Prospect Spotlight: Ryan Papacek – Hopkins (2021)

Hopkins' <strong>Ryan Papacek</strong> had been building towards the 2019 season since he started playing youth football. He had worked himself into the varsity starting lineup. Then, right out of the gate, he was asked to change his role. Instead of seeing the temporary position change as a negative, Papacek turned it into a positive. Not only did it help his team get off to a solid start, but it also has given him something that has helped him stand out in the jungle that is recruiting. Papacek is taking advantage of it. "We had a really good 2019 season," Papacek said. "We did a little better than most people expected – considering our record two years before (1-8 in 2017). I kind of saw it coming. We had a lot of great senior leaders who came up through the system. I thought we might have had a breakout year. I wish we could have done better in the playoffs, but I think we set the bar higher for Hopkins' football." In 2018, the Royals upped their win total to four. Last season they took another positive step. "We did the little things well; we were communicating" Papacek – whose team finished 6-3 - explained. "I feel like when we put together a winning streak, I felt like everything we worked on – down to the tiny things – when we worked together as a unit." A slight change on the offensive side of the ball may have helped too. "We ran out of the spread, but I think we were more of a 50/50 offense – run and pass," the Royals' starting center said. "Our coaches said we were going to be more balanced than in years past. Our balance was our strength. We used a lot of read-option and play-action passes." Individually, Papacek was happy with his progression. "It went well. It was my first year starting varsity. I think I got better as the year went on. From where I started – the first game – to where I ended, I felt more comfortable and wasn't second-guessing myself. I think I put myself in a good position to succeed." When his team needed him to make a change – the 6'2" 285-pound center was ready to step up for his team. "I played left tackle last year for one game because our starter went down," Papacek told prepredzone.com. "They needed someone to fill the position, and I was willing to do whatever the team needs me to do." His best position, however, is center. "I think my strength is my ability to adjust to defenses and communicating that to the rest of the line. I make the line calls and can adjust to what the defense is doing at the last second. I also think I am good at picking up blitzers – getting off that nose tackle, communicating with the guard, and picking up the blitzer." Like the first game of the season, Papacek's offseason training focus shifted dramatically. "I focused on my agility. Going into my junior year, I thought I needed to get bigger and stronger. After watching my sophomore season on film, I realized I needed to be more agile. Getting more agile has been the focal point this offseason." "Last winter, I would lift and then go home." Papacek continued. "This winter, I was spending twice as much time working out. I was lifting, then I was running, and then I was doing ladders and medicine ball work and the little things people don't think about as a lineman." Once COVID-19 took hold – like for everyone – it altered Papacek's athletic opportunities. "I would still have been working out, but I also would have played rec league baseball. I would have pitched and played first base and left field." The delay in the season has given Papacek and the other upperclassmen to show their leadership qualities. "When the news first came, I wasn't shocked, but obviously I was disappointed. I feel like myself, and the other seniors helped the younger guys deal with it. Obviously, it sucks, but there is only so much you can do, and this gives me six more months to get better." Papacek – who is left-handed – got creative with his training. "For the first month, I was going to a local park and would run stairs. I would bring salt bags and put them on my back and run up the stairs. I was doing lunges with 50-pound salt bags. I did what I could do. Later, one of my fellow offensive linemen got some weights that he let me use." Despite the challenges, Papacek – who admits to being a hardcore movie buff – has received looks from many of the DII schools in the state. "Recruiting has been going well. I was lucky and got to go to a few DII camps this summer. Southwest Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Minnesota State – Moorhead, and Minnesota-Duluth have stayed in contact with me." Obviously, Papacek does not know what school he will end up at in two years. He also has no idea what position or positions he will be playing in college. That is a reality he is taking full advantage of. "I feel like I have been looked at all over the line. I tell the coaches that I did play left tackle one game because the team needed me to do it. That is what I am going to do for you. I can come in and play any position you want and do it to the best of my ability. I feel like they think I am a center, but it is also good for them to know that if one of our guards goes down, he can step in and play." College coaches like the Royals' big man's position flexibility. "I was at the Southwest State camp as a center, and their offensive line coach said, 'I want you to go over with the guards and do some of their drills,' so I went right too it. I would also say they like my football knowledge, my pre-snap reads, and my ability to pick up blitzes." With his ability to play multiple positions, and his work this offseason, colleges will soon be asking Papacek to do more for them than drills.