2020 Preseason All-St. Louis Team (Offensive Juniors)

In a crazy year dominated by COVID, some of these players may not even play a full schedule or will have their seasons moved to the spring. I am writing this article as if all of these players were gearing up to play in the coming weeks. Here are the 2022 high school graduates to check out now before you watch them playing on Saturdays in the fall of 2022 and beyond. Quarterbacks: [player_tooltip player_id="37531" first="Brian" last="Brown"], Lutheran North (6’ 160) Brown was the catalyst to a powerful Lutheran North offense last season and should take his game to the next level in 2020. Brown has good speed, throws on the move with accuracy, and is extremely tough. Though LN is loaded with talent, Brown is the straw that stirs the Crusaders’ drink. [player_tooltip player_id="37540" first="Aaron" last="Coffey"], Lutheran St. Charles (6’4, 220) When you see Coffey in person, you instantly think, ’that is how you build an NFL prototypical QB.’ Not only does the youngster have size but uses good ball carriage in his drop, has light feet in the pocket and will stand in and face the rush. Big time talent that will see offers flying his way this fall and into the spring of 2021. Running backs: [player <img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-37050" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/Ali-Wells-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /><span style="font-size: 1rem;">_tooltip player_id="37526" first="Ali" last="Wells"], Lutheran North (6’ 170) Wells is a productive player that runs with power, vision and balance. As he continues to add weight and strength, his game will only get better.</span>     [player_tooltip player_id="37528" first="Arlen" last="Harris Jr"], Lutheran St. Charles (5’11, 185) The namesake of the LHS head coach who was an NFL RB is a lot to carry. Harris Jr. doesn’t flinch when compared to his father and a case could be made that Jr. is tons better than his dad at this point in his development. Harris Jr. has excellent lateral quickness, jumps in and out of breaks with ease and hits the hole running under his pads to deliver blows to the opponent. Wide Receivers: [player_tooltip player_id="37523" first="Kevin" last="Coleman"], St. Mary’s (5’10, 170) Coleman just continues to work at his craft and gets better every time he touches the field. Coleman has multiple offers to all the big-time colleges yet none of that has went to his head. He is twitchy off the line of scrimmage, sells his routes extremely well and plucks the ball with his soft hands. [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"], Cardinal Ritter (6’2, 185) Burden has been an alpha male on the football field since pee wee football. Powerful off the line of scrimmage, the Cardinal Ritter product uses a developed upper body to move defenders out off his route and a commpetitive fire to work to win every rep. <img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-46844 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/70488-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="37530" first="Caleb" last="Merritt"], John Burroughs (6’, 166) Technically sound, Merritt is a precise route runner who also has the long speed to leave defenders, especially out of his crisp breaks. Merritt continues to make strides to his game and studies to be even better. As more coaches see his development, the more his recruiting will advance.       Tight End: <img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-46840" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/20200827_144528-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="37555" first="Owen" last="Butler"], Lafayette (6’2, 219) Butler is an up and coming player that will make a major splash on the recruiting world come 2021. The mobile big man has sticky mitts, is deceptively quick off the ball, and grinds hard to make his block. Added strength and flexibility will add extensive benefits to his game.     Offensive Line: [player_tooltip player_id="37545" first="Jimmy" last="Lansing"], Chaminade (6’6, 250) Comparable to now Mizzou OT Mitchell Walters (Mehlville HS) in measurements, Lansing is only getting better as an athlete and football player. The still-growing man-child has improved his short-area burst, lower body power and leverage. Once in college, Lansing gets to a ripped-up 310 lbs. and buries fools like an episode of Sopranos. <img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-46839 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/20200826_023329-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="37578" first="Andrew" last="Bontrager"], Timberland (6’3, 276) The versatile Bontrager lined up at multiple OL positions as a sophomore for Timberland and more than held his own. Bontrager has a quick first step off the football, is fluid and under control in pass pro, and not afraid to mix it up as a run blocker. Athletic OLs are hard to find but there is a good one in Wentzville.     [player_tooltip player_id="37604" first="Austin" last="Bone"], Holt (6’, 290) Speaking of Wentzville, Bone lives up to his surname by swinging ’dem bones’ on any defender trying to get to his QB. Lined up mostly at left guard, Bone is swift and sneaky as a pull blocker. Where Bone plays more advanced than his age is blocking at the second level. The Holt product uses angles well and once locked up with the defender, Bone wins. [player_tooltip player_id="37593" first="Jaylen" last="Banks"], Lutheran North (6’4, 275) Banks is an ascending player who has all the talent in the world, just needs more playing time. Banks plays in a run-oriented offense but has quick feet to be dominant in the run or pass game. Banks is the type of player, especially with all the talent around him, who will quickly go from zero offers to 20 in the blink of an eye. The 2020 season is critical for a player like Banks. [player_tooltip player_id="37632" first="Matthew" last="Mayer"], Christian Brothers College (6’2, 225) Mayer has tenacity for days and works to finish every block with a pancake. Mayer is very flexible, bends with ease to dig the defender out of the hole, then drop his own weight and hold the point of attack. Mayer is a fundamentally sound player who only needs size to be considered a high-level college prospect.