Vote now: Who should be SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week?
By CJ Short
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Oct. 24-30. 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 athleteoftheweek@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.
Kayden Anderson, Glenwood football
The junior gunslinger passed for 268 yards and a TD and also ran to paydirt to help the Rams beat Spencer, 38-26 to advance to the Class 3A quarterfinals.
Mason Bechen, North Linn football
The sophomore QB passed for 218 yards and two scores and rushed for 92 yards and a TD and also had 7.5 tackles and recovered a fumble as the Lynx won 28-14 over Newman Catholic.
Graham Beckman, Iowa City Liberty football
The junior running back passed for 185 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 95 yards in the Lightning’s 24-14 victory over Webster City.
Landon Bendgen, Woodbine boys cross country
The junior claimed the Class 1A title in a time of 15:58.2, almost 15 full seconds ahead of IKM-Manning’s Caden Keller. Bendgen showed remarkable improvement after finishing 53rd as a freshman and 42nd as a sophomore.
Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Des Moines Roosevelt girls cross country
Buettner-Cable, a senior, clocked a time of 17:41.24, coming home over 20 seconds ahead of Olivia Verde of Johnston and defending champion Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley to claim the 4A championship. Buettner-Cable was 12th at state a season ago.
Ryan Brosius, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic football
Brosius scampered for touchdown runs of 25 and 10 yards and picked off a pass to lead Wahlert past previously unbeaten West Marshall, 21-14. The Eagles forced four turnovers to pull off the upset to advance to the 2A quarterfinals.
Carter Bultman, West Sioux football
Bultman rushed for 223 yards on 26 carries as the Falcons breezed to a 45-7 win over Carroll Kuemper in a Class 2A second-round playoff game. West Sioux (9-1) will meet Hull Western Christian in a quarterfinal matchup.
Cole Butikofer, Crestwood football
The senior quarterback ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cadets to a 20-18 win over Waukon.
Owen Cook, Montezuma football
The senior passed for 270 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Braves to a 60-38 victory over Easton Valley in 8-player football.
Lance Coon, Humboldt football
The Wildcats’ tailback racked up 166 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns as Humboldt blanked Hampton-Dumont 39-0 in a Class 3A playoff opener Humboldt (9-1) moves on to a quarterfinal against Independence.
Michael Cunningham, Cedar Rapids Xavier football
Cunningham carried 18 times for a team-high 112 yards and two touchdowns, leading fifth-ranked and unbeaten Xavier to a 44-7 win over Cedar Rapids Washington in a 4A playoff opener.
Ra’Shawd Davis, WDM Dowling Catholic football
The sophomore rushed for 132 yards on 14 carries, scoring two touchdowns in the No. 1-ranked Maroons’ 35-0 Class 5A win over Davenport West. With its ninth straight win, Dowling (9-1) will face Waukee Northwest in a quarterfinal.
Beckett DeJean, OABCIG football
The senior QB accounted for four touchdowns – two by air and ground in the Falcons 34-22 playoff victory over Osage. He rushed for 171 yards on just 14 carries.
Owen Douglas, Williamsburg football
The senior scored four touchdowns and rushed for 158 yards on only seven carries as the Raiders shot down Mid-Prairie, 63-7.
Kooper Ebel, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn football
The senior and Iowa State recruit had 23 carries for 214 yards and three touchdowns, while also passing for 92 yards and a score as the Hawks outscored Hinton 46-27 in a Class A second-round playoff game. He also had 8.5 tackles.
Matthew Edgington, Indianola football
The senior running back hit paydirt three times in the Indians surprisingly easy 35-13 win over a good Bondurant-Farrar team in a rematch in the Class 4A playoffs.
Ethan Eichhorn, Council Bluffs Lewis Central boys cross country
The junior topped Marion’s Jedidiah Osgood by less than two seconds, with a time of 15:32.43, to claim the Class 3A title. Eichhorn, who came into the meet ranked second behind Osgood, closed strong in the last 50 meters.
Jaixen Frost, Mount Ayr football
The senior QB passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 61 yards in a losing effort to Lynnville-Sully.
