Gridiron Greats
Iowa certainly has its fair share of dual-sport standouts; especially guys who excel on both the hardwood and the gridiron. As the Iowa high school football season approaches its mid-point, guys are starting to emerge as the cream of the crop. Here, we’ll take a look at 25 of Iowa’s best hoopsters who are among those football guys who are rising to the top this season.
Cooper Downs (Ames)
Downs is a big and skilled guard, and as a coach’s son, he’s also one of the more fundamentally sound guys we saw play last winter. This fall, he’s nabbed the starting quarterback spot at Ames, and is thriving through four games. He’s thrown for 932 yards, which is fourth-best in Class 4A. The Little Cyclones are 2-2 with him at the helm.
Ross Snitker (Cedar Rapids Washington) — 384 rushing yards (6.9 yards per carry), 5 touchdowns
Cameron Lukavsky (Council Bluffs Jefferson) — 525 total yards (371 rushing, 154 passing)
Logan Wolf (Cedar Falls)
Probably the most well-known hoopster who is also a standout on the gridiron, Wolf is going to play both sports at hometown school Northern Iowa next season. So far this season, he’s helped Cedar Falls to a 4-0 record and a high-ranking by hauling in 22 catches for 397 yards and a Class 4A-best eight touchdowns.
Kenny Quinn (Des Moines Hoover) — 18 receptions, 244 yards (13.6 yards per catch)
Jamie Spinks (Des Moines Roosevelt) — 35.5 total tackles
Jack Campbell (Cedar Falls)
Another Cedar Falls basketball standout who, like teammate Logan Wolf, is heading to a D1 program to play football. Campbell will play linebacker at Iowa next season. But first, he’ll excel as big-man on Cedar Falls basketball team, and try and keep the football team atop the Class 4A standings. Currently, he’s among the state’s best defensive players with 32 tackles through four games.
Daniel Wright (Sergeant Bluff-Luton) — 808 passing yards, 70.4 completion %, 11 TDs 0 INTs
Trevor Paulsen (Marion) — 783 passing yards, 8 TDs
Cole Henry (Oskaloosa) — 797 passing yards, 11 total TDs
Sean Geertsema (Independence) — 22 receptions, 388 yards (17.6 yards per catch), 4 TDs
Josh Simmons (Lewis Central) — 19 receptions, 370 yards (19.5 yards per catch), 3 TDs
Jackson Waring (Des Moines Christian)
When we last talked with Waring for a basketball interview, he mentioned that we was going to be the starting quarterback for Des Moines Christian and that Iowa State was interested in him. He’s living up to that hype in a big way this season as one of the state’s best dual-threat quarterbacks. Through four games, he’s gone for an astonishing 1,626 total yards (994 passing + 632 rushing). That’s more than anyone in the state from any class — and it’s really not close.
Dom Robertson (Oelwein) — 30 receptions, 417 yards (13.9 yards per catch), 3 TDs
Wyatt Wegener (Algona) — 593 total yards (315 rushing + 278 receiving), 7 TDs
Hunter Dekkers (West Sioux, Hawarden) — 1,116 total yards (918 passing + 198 rushing), 14 TDs
Beau Cornwell (West Branch)
It’s been a sterling campaign on the gridiron for one of the state’s best scorers on the hardwood. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns through the first four games, compared to zero interceptions. He’s completing 68 percent of his passes and has thrown for 851 yards. Cornwell has a quarterback rating of 198.1.
Ian Abrahamson (Van Meter) — 640 rushing yards (7.6 yards per carry), 7 TDs
JD Stout (Sigourney/Keota) — 524 rushing yards (7.2 yards per carry), 11 TDs
Bryce Achenbach (Woodward-Granger) — 19 receptions, 420 yards (22.1 yards per catch), 3 TDs
Trey Shearer (Montezuma)
The silky smooth sophomore point guard is also one of the best young quarterbacks in Iowa. For the Braves, he’s been outstanding through five games, going for 1,067 yards through the air and another 316 yards on the ground. His 1,383 total yards is the most any player has amassed this season in 8-player football.
Issac McSorely (New London) — 568 passing yards, 62 completion %, 8 TDs, 196.4 QB rating
Bryce Coppock (Newell-Fonda) — 1,061 total yards (616 rushing + 445 passing), 17 TDs
Drake Johnson (Stanton)
The elite scorer on the hardwood is one of the best two-way football players in the state for Stanton. Johnson is a dual threat wide-receiver and running back who has accumulated 838 total yards this season (370 rushing and 468 receiving) to go along with his eye-opening 14 touchdowns.
Nick Jacobs (Akron-Westfield) — 1,195 total yards (897 passing + 298 rushing), 16 TDs
Preston Rochford (Egdewood-Colesburg) — 638 rushing yards (8.2 yards per carry), 10 TDs