Hidden Gems- Class of 2021 Skill Positions

This particular story will cover the underrated players, in my opinion, in Classes 3A and below. Since their are many players to mention from small schools, I will break this story up into two parts. The players that make this list are usually undersized or not getting the college looks as some other players of which I’ve seen play or have seen film on. (Social media or Hudl.) Class 3A- 5’8", 170 lbs. RB/DB LaShad Smith- Luverne Cardinals In his first season starting both ways for the Cardinals, Smith stepped up in a big way on both sides playing bigger than his size on paper. On offense he racked up 661 yards on 107 carries and 6 TD’s rushing, while adding 117 yards on 7 catches with one TD receiving. Defensively at Corner, he put up 20.5 tackles with 3 INT’s and 12 pass break-ups. What impressed me with Smith was his agility, break-away speed, vision for the open field, and ability to run through tacklers bigger than him. He kept good position on his receivers to play lock-down coverage. LaShad Smith-Greg Hoogeveen 6’0", 160 lbs. ATH Bailey Cowell- Luverne Cardinals Cowell played QB most of the time while I was watching, but then was split out to WR after a lower body injury. Even with a limp, Cowell still had great speed, agility, and vision at both the WR and RB. As a QB, he ran the read option really well and broke many big runs out of it. He also did a good job keeping his eyes downfield and always made a good decision. He was a great target for the young backup QB in Sehr, since Cowell was able to get open and make the catch. Bailey Cowell- Kevin Kyle, Pipestone County Star Class 2A- 5’11", 170 lbs. RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id="22944" first="Carter" last="Johnson"]- Redwood Valley Cardinals Johnson emerged as a huge role player for Redwood this season. Carry big loads at a time each game with a balance of speed and power, loving to dish out contact offensively. Johnson would be mixed around the field in various positions to get him the ball in different ways. On defense, he read his keys, filled the gap, and delivered a good hit. He ran throw many blocks and finished the play with the tackle. Johnson- Greg Devereaux 6’2", 165 lbs. WR/DB Cameron Anderson- Blue Earth Area Buccaneers Anderson was a vital piece in the Buccaneer passing game. He ran solid routes to get separation from his defender and had a great deal of break-away speed and agility once he caught the ball. He was also good in traffic, going up and making sure to come down with the ball. On film, he has great agility to make defenders miss and power to run through arm tackles. He does not shy away from contact on either side of the ball. Class 1A- 5’9", 195 lbs. RB/LB Tim Gilmore- Russell- Tyler- Ruthton Knights Primarily taking handoffs out of the backfield, Gilmore established a power run game for the Knights in a spread offense. He has break away speed though, which also made him dangerous running routes out of the backfield and splitting out wide as well. He had a good set of hands, and was also a great down-field blocker to spring the ballcarrier free for the long runs. Defensively, he read the offensive line well and filled the gap quickly. He also made some big hits when he got to the ballcarrier. 5’8", 160 lbs. LB/OL Connor Kremin- Russell- Tyler- Ruthton Knights Kremin made the switch from RB to OL on offense, though he didn’t have many highlights listed on Hudl he primarily focused on the defensive end of the game. He was one of the fastest LB’s I have seen on the field, he made many plays running down the ballcarrier from behind. He was also versatile on defense, he would move down to DT when the Knights would shift from a 4-4 to a 5-3 and played that position well too. He reads keys and attacks quickly, he also engages blockers and sheds them even quicker. Kremin is also not afraid of contact as he breaks down and makes the sure-handed tackle. 9-man- 6’1”, 190 lbs. OL/DL Mike Cochran- Brandon-Evansville Chargers Cochran helped the Charger rushing attack in a big way this year. He opened the seams for his talented RB in Cade Carlson and let him run wild. He does a good job moving his feet on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he stayed in front of his assignment and kept him off the QB and widening gaps in the run game. Defensively, his first step put him in good position to get around his blocker to plug the gap in the run game. He has the speed to chase down the QB to force an early throw, and running down the RB to keep the gains short. Mike Cochran- Jared Rubado/Echo Press 5’11" 190 lbs. RB/DB Isaac Collier- LeRoy- Ostrander Cardinals Collier was a vital piece on both sides of the ball as well. Offensively, he takes the handoff and just puts the pedal to the medal. After running throw the gap, he puts his head down and runs through the defense, nothing flashy, just effective. Collier broke off many big runs using both his speed and power, out running and running through every opponent’s defense. Defensively, he executed the Seahawks Tackling Drill to near perfection, not necessarily making big hits but wrapping up and bringing down the ballcarrier.