The 2020 All-Deckmo Offensive Team

Before there was <em>Madden</em>, there was <em>Techmo Super Bowl</em>, both video games provided thousands of hours of entertainment for young gamers, football players, future coaches, and future scouts. The name and the face that would serve as the marketing tool behind one of the top-selling video game series of all time was the legendary John Madden. I was one of those young gamers, who later became a coach, sportswriter, and now a scout. <em>Techmo </em>was my jam. I won many regular-season titles running Bo Jackson like crazy until he would get hurt and be replaced by Marcus Allen. Jackson would always return off the IR before the playoffs and I would win the Super Bowl. Good times! The most important event other than the Super Bowl, or Thanksgiving Games, during the NFL season was when Madden announced his All-Madden Team. In the spirit and tradition of the All-Madden team, I am proud to announce the first release of the All-Deckmo Team. The two teams will be organized by offense and defense. The defensive team will be announced tomorrow. Like Madden’s teams, I only include players from teams that I saw play in person. In my first year as a Senior Scout for Prep Redzone Kansas, I scouted nine games and 18 teams. I drove almost 2,000 miles combined to see those 19 games.  I would have liked to scout a couple more Thursday night games, but with my volleyball scouting and college teaching duties, time and date commitments were sometimes limited. Cancellations and schedule changes that were COVID-19 related did not help any either. It has been a hectic 2020 season for football players, coaches, and athletic directors. Anyone who was able to watch a Kansas prep game in person should be thankful for the hard work of those individuals who pulled the games off. <strong>The 2020 All-Deckmo Offensive Team</strong> <strong>QB, [player_tooltip player_id="35352" first="Lem" last="Wash"], 5’10”, 205, Derby (’21 Ranked No. 11)</strong> – This was my toughest position to fill because I scouted several quality quarterbacks. Wash, a senior from Derby, had the most explosive offensive game that I watched this season. He rushed for 199 yards and threw for 89 yards completing 6-of-7 pass attempts in a 48-10 win over Maize South.  The senior QB finished the regular season with 740 rushing yards, 667 passing yards, and 18 total touchdowns. Wash a speedy quarterback with a big arm, is set to announce his verbal commitment to play college ball later this week. Missouri State and Tennessee Tech appear to be the two finalists that Wash is considering. <strong>RB, [player_tooltip player_id="35356" first="Julius" last="Bolden"], 5’11”, 190, Wichita Northwest (’21 Ranked No. 15)</strong> – Bolden rushed for 76 yards on six carries in a 73-0 victory over Wichita Southeast. The senior running back is fast and likes to break tackles. He added an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half of that contest. He has offers from Western Michigan and South Dakota State. <strong>RB, Dylan Edwards, 6’2”, 200, Derby </strong>– Edwards, just a sophomore, is a star in the making. He is a shifty runner who is fast as all get-out. He carried the ball 19 times for 237 yards against Maize South. He had an 81-yard touchdown scamper that was the biggest play I saw all season. Edwards led the Panthers with 1,025 yards rushing during the regular season and had 13 rushing touchdowns. He will be a player to watch in Kansas over the next two seasons. <strong>WR, [player_tooltip player_id="49728" first="Kaleb" last="Coleman"], 5’10”, 180, Wichita Northwest (’21 Ranked No. 33)</strong> – Coleman has great hands and hunts the football. He caught five balls for 108 yards and three touchdowns for the Grizzlies against Wichita Southeast. Coleman has and will continue to receive college offers. <strong>WR, [player_tooltip player_id="35392" first="Malik" last="Benson"], 6’1”, 175, Lansing (’21 Ranked No. 72) –</strong> Benson has multiple Division I college offers and rightly so. The senior wideout is fast and has good hands. He caught three balls for 89 yards including a 30-yard touchdown catch in a road-victory in Pittsburg. The Lansing senior is going to be a dangerous weapon in the return game at the college level as well. Benson finished the regular season with 589 yards receiving on 22 catches, nine of which were for touchdowns. <strong>WR, LJ Butcher, 5’11”, 160, Pittsburg  </strong>– Being listed at 5’11” might be stretching it a little for Butcher, but boy can he flat out scoot. He is a solid route runner and possession receiver who can catch balls anywhere on the field. He projects as a perfect slot back.  He had five catches and two touchdowns in a one-point loss to Lansing. I went with three wideouts on this squad partly because I did not see a tight end with a huge night this season. <strong>OL, [player_tooltip player_id="35536" first="Ewan" last="Mills"], 6’2”, 285, Seaman (’21 Ranked No. 110)</strong> – Mills is a factor of both sides of the football. He captains the Seaman offensive line which at times dominated Hayden in a 28-22 victory. Mills has offers from FCS and DII schools. <strong>OL, DeAndre Hudson, 6’3”, 343, Wichita Southeast (’21 Ranked No. 211)</strong> – Hudson is a massive raw tackle just waiting to be molded by a college program. Think “Big Mike” from <em>The Blind Side</em>. The Southeast senior is strong and has good footwork. <strong>OL, [player_tooltip player_id="35556" first="Keyvan" last="Stallings"], 6’0”, 245, Wichita Northwest (’22 Ranked No. 17)</strong> – Stalling is a young offensive lineman with one more year left of high school. He can get even bigger and stronger over the offseason. He will be one of the top offensive line recruits from the Class of 2021. <strong>OL, [player_tooltip player_id="35565" first="Jonas" last="Vickers"], 6’2”, 285, Derby (’22 Ranked No. 26)</strong> – Vickers protects a couple of stud offensive threats. He takes this task seriously and plays hard from the snap to the whistle. He has a huge football motor and a lot of upside. He has a high ceiling and Division I and Division II schools will want to see just how high that ceiling is. <strong>OL, Logan Bollinger, 6’5”, 295, Maize South </strong>– Bollinger has the frame of an offensive lineman is a good one. In an offense that likes to be balanced, the Maverick senior gets plenty of chances to showcase his run and pass-blocking skills. He could be a real force at the collegiate level. <strong>Honorable Mentions</strong>: QB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35430" first="Jaxson" last="Gebhardt"]</strong>, SE Saline, QB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35558" first="Caden" last="Crawford"]</strong>, Lansing; QB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35373" first="Mason" last="Ross"]</strong>, Wichita Northwest; RB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49689" first="Drew" last="Schmelzle"]</strong>, Sabetha; RB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35465" first="Bryant" last="Banks"]</strong>, SE Saline; RB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35496" first="Canon" last="Karn"]</strong>, Holton; RB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49773" first="Desmond" last="Purnell"]</strong>, Hayden; WR <strong>Tanner Barcus</strong>, Parsons; WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28948" first="Jake" last="Johnson"]</strong>, Maize South; WR, <strong>Braden Blaufass,</strong> Anderson County; OL, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35466" first="Sterling" last="Harpe"]</strong>, SE Saine; OL <strong>Diego Gutierrez</strong>, Wichita Northwest; OL, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35412" first="Drew" last="French"]</strong>, Lansing.