48-28.

Cody Damman, Baxter football

The senior QB passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 127 yards and two scores in a tough 64-62 loss to Montezuma. It was the Bolts’ first loss of the season.

Nik Davis, North Scott boys cross country

Unranked in Class 4A, Davis collected his third victory of the season, timed in 16:56.75 while winning the Central DeWitt Invitational. Davis, whose team scored a third-place 67 points, will compete in the Mississippi Athletic Conference meet, where No. 9 (4A) Pleasant Valley is the defending champion.

Beckett DeJean, OABCIG football

The senior dual-threat QB accounted for six TDs, rushing for 113 yards and passing for 297 as the Falcons pounded Estherville 42-19.

Nolan DeLong, Durant football

The senior was all over the field in a 28-8 loss to Mediapolis. He ran for 182 yards and a TD on 31 carries, caught three passes for 43 yards and also wrangled up nine tackles – two for loss and a sack.

Riley DeWitt, Spencer football

The senior QB accounted for five touchdowns – two passing and three rushing – and had a combined 222 yards as the Tigers won a wild 49-40 shootout over Webster City.

Kooper Ebel, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn football

The Iowa State recruit rushed for 283 yards on 22 carries, scoring four touchdowns in a 55-20 win over Hinton. Ebel also completed 6-of-10 passes for 77 yards and intercepted two passes on defense.

Caleb Garnand, Lawton-Bronson football

The junior receiver had a huge night with 16 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdown catches from QB Braden Hess, who had 351 yards passing in a 34-19 loss to Tri-Center.

Julia Gehl, Dubuque Hempstead girls cross country

Gehl was clocked in a first-place 18:03.26 while leading Dubuque Hempstead to the Mississippi Valley Conference championship

Drake Gelhaus, Cedar Falls football

The junior RB ran for three TDs and 224 yards on 24 carries as No. 21 Cedar Falls scored 27 unanswered points to beat winless Dubuque Hempstead 34-7.

Kyler Gerardy, North Scott football

The junior quarterback passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more – all in the first half – for the No. 20 Lancers in a 55-7 rout of Clinton. North Scott (5-2) led 41-0 at halftime and held Clinton to just 50 total yards.

Harrison Gibson, Southeast Polk football

The senior carried 10 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, leading the defending Class 5A state champion Rams to a 41-0 shutout of Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Ben Gilliland, Van Meter football

The senior passed for 190 yards and four touchdowns on just nine attempts and ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs rolled to a 63-7 win over I-35 (Truro).

Joe Goodhue, Carlisle football

The senior quarterback scored three touchdowns and the Wildcats (6-1) won their fifth straight, handing Indianola its first loss, 42-21.

Ben Gonzalez, West Marshall football

The sophomore running back cracked the 200-yard mark rushing with 207 yards and two touchdowns on 19 totes in the Trojans’ 41-7 victory over Roland-Story.

Chloe Glosser, Pekin girls cross country

Glosser’s first-place time of 20:12.4 led Pekin to the Southeast Iowa Super Conference crown.

Brady Grisham, Waukee Northwest football

The senior rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns, leading the No. 24 Wolves to a 20-14 win over No. 11 Ankeny Centennial. Waukee Northwest has won four in a row after opening the season with three losses.

Reid Hall, Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys golf

The junior turned in rounds of 71-70 for a 141 to claim the Class 4A boys state golf championship at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids.

Tristan Hayes, Atlantic football

The sophomore QB passed for 225 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 attempts, including all four touchdowns and five completions for 172 yards to Colton Rasmussen.

Patrick Heffernan, Boyer Valley boys cross country

Boyer Valley’s Patrick Heffernan was clocked in 17:01.89 while winning the Woodbine Invitational, defeating the home team’s leader, Landon Bendgen, who finished second (17:27.80). Two days later, he took second (15:53.9.6) in the Boyer Valley Conference meet.

Dalen Houston, Marshalltown football

The senior QB ran for 118 yards and all four of his team’s touchdowns in a 30-26 win over Des Moines Roosevelt.

Jonathan Humpal, Council Bluffs Lewis Central football

Humpal scored five touchdowns – three rushing, one receiving and a 95-yard kickoff return – in the defending Class 4A state champion Titans’ 58-22 win over Glenwood. No. 5 Lewis Central (7-0) trailed 22-20 at halftime but outscored the Rams 38-0 in the final two quarters.

Teagon Kasperbauer, Harlan football

The senior quarterback was 11-for-15 for 309 yards passing and five touchdowns as the defending 3A champs smacked previously unbeaten ADM 42-7.

Gavin Kramer, Northeast football

The sophomore QB ran for 190 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries and also passed for a TD and 84 yards in a 41-40 loss to Camanche.

Owen Lalumendre, Spirit Lake football

The junior recorded 11.5 tackles, including three for loss and a sack, as the unbeaten and 16th-ranked Indians pulled away from Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in the second half, 56-21.

Zach Lutmer, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock football

The University of Iowa recruit rambled for 241 rushing yards on just eight carries, scoring five touchdowns as the No. 9 Lions stayed unbeaten with a 42-0 shutout of Sheldon.

Lourdes Mason, Mount Vernon-Lisbon girls cross country

Second-ranked in Class 3A, Mason recorded her fourth win of the season (18:35) at West Delaware. A year ago, she was fourth in the Mississippi Valley Conference while competing at Cedar Rapids Prairie, but this week, she’ll help the Mustangs improve last year’s second-place WaMac Conference finish.

Jacob Maurer, BGM football

The senior QB put up huge numbers even for 8-player standards in an 82-38 win over Colo NESCO. He ran for six touchdowns and 326 yards, and passed for 203 yards and four more TDs, accounting for 10 scores.