Gabe Funk, Lenox football
The sophomore QB ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers advance in the 8-player playoffs with a 34-14 victory over CAM.
Aaron Fynaardt, Des Moines Christian boys cross country
Des Moines Christian swept the team and individual titles in the Class 2A race Friday, as the senior was crowned champion for the second straight season. Fynaardt clocked a time of 15:50.62 -- 16 seconds ahead of ahead of freshman teammate Caleb Ten Pasa.
Kyler Gerardy, North Scott football
Gerardy racked up 342 yards of total offense, rushing for three touchdowns and 189 yards and passing for another in North Scott’s 38-15 first-round Class 4A playoff win over Western Dubuque. Gerardy passed for 179 yards and rushed for 163 as the Lancers advanced to meet unbeaten Waverly-Shell Rock.
Brady Grisham, Waukee Northwest football
Grisham carried 33 times for 215 yards in Northwest’s 9-0 first-round Class 5A playoff win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Northwest forced three second-half turnovers.
Ben Gordon, Van Meter football
The junior rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, helping the Bulldogs blank Woodward-Granger 42-0 in a second-round Class 1A playoff game. It was the second straight playoff shutout for 9-1 Van Meter.
Aidan Hall, Harlan football
The University of Iowa recruit totaled 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards and another score. The defending Class 3A state champs rolled to a 42-7 first-round playoff win over MOC-Floyd Valley.
Jackson Heidesch, WDM Dowling Catholic boys cross country
Heidesch become the first runner to go under 15 minutes at the state meet with a time of 14:56.66, to win his second 4A state title, finishing almost 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Ford Washburn from Iowa City High. The Maroons have won four of the past five team titles and six in the past eight years with five runners finishing in the top 25.
Will Hinrichs, Ankeny football
The Hawks pitched a 17-0 shutout over Sioux City East in a 5A playoff tilt, and the senior collected 10 tackles – three for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception.
Cassidy Hartman, Iowa City Liberty volleyball
The senior led the top- seeded Lightning, averaging 4.3 kills and 5 points in a three-set win over Cedar Rapids Prairie to advance to state.
Danielle Hostetler, Mid-Prairie (Wellman) girls cross country
Hostetler continued to incredible run, winning a third consecutive Class 2A girls title. The junior finished in 18:41.7, leading throughout and besting runner-up Katelyn Johnston of Osage by 20 seconds.
Max Hough, GTRA football
The senior QB passed for 177 yards and two scores, ran for 146 yards and a TD, and had 10 tackles, two interceptions and recovered a fumble in a 28-12 victory over West Harrison in 8-player.
Isaac Kacmarynski, Pella Christian football
The senior quarterback had a solid performance with 147 yards rushing and a TD to go with 12.5 tackles on defense. The Eagles advanced with a 38-20 victory over South Hamilton.
Braylon Kammrad, Lewis Central football
The senior threw six touchdown passes – two each to Curtis Witte and Lual Maker – as the Titans belted Le Mars 60-7 in Class 4A playoff action.
Justin Knaack, Gruncy Center football
The junior running back found the end zone four times and rushed for 94 yards as Grundy Center advanced in the playoffs with a 41-7 playoff victory over Columbus.
Jes Krcil, Carlisle football
The senior led the Wildcats past Newton 48-28 on both sides of the football. Krcil ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns and also 12.5 tackles, including a sack and one other behind the line of scrimmage.
Camden Kruse, West Lyon football
The senior had two interceptions and 5.5 tackles and also caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the Wildcats’ 43-7 Class 2A playoff win over Greene County. West Lyon now gets a second shot at rival Central Lyon/George-Little Rock in a quarterfinal.
Caden Lundt, Spirit Lake football
The sophomore quarterback completed 9 of 13 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores as the unbeaten Indians outscored Clear Lake 43-21 in a Class 2A second-round playoff game. Jake Cornwall had 75 rushing yards and 48 receiving for 10-0 Spirit Lake.
Zach Lutmer, Central Lyon/George-Little Rock football
The future Iowa Hawkeye rushed for 134 yards on 11 carries for two touchdowns and passed for another score. He also had an interception on defense in the No. 9 Lions’ 42-16 Class 2A second-round playoff win over Clarinda.
