Vote now: Who should be SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week? (Oct. 10-16)
By CJ Short
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Oct. 10-16. 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 nate@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.
Molly Albrecht, Pleasant Valley volleyball
The highly ranked Class 5A Spartans are trying for a second straight title. Albrecht is a key defensive piece for the team, leading the squad with 243 digs and serving at 89 percent.
Kaden Amigon, Columbus football
The junior running back was a workhorse, running for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries in the Wildcats’ 32-31 loss to Alburnett.
Bliss Beck, Clear Creek-Amana volleyball
A 6-2 middle blocker, Beck was a Class 3A all-Stater in 2021. Beck this year leads the Clippers with 106 blocks and 286 kills, and hits at a high level of .428 efficiency.
Maryn Bixby, Dike-New Hartford volleyball
The Wolverines are a top team in the state, and Bixby leads that balanced team in the blocks category with 66. She also has 109 kills and is hitting at .380 for the Class 2A D-NH team.
Madison Brouwer, Sibley-Ocheyedan girls cross country
Brouwer won her sixth meet of the season, clocked in 19:33.36 as she defended her Siouxland Conference championship and the No. 4 (Class 1A) Generals defended their team title at Arnolds Park. Second-ranked in 1A, last year’s 2A state runner-up will run at Thursday’s 1A state qualifier in Holstein.
Carter Bultman, West Sioux football
The senior running back carried the ball just seven times, but scored four touchdowns and racked up 202 yards as the Falcons pummeled Sioux Central, 68-0, to improve to 7-1.
Cael Bracewell, Colfax-Mingo football
The senior dual-threat QB passed for 315 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 107 yards and a TD on 32 carries as the Tiger Hawks picked up their first win of the season, 33-22, over Wayne.
Tadyn Brown, Clarinda football
The senior running back ran for seven touchdowns and 300 yards on 20 carries as the Cardinals routed Red Oak 52-7.
Max Burt, Mason City Newman Catholic football
The dual-threat quarterback finished with 271 total yards and six touchdowns in a 49-27 win over North Union. The Knights (7-1) earned a home playoff game with the victory.
Marissa Cahoy, New Hampton volleyball
Cahoy leads the Chickasaws, as a 5-11 middle blocker, with 175 digs and 240 kills, and hits at .266 percent. She was a Class 3A All-Stater in 2021.
Connor Carver, Fort Dodge football
The senior quarterback excelled on both sides of the football in Friday’s 28-7 win over Denison-Schleswig. He passed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 139 yards and a score, and wrangled 13 tackles, including four sacks and seven for loss.
Jaxon Cherry, Webster City football
The junior running back scored five touchdowns and ran for 154 yards on just 12 carries as the Lynx blew away Storm Lake 55-7.
Ryland Cornell, East Buchanan football
Cornell rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns in a 69-13 win over South Winneshiek for East Buchanan. The victorious Bucs amassed 445 yards on the ground.
Ty Cozad, Muscatine football
The junior running back racked up 353 yards and scored five touchdowns on 31 rushes as the Muskies rolled to a 41-13 triumph over Davenport North.
Mackenzie Dean, Dowling Catholic volleyball
The Maroons have 28 wins, and the junior leads them with 301 kills, while hitting at .223 efficiency.
Jackson Dewald, Westwood football
The senior running back ran for 260 yards and scored three TDs on 29 carries in the Rebels 40-29 loss to Tri-Center Neola.
Addison Dorenkamp, West Des Moines Valley girls cross country
The top-ranked and defending Class 4A state champion finished first (18:05.7) and defeated defending CIML Conference (Valley Division) champ Olivia Verde (18:41.5) of Johnston on Verde’s home course. The junior will aim for her seventh win of the season in Wednesday’s 4A qualifier at Council Bluffs.
Braedon Draper, Panorama football
The senior scored four touchdowns – including three receiving as he hauled in 14 catches for 176 yards in the Panthers’ 36-34 victory over Nodaway Valley.
Kooper Ebel, Harley-Melvin-Sanborn football
The senior quarterback had a huge night running the football, scoring five touchdowns and racking up 256 yards to lead the Hawks to a 41-8 win over Akron-Westfield.
Isabelle Elliott, Sumner-Fredricksburg, volleyball
A 6-1 outside hitter, Elliott has dwarfed all other players in kills by nearly 100, with 561 kills, while hitting at an impressive .463 efficiency. A year after being a Class 2A All-Stater, she also leads the Cougars in aces with 52.
Aaron Fynaardt, Des Moines Christian boys cross country
Class 2A’s top-ranked runner ran at a 5:07 mile pace while winning the West Central Athletic Conference title, timed in 15:57.30 at Panorama. Fynaardt, who was last year’s WCAC runner-up, will search for his eighth win of the season in Thursday’s 2A state qualifier at Shenandoah.
Kyler Gerardy, North Scott football
The Lancers’ quarterback rushed for four touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Fort Madison. Gerardy raced 67 yards to paydirt on the first play from scrimmage and added a 66-yarder before the first quarter ended for No. 18 North Scott, now 6-2 overall.
