From one-two punch to No. 2 leading the show: ADM's Aiden Flora steps up as quarterback
ADEL – As music blasts over the loudspeakers at Tiger Stadium – which is located on Nile Kinnick Drive – half a dozen elementary school-aged boys gather on a grassy hill overlooking the high school football field.
From a gap in the trees situated behind the bleachers for visiting fans, the group of boys – possible future high school athletes – watch as the ADM football team runs through a midweek practice.
At the center of it all is the Tigers’ dual-threat quarterback: Aiden Flora.
The senior field general is all business as he and his teammates run through drills and plays, but there are flashes that show how much fun he has while out on the football field.
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Flora shadow boxes to “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. He dances along to country and rap music, alike. In practice especially, it’s easy to tell how much Flora loves being out there.
“There’s (playing) football just to play it, and then being here because you like it,” Flora told the Des Moines Register. “And I love it.”
A passion for running morphs into a versatile football career
As far back as he can remember, Flora has loved to run. He wanted to do track when he was younger, but it wasn’t one of the sports offered in elementary school. So, he settled on the next best thing: Playing running back in football.
He played running back, wide receiver and quarterback growing up. Flora even spent time on defense – as a safety or linebacker – but stopped playing on that side of the ball later on since coaches didn’t want to risk him getting injured.
If it were up to Flora, though, he wishes he never left the field.
“I wish I was on defense, even now,” Flora said.
But Flora’s coaches – who, since middle school, have liked to run the quarterback – wanted to limit his possible exposure to injuries, so he stayed solely on offense. Now, it’s hard to imagine Flora playing any other position.
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Becoming one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the state
Flora has completed 70.8% of his passes this season for 780 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has the 15th-most passing yards in Class 4A and is tied for the eighth-most touchdown passes.
But throwing the ball isn’t even where Flora finds most of his success.
He leads 4A with 28 total touchdowns. He is fourth in the state with 1,185 rushing yards, averages 13 yards per carry and has scored 17 touchdowns on the ground.
Simply put, Flora is about as dual-threat as any quarterback can be, especially at this level of high school football. He's quietly putting together one of the best seasons in the state.
Flora credits his offensive line with creating the gaps that allow him to get the yardage he does with his feet.
What about his arm, which has given ADM a reliable presence in the air? Well, when asked about his passing prowess he shines a light on his receivers, who follow their routes and make the plays.
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It’s always been about the team first and Flora second for the senior quarterback, and he’s okay with that.
“In football, 11 people have to do their job,” coach Randy Schrader said. “Aiden is one-eleventh of that and he understands that role. Now, his one-eleventh is pretty damn good, but he understands that this is a team game.”
Stepping up after Brevin Doll’s injury
There is a reason that Flora has succeeded in the shadows.
For the last few years, he has shared much of the workload with his teammate, running back Brevin Doll, who is committed to play football at Iowa. Doll rushed for 347 yards and four touchdowns – with 116 receiving yards and two more scores – before suffering a season-ending arm injury against Lewis Central.
The Tigers lost that game, 38-31, after losing their best player.
It was a tough blow for Flora too, who watched the unthinkable happen to a teammate that he’s grown up playing alongside.
“Ever since we’ve had a football in our hands,” Flora said when asked how long the pair have played together. “It sucks for both of us to not be able to play our last season together, but especially for him not being able to finish it out.”
The two players don't compare themselves to each other. There was never a major rivalry between the two talented rushers, just a desire to make each other better.
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Sure, Doll and Flora would make sure the other one knew when they were beaten in practice, but the pair had their sights set on something bigger: Breaking the state record for rushing yards by a team in a single season.
Now, with Doll supporting from the sidelines, those goals have changed. But Flora has picked up where they left off, helping ADM to a 3-0 record since losing his teammate and a 5-1 record overall.
For Schrader, there was never a moment when his quarterback wavered.
“When I talked to him initially, during and after that game, I told him not to try to do any more than what he’s capable of, because, in those situations, you don’t play well,” Schrader said. “The message for him was to just do what he does.
“He’s done a great job of picking up the slack, but that’s just because he’s a great player. He’s a very special kid. We didn’t want to demand any more out of him. We just wanted him to do what he does best.”
ADM’s one-two punch becomes all about No. 2
Flora is focused on two things right now: High school football and what comes next.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound athlete holds offers from Air Force, Army, Dartmouth, Princeton and the University of Sioux Falls. Iowa and Iowa State have shown interest, looking at Flora as a preferred walk-on. At least one of those programs – the Hawkeyes – has an inside man trying to get Flora to follow him to college.
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“Since the day (Doll) committed, he’s been trying to get me to go to Iowa,” Flora said. “It would be a dream come true to play with him again, but I’m considering all my options and listening to what God wants me to do.”
Flora isn’t in a rush to make a college decision just yet.
Besides, there are still a few weeks left in the regular season, and the Tigers are taking it one game at a time.
“(The goal is) 1-0 every week,” Flora said. “There’s no reason to look ahead because you’re not there. Every practice, every game, our goal is to get 1% better.”
And even though Doll might be sidelined with an injury, he’s still pushing his teammates to play their best football.
“We would love having him out there, that’s for sure,” Flora said. “But without him, our whole team has to step up. We all knew we were going to play that game for him and play the rest of the season for him.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Is ADM football's Aiden Flora the best dual-threat QB in Iowa?
