INDIANOLA, Iowa — Drew Kingery is one of the most lethal weapons in the state.
"He has deceptive speed, he runs great routes, excellent hands and when we need someone to make a play he's someone that we're looking to to throw to," said Eric Kluver, Indianola's head coach.
The senior leads Class 4A with five touchdowns and is in the top 10 with over 200 yards receiving. Last year, he led the class in yards with 952 and was second in touchdowns with 14 — and those aren't empty stats either.
Currently, Indianola is 3-0 and ranked fifth fresh off of a 9-2 season.
"It's great to score touchdowns and have a great season, personally, but really all I care about is getting a win," Kingery said.
By just watching his highlights, one might assume that Kingery has been playing out here for a long time — but, believe it or not, he didn't even go out his sophomore year.
"I wanted to focus on basketball and you know, COVID-19 hit and there's just a lot of questions," he said. "So i just decided to take that year off."
For senior quarterback Bennett Brueck, it was clear that Kingery was meant to be on the field.
"I kept telling him that he's gonna regret it for the rest of his life. And then he decided he didn't want that burden on him, sitting up in the stands watching everyone play," Brueck said.
So, Kingery wiped the dust off his cleats and went back to the turf.
"I realized I made a big mistake because I just missed it," Kingery added.
"[It's] just a great surprise as a coach because I knew how talented he was as an athlete, his ability to make plays," Kluver said.
When he's not on the field, he's also one of the best players on the hardwood in Iowa. Kingery is ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.
"The sports aren't that much different, you know, you got to have good footwork and good hand eye coordination," Kingery said. "So I'd say a lot of the jumping does come from basketball, you know, because to jump up a rebounds and jump up for a dunk, it's a lot about timing."
That versatility and talent in both sports keeps other teams on their toes, according to Kluver.
"On the football field, his basketball skills, you know, make him a such a tough matchup like you said," Kluver said. "We feel very confident in his ability to go up and make a play against anyone and vice versa. We feel that football helps him be tougher and more physical on the basketball court."
Kingery is one of the best examples of success for athletes that choose to not specialize
"We're still a community that really promotes multi sport athletes. So I think it's really good for our younger athletes to see 'Hey, Drew Kingery is a really good basketball player but he's also a really good football player' that, [in] my opinion, could go play at a very, very high level," Kluver added.
Kingery hasn't made a commitment to any school yet, but he does plan on playing D1 basketball next year. When his football career does come to an end, Kingery said it will always hold a special place in his heart.
"I'm gonna miss it for sure, it'll be a big impact. And, you know, just football is a different sport than basketball," he said. "You know, it's more of a team game. And there's a lot of more lessons that you learn from football that you don't really get in other sports."