Jessica Gergen, Denver volleyball
Gergen has 282 kills to rank highly among Iowa juniors, and additionally she hits at .305 for Denver, a Class 2A team with nearly 30 wins.
Payton Griebel, Bellevue boys cross country
Griebel, Class 1A’s fourth-ranked harrier, ran a 16:49.8, escaping with a 4.5 seconds margin of victory over No. 4 (2A) Clay Bohlman of Tipton en route to defending the River Valley Conference title at Iowa City. It was the second win of the season for the junior, who will run at Thursday’s 1A qualifier in Iowa City.
Michaela Goad, Marion volleyball
Playing a top-tier schedule in Class 4A, Marion has seen Goad perform crucially by leading the squad in both kills with 262 and blocks with 56.
McCrae Hagarty, Waverly-Shell Rock football
The senior running back – who committed to Iowa State for wrestling Friday morning – rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns, leading the undefeated (8-0) Go-Hawks to a 35-14 win over Western Dubuque.
Jackson Heidesch, West Des Moines Dowling boys cross country
The defending Class 4A state champion won his fourth meet of the season, clocked in 15:31.2 while leading the No. 1-ranked Maroons to the CIML (Central Iowa Metropolitan League) championship at Johnston. The No. 1 Heidesch was among three from his squad to finish among the Top 5.
Carter Henderson, Linn-Mar football
The 200-pound senior rushed for 116 yards, scoring on runs of 11, 29 and 42 yards, as the Lions raced to a 51-0 halftime lead and went on to demolish Davenport Central 72-0. The 72 points was the most ever in one game for Linn-Mar, which needs a win in a regular season finale to make the playoffs.
Keirra Hess, Cedar Rapids Prairie girls cross country
Last year’s Mississippi Valley Conference (Valley Division) runner-up, Hess was clocked in 18:39 while winning the meet at Waterloo. Unranked in Class 4A, Hess won by 23 seconds. The returning 4A state qualifier will compete in a 4A state qualifier Wednesday at Pleasant Valley.
Landon Hochstein, Norwalk football
The senior QB completed 29 of 37 for 331 yards and four touchdowns – all to Dillon Ranck – in the Warriors’ 49-28 loss to Carlisle.
Tye Hughes, West Branch football
Hughes passed for 245 yards and two touchdowns – completing 10-of-13 – and the No. 23 Bears wrapped up an unbeaten regular season with a 54-7 romp past Wilton. Andy Henson scored four times and went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season as West Branch claimed its 20th district title since 1992.
Alizabeth Jacobsen, Underwood volleyball
One year after receiving Class 2A All-State accolades, Jacobsen leads the Eagles in kills with 351 and also aces with 42, while hitting at .312.
Braylon Kammrad, Lewis Central football
The Titans’ outstanding quarterback ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in the first half of Lewis Central’s 41-0 shutout of Dallas Center-Grimes.
Mason Knipp, Waterloo Columbus football
The junior two-way lineman had several pressures and tackles for losses and paved the way for the Sailors’ running game in a 35-7 win over Sumner-Fredericksburg that clinched a home playoff game. Knipp had a strip sack in the third quarter that Carson Hartz returned for a 30-yard touchdown.
Gavin Kramer, Northeast football
The sophomore QB passed for 240 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels’ 58-28 loss to Monticello.
Ben Kueter, Iowa City High football
The University of Iowa recruit scored his team’s first six touchdowns – three rushing, two receiving and a kick return – in the Little Hawks’ 55-6 win over Davenport West. Kueter, who will play football and wrestle at Iowa, had 110 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries.
Mitchell Johnson, Independence football
Johnson passed for 206 yards, including a game-winning 2-yard TD toss to Josh Beatty, and the Mustangs edged West Delaware 21-20 to move to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the district with one game left in the regular season. Johnson was 16-for-25 through the air and added 99 rushing yards.
Jack Laughlin, Carlisle football
The senior running back rambled for 219 yards and hit paydirt four times on 22 carries as Carlisle wrapped up the district title with a convincing 49-28 victory over Warran County rival Norwalk.
Tyge Lyon, Pleasant Valley football
The junior carried only five times, but gained 115 yards and scored on runs of 43 and 38 yards as the Spartans, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by Associated Press, rolled to a 49-7 win over Dubuque Senior. Pleasant Valley (8-0) remains the only unbeaten team in 5A with one regular season game remaining.
Max McGill, Woodbury Central football
The senior RB ran for 255 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries as the Wildcats stayed undefeated with a 56-14 win over Missouri Valley.
Braden McShane, New Hampton football
The junior running back rushed for 198 yards and three TDs on 30 carries in the Chickasaws’ 35-28 loss to Clear Lake.
Mason Neighbor, Alburnett football
The senior was hardly a good neighbor in the Pirates 32-31 win over previously unbeaten Columbus. Neighbor passed for 225 yards, completing 20-of-36, and four touchdowns.
Cody Nichols, Iowa City Liberty football
The junior, filling in for injured quarterback Graham Beckman, rushed for 80 yards and threw for 69 in the second half as the Lightning clipped Burlington 29-28 to win their first-ever district title. Nichols, who had touched the ball only three times the entire season, threw a 52-yarder to Wyatt Williams for the winning touchdown with 26 seconds remaining.
