Gatorade 2021 - 2022: Player of the Year

Football - Iowa

athletes playing Football
The POY Logo
FOOTBALL

Aaron  Graves

Defensive tackle/guard
SOUTHEAST VALLEY HS
GOWRIE, IOWA
SENIOR
Height: 6-FOOT-5
Press Release

Peak Performance

63

Tackles

14

Tackles for Loss

7.5

Sacks
“Aaron Graves is one of the best players I’ve ever seen come out of Iowa. He’s just a dominant force on both sides of the ball. He’s almost a three-gap player on the defensive line; he made it nearly impossible to run anything inside.”
Ryan Rezac
Head Coach head coach at Estherville Lincoln High
excellence star

Athletic Excellence

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound senior defensive tackle and offensive guard recorded 63 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks this past season, leading the Jaguars to the Class 2A state championship. Graves also averaged 38.0 yards per punt and helped block for an offense that scored 38.6 points per game. A three-time First Team All-State selection, he was also named District Defensive MVP twice.

a graduation cap

Academic Achievement

Graves has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play football on scholarship at the University of Iowa next fall.

first place ribbon

Exemplary Character

Graves has volunteered locally on behalf of youth summer camps, Meals on Wheels and food-donation drives.