Tyler Mantel, Hull Western Christian football
The junior led the Wolfpack to a 49-27 win over Aplington-Parkersburg with 137 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Sydney Mathias, Wapsie Valley volleyball
The senior set up her teammates well with 30 assists and averaged an ace in a three-set state-qualifying victory over Beckman Catholic. She also had 42 assists in a regional semifinal sweep over Regina Catholic.
Max McGill, Woodbury Central football
The senior rambled for 217 yards and four touchdowns and collected six tackles and an interception to lead the Wildcats to an impressive 48-7 victory over LeMars Gehlen Catholic.
Brady Miller, North Polk football
The senior running back rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns as the Comets advanced with a 52-20 win over Creston in the 3A playoffs.
Paityn Noe, Ballard girls cross country
Noe became the first female runner to crack the 17-minute mark, winning the Class 3A state cross country championship at Kennedy Park and Lakeside Golf Course with a blistering time of 16:48.58. The senior won the title by over 35 seconds over Solon’s Kayla Young after placing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore.
Corder Noun Harder, Lyneville-Sully football
The junior running back ran wild with 286 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries in an impressive 62-33 playoff win over Mount Ayr.
Will Nuss, Johnston football
The sophomore passed for 272 yards and five touchdowns as the Dragons outlasted Iowa City High 38-31 in overtime in a Class 5A playoff opener. City High rallied from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game, but Johnston won it on a TD pass from Nuss to Jacob Simpson.
Jadyn Rausch, North Tama football
The senior set up her teammates with 37 assists in a three-set state tournament qualifying win over Southeast Warren in a Class 1A regional final.
Wyatt Powell, MFL MarMac football
The junior running back had a big night running and catching the football. He rushed for 177 yards and a TD and caught two passes – one for a score – for 116 yards as the Bulldogs won 28-6 over Dike-New Hartford.
Alex Ravlin, Underwood football
The senior quarterback passed for a school-record six touchdowns as the Eagles soared to a 62-14 win over AC/GC in a second-round Class 1A playoff game. Underwood moved to 10-0 on the season and will play Pella Christian in a quarterfinal.
Carson Robbins, Southeast Polk football
The junior caught a 38-yard touchdown pass and returned a fumble 75 yards for a score in the Rams’ 49-3 first-round 5A playoff win over Ames.
Ava Schubert, Davenport Assumption Catholic volleyball
The senior had an outstanding overall effort in a three-set win over Mid-Prairie to qualify for the state tournament. She averaged 4.7 kills (36 percent), 6 blocks and 11 digs. Her sophomore sister, Ellie, set up 42 points.
Anna Shoger, Cedar Rapids Xavier Catholic volleyball
The senior set up her teammates for 35 assists in a three-set triumph over Dallas Center-Grimes to advance to state.
Noelle Steines, Calamus-Wheatland girls cross country
Steines took over the lead between the opening mile and the second, finishing almost three seconds ahead of Madison Brouwer of Sibley-Ocheyedan for the title. The sophomore had a time of 18:39.5, repeating as the 1A race winner.
Charlie Simpson, Easton Valley football
The senior running back ran for five touchdowns and 389 yards in his final game in a losing effort.
Makelle Taylor, Cedar Rapids Prairie football
Taylor broke loose for 332 rushing yards on 21 carries, scoring two touchdowns in Prairie’s 50-28 Class 5A playoff win over Linn-Mar. The Hawks avenged a loss to Linn-Mar in a regular-season finale last week.
Tanner Thurn, East Buchanan football
The junior running back ran for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Buccaneers to a 57-21 pillaging over the Alburnett Pirates in the battle of swashbucklers.
Blake Timmons, Solon football
The senior was all over the field, rushing for 160 yards and a touchdown and collecting 11 tackles and picking off two passes on defense in the Spartans’ 42-18 win over West Delaware.
Brody Tuttle, Centerville football
The Centerville quarterback scored four touchdowns and the Big Reds rallied from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit to clip Monticello 28-27 in a Class 2A playoff game. Tuttle rushed for 168 yards on 35 carries.
