Scouting Reports: Waukee Northwest

WAUKEE, Iowa - West Des Moines Valley traveled to Waukee Northwest for a battle of juggernaut teams in 5A and the Des Moines metro on Friday night. Northwest handled the defending runners-up, 27-24.   Here are several players who stood out for the Wolves.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/photo-gallery-west-des-moines-valley-at-waukee-northwest/">Photo Gallery: West Des Moines Valley at Waukee Northwest</a>    A monstrous offensive lineman upfront for Waukee Northwest, it's pretty easy to tell why [player_tooltip player_id='1687055' first='Dalton' last='DeBoer'] ranks as the No. 2 offensive lineman in 2026 for us at Prep Redzone Iowa simply by looking at him. DeBoer takes up a ton of space in upfront for the Wolves, and he moves well for his size. The Wake Forest commit received a barrage of other Division I offers before choosing the Demon Deacons, and WF will get an OL that can step up to the next level and help out sooner rather than later. He'll benefit from strength and conditioning at the next level, too, getting stronger and more athletic.     A captain and leader for the Northwest defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1240480' first='Brady' last='Fitz'] was all over the field on Friday night. The team's top returning tackler from last season did a lot more than just hit players from West Des Moines Valley. An underrated athlete with the ability to read the quarterback's eyes better than most linebackers at his age, Fitz snagged a wild, one-handed interception early on in the game that set the tone for the Wolves, who finished with three picks total. He almost grabbed another one later on, with the ball ricocheting off his hand. Fitz also finished with six total tackles, five being solo.     One of the most productive receivers in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='1204437' first='Jordon' last='Green'] is slight of frame but fast with high-level ball-skills. He's not a true X-receiver who will overwhelm opposing DBs with his size, but Green possesses speed and the ability to catch passes that few others can, especially at his stature. One thing that stands out in particular about the way he plays receiver is that he will attack the ball when its passed to him, rather than wait for it to come to him -- a benefit to his quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='1204436' first='Mack' last='Heitland'].   As a returner, Green doesn't often wave for a fair catch, but his willingness to take a hit if it means he has a shot at making a play for his team shows his fearlessness -- a great and necessary trait to have as a returner.     Returning as one of the more productive quarterbacks in all of 5A as a sophomore last season, [player_tooltip player_id='1204436' first='Mack' last='Heitland'] may be the key to Waukee Northwest's success this year. As a passer, Heitland does more than just rely on his top targets in Green and [player_tooltip player_id='1295632' first='Isaiah' last='Oliver']. Mobile with the ability to navigate the pocket (zero sacks by Valley on Friday), and throw a smooth, catchable ball, Heitland has his go-to targets, but he makes them better, too.   A leader for the Wolves, Heitland is first to give his teammates high fives and praise them when they help the team.   For now, he likely projects to being an FCS prospect, but with added arm strength and size to his frame, he could rise up recruiting boards.     A preferred walk-on wide receiver commit for Iowa, [player_tooltip player_id='1295632' first='Isaiah' last='Oliver'] showed why on several receptions against Valley. Catching a pass over the middle from Heitland that kept an initial drive moving for Northwest, Oliver came out ready to roll and showed it on the Wolves' first drive. Later on, he made another critical catch on a shot play, where he beat his defender deep and made an excellent play on an under-thrown ball, going up and bringing it down despite a defender being draped all over him.   Playing the majority of his snaps on offense, Oliver could easily be factored into the game more for the Wolves on that side, whether it be jet sweeps, swing passes or screens. He also plays some snaps on defense, and one can see potential for him on that side of the ball, too, if Phil Parker decides to flip him to defense when he arrives in Iowa City.     One of the other Northwest defenders that snagged an interception, [player_tooltip player_id='1619520' first='Blake' last='Ludwig'] was one of the reasons the Wolves were able to upset the Class 5A reigning runners-up. Another senior captain for Northwest, Ludwig played a good chunk of the game assigned to Louisville commit, [player_tooltip player_id='283946' first='Jayden' last='McGregory'], limiting him to two receptions (Oliver also covered him at other points).   In the second half, Ludwig faded to the far side of the field, read the quarterback's eyes and darted in front of his assigned receiver, snagging the pick and immediately turning his eyes on the endzone. Weaving through traffic, Ludwig ran it back 37 yards for a score.     The bell cow running back for Waukee Northwest, [player_tooltip player_id='1361719' first='Ryan' last='Woodruff'] perfectly compliments the Wolves passing attack. A bowling ball of a running back that doesn't go down on first contact, Woodruff clearly spends a lot of time in the weight room -- or he did this offseason. A powerful runner that will take on multiple tacklers at once, the senior captain took on almost the entirety of the Valley defense at one point, with seven tacklers having to come together to take him down before the whistle was blown.   Once the defense accounts for Heitland, Oliver and Green in the passing game, Woodruff can handle the rock and make them pay for backing off the line of scrimmage. Once he gets to the second level of the defense, it will undoubtedly take multiple defenders to bring him down.

WAUKEE, Iowa - West Des Moines Valley traveled to Waukee Northwest for a battle of juggernaut teams in 5A and the Des Moines metro on Friday night. Northwest handled the defending runners-up, 27-24.