Will Nuss, Johnston football
The sophomore threw four touchdown passes – three to Jacob Simpson – as the Dragons upended No. 22 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 28-7. Nuss completed 14 of 25 passes for 201 yards.
Jedidiah Osgood, Marion boys cross country
Third-ranked (Class 3A) Marion repeated as the WaMaC Conference champion as the No. 1-ranked Osgood posted his sixth triumph of the season, running a 5:07.5 mile pace while finishing with a 15:52.5 time. The senior will compete in Wednesday’s Class 3A qualifier in Manchester.
C.J. Phillip, W.D.M. Dowling football
The junior carried 17 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns as the Maroons – No. 1 in SBLive’s rankings – won their seventh straight game, 35-3 over West Des Moines Valley.
Brodyn Pryon, Woodbine football
The freshman quarterback passed for 359 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another in the Tigers 56-48 loss to Audubon.
Dillon Ranck, Norwalk football
The senior hauled in 14 catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns in the Warriors’ 49-28 loss to Carlisle.
Alex Ravlin, Underwood football
The senior QB passed for 212 yards and three touchdowns, including two scores and 149 yards to Josh Ravlin, in the Eagles 28-20 win over Kuemper Catholic in the battle of unbeatens.
Preston Ries, Monticello football
The Monticello quarterback had a monster performance with eight touchdowns in a 58-28 win over Northeast. Ries rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 203 yards and four more scores as the Panthers wrapped up the District 5-2A title.
Cole Ritchie, Sioux City East football
Ritchie passed for a school-record eight touchdowns in the Black Raiders’ 60-28 win over Des Moines Roosevelt. Ritchie, who is second in the state in passing with 2,200 yards, had 320 on the night, while Kelynn Jacobsen had 169 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Henry Ryan, Mount Vernon football
Ryan rushed for four touchdowns as unbeaten Mount Vernon blanked Central DeWitt 47-0. Ryan scored three of his touchdowns in the first half as 8-0 Mount Vernon raced to a 33-0 lead.
Abu Sama, Southeast Polk football
the defending champs ran their record to 7-1 with a 42-16 victory over Ankeny Centennial. Sama rushed for three touchdowns and the Rams bolted to a 28-10 lead after three quarters.
Dallas Sauser, Ames football
The senior gunslinger completed 32 of 44 passes for 532 yards and four touchdowns in the Little Cyclones’ 60-13 rout over Des Moines Lincoln.
Titan Schmitt, Clear Lake football
Just a sophomore, Schmitt rushed for 199 yards and three TDs in the Lions’ 35-28 upset win over New Hampton.
Ethan Schoville, Denver football
The senior ran for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the Cyclones’ 43-26 win over South Hardin.
Charlie Sieck, Starmont West Central boys cross country
Sieck claimed his sixth victory of the year, timed in 16:27 with a winning margin of 34 seconds over No. 12 (1A) Marcus Blount of Clinton Prince of Peace en route to his first-ever Tri-Rivers Conference title. Fifth-ranked in 1A, Sieck will compete in Wednesday’s state qualifier at Oelwein.
Greenlee Smock, Lynnville-Sully girls cross country
Make that four consecutive South Iowa Cedar League championships for the 19th-ranked (Class 1A) Smock, who was timed in 21:42.88 on Tuesday in Sigourney, winning by a minute and a half over teammate Olivia Norrish. Smock will compete in a 1A qualifier at Leon Thursday.
Zach Sporaa, North Polk boys cross country
For the second straight year, the senior was clocked under 16 minutes while winning the Raccoon River Conference championship and No. 2 North Polk was first with 32 points. Sporaa, who defeated four 3A state-ranked opponents, is undefeated going into Wednesday’s 3A state qualifying meet at Humboldt.
Kyle Sternberg, AHSTW football
The senior QB passed for 186 yards and four touchdowns, completing 13 of 15, and ran for 277 yards and three TDs as the Vikings stayed unbeaten in a 52-0 rout of Council Bluffs St. Albert.
Makelle Taylor, Cedar Rapids Prairie football
Taylor tied a school record with five touchdowns as Prairie outscored Iowa City West 49-28. Taylor, who scored five touchdowns, carried 28 times for 157 yards and added 64 receiving yards for the 6-2 Hawks.
Blake Timmons, Solon football
The senior rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another, leading the Spartans to a 51-7 win over Grinnell. Timmons had 174 rushing yards and Solon clinched Class 3A District 5 title.
Ronan Thomas, Cedar Rapids Xavier football
The junior quarterback passed for four touchdowns and ran for another and the Saints defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the fifth straight game in a 42-3 win over Newton. Thomas completed 9 of 10 passes for 164 yards and Xavier (8-0) won the District 4-4A title.
Claire Truesdell, Roland-Story girls cross country
Unranked in Class 2A, Truesdell was the Heart of Iowa Conference runner-up as a freshman, then won the league crown a year later, timed in 21:13.46 during action in State Center. Truesdell, who won her first meet of the season, will compete in a 2A state qualifier Thursday in Oelwein.