Myles McMahon, Don Bosco football

McMahon rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, leading the third-ranked Dons to a 35-32 win over No. 4 Gladbrook-Reinbeck in an 8-player matchup.

Brandon McShane, New Hampton football

The junior carried the football 48 times for 277 yards and found the end zone twice, leading the Chickasaws over Forest City, 28-18

Ty Mikkelson, Dallas Center-Grimes football

The junior completed 25 of 40 passes for 359 yards, including many to keep drives alive, and four touchdowns as the Mustangs picked up their second win of the season in style, 48-0, over Des Moines Hoover.

Addison Murdock, Woodbine girls cross country

Murdock was timed in 19:57.18 to lead her team that won the Rolling Valley Conference title.

Braeden Nelson, West Des Moines Valley boys golf

The Tigers’ freshman missed out on forcing a playoff by one stroke to finish runner-up Saturday at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids. Nelson carded +2 over par with rounds of 72-70 142.

Paityn Noe, Ballard girls cross country

Noe, who is currently ranked first in Class 3A by the IATC, was clocked in a blazing 17:09.8 while winning the 4A-dominated Fort Dodge Invite. The returning Raccoon River Conference champ and defending Class 3A state champ, has been clocked under 18 minutes six times, all resulting in season triumphs.

Kale Pearson, Le Mars Gehlen football

The sophomore carried 17 times for 215 yards and four touchdowns as the Jays, ranked No. 9 in Class A, belted MMCRU 60-20. Pearson scored on runs of 19, 5, 40 and 60 yards while also recording 6.5 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Payton Petersen, Dike-New Hartford volleyball

The elite all-stater is having a fine junior season, compiling 320 kills, converting on 34.7 percent of her attempts. Her twin sister Jadyn leads the team in digs with 222.

Jadyn Rausch, North Tama volleyball

The senior has compiled 538 assists so far this season for the Redhawks, who are 20-2 on the season.

Kaleb Reed, Western Dubuque football

Reed rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries and the No. 18 Bobcats beat Waterloo East 55-22. Western Dubuque had 282 rushing yards and claimed its fifth consecutive victory.

Joey Rhomberg, Mount Vernon football

The talented junior quarterback completed 19-of-28 passes for 348 yards and six touchdowns as the 7-0 Mustangs, ranked 12th by SBLive, throttled Maquokete 49-0 on the road. All six of Rhomberg’s scoring passes came in the first half.

Preston Ries, Monticello football

Ries passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 29 times for 203 yards and two more scores in a 52-24 win over Anamosa. Monticello (5-2) trailed 10-9 at halftime, but scored 43 second-half points.

Cole Ritchie, Sioux City East football

The senior QB completed 22 of 29 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns in the Black Raiders’ 65-16 win over Des Moines East.

Ethan Schultz, Camanche football

The senior had a big game, rushing for 208 yards and two touchdowns and catching a pair of TD passes as the Storm edged Northeast 41-40.

Cade Spears, Harlan football

The junior caught three TD passes, finishing with 201 yards on five receptions and mighty Harlan handed ADM its first loss, 42-7.

Zach Sporaa, North Polk boys cross country

Sporra, who is ranked third in Class 3A by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches, posted his eighth victory of the season at North Polk, his 15:36 time topping the runner-up by 62 seconds. The second-ranked Comets tallied a perfect 15 points. Sporra is the defending Raccoon River Conference champ.

Noelle Steines, Calamus-Wheatland girls cross country

During the summer, Steines, the defending Class 1A state champion, dislocated her kneecap, preventing her from competition until last week, when she debuted by winning the Central DeWitt Invitational (19:19.40). Steines will defend her Tri-Rivers Conference title this week.

Quinton Tran, Iowa City High football

The junior came in for starter Drew Larson, who’s second in Class 5A with 20 touchdowns, and had a nice night, completing 24-of-37 for 283 yards and a pair of TD strikes.

Nathan VanderWaal, Pella boys cross country

Class 3A No. 1-ranked Pella had three Top 4 runners, including the 12th-ranked VanderWaal, who took fourth (16:54.93) for a team which won with a first-place 25 points. Pella looks to unseat Norwalk as the Little Hawkeye Conference champion later this week.

DJ Vonnahme, Kuemper Catholic football

The junior dual-threat QB passed for 163 yards and three touchdowns and ran 12 times for 65 yards and a TD as the Knights remained unbeaten with a 42-7 beatdown of Treynor.

William Wadsley, Gilbert cross country

Class 3A’s 14th-ranked runner, won his second meet of the season, timed in 16:37.40 during the Class A division of the Eagle Grove Invitational. This week, Wadsley hopes to improve last year’s fifth-place finish at the Raccoon River Conference meet.

Will Ward, West Delaware football

Ward carried 18 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawks picked up a road win at Hampton-Dumont-CAL, 39-16.

Ford Washburn, Iowa City High boys cross country

Washburn ran at a sizzling 4:46 mile pace while winning the Mississippi Valley Conference title and also led City High to a first-place 51 points.

Preston Wicker, Madrid football

The sophomore paced the Tigers with five touchdowns – two passing (141 yards) and three rushing (102 yards) in a 67-6 win over Colfax-Mingo.

Jazan Williams, Ankeny football

Williams scored four touchdowns in the first 13 minutes of the game and the No. 2 Hawks blasted Des Moines North 72-0. Ankeny (6-1) had a 51-0 lead by halftime.

Solomon Zaugg, Mediapolis boys cross country

Zaugg finished first (16:56.2) at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet.