The week of Nov. 2-8 saw the Iowa high school football state quarterfinals take place across the state.
Four teams from the Des Moines metro area advanced to the state football semifinals. The Class 5A field will feature Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines Valley and Waukee Northwest, and Van Meter made it back to state in 2A.
There were several standout performances by football players from the metro area during the state quarterfinals.
Here are the Des Moines Register’s male Athlete of the Week candidates from the Des Moines metro area for the week of Oct. Nov. 2-8. DesMoinesRegister.com readers vote to determine the winners, who will be announced at the end of the week.
Drake DeGroote, Valley
DeGroote came up clutch at quarterback for Class 5A No. 6 West Des Moines Valley during its 28-21 state quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Johnston on Nov. 7 at Johnston.
DeGroote completed 19 of 24 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also ran the ball 15 times for 62 yards and two scores to help the Tigers advance to the UNI-Dome.
Ian Middleton, Dowling Catholic
Middleton had a monster game at running back in helping 5A No. 1 Dowling Catholic roll into the semifinals with a 35-0 quarterfinal win over Iowa City West on Nov. 7 in West Des Moines.
Middleton ran the ball 30 times for 248 yards. He found the end zone three times for the Maroons.
Drew Thompson, Southeast Polk
Thompson gave a great performance at running back in a losing effort for the four-time defending state champion Southeast Polk football team during its 31-28 5A quarterfinal loss to No. 7 Iowa City Liberty on Nov. 7 at Iowa City.
Thompson ran for 154 yards on 20 carries. He scored two touchdowns for the Rams.
Christian Williams, Van Meter
Williams played a big role in No. 10 Van Meter’s 28-21 2A state quarterfinal victory over No. 9 Mid-Prairie on Nov. 7 at Wellman.
Williams ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bulldogs return to the UNI-Dome. He also came up with 3.5 tackles and one interception on defense.
Ryan Woodruff, Waukee Northwest
Woodruff was a touchdown-scoring machine for the 5A No. 2 Waukee Northwest football team during its 48-34 state quarterfinal win over No. 3 Sioux City East on Nov. 7 at Waukee.
Woodruff ran the ball 38 times for 192 yards and five touchdowns to help the Wolves advance to the 5A semifinals.
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Vote for the Des Moines Register metro-area male Athlete of the Week for Nov. 2-8
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Des Moines Register / Ames Tribune
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