Looking Ahead to 2021: Lawrence

As the 2020 season comes to a close, it is now time to look ahead to next season and look at some players who will have a significant impact in 2021.  There is a great abundance of talent in Lawrence at both Lawrence High and Free State who will try to improve their craft as they become Juniors and Seniors next season.  Here are the top 5. [player_tooltip player_id="35645" first="Cole" last="Watson"] TE Lawrence 6’4 230 Cole is the #1 ranked TE in the class of 2023 and the #4 ranked player overall.  In 2020, he began the season as a LG but converted later in the season.  He played a huge role as Lawrence went 9-1 and was one of the top teams in the state.  Plays as a Y TE as well as an H Back where he is predominantly used as a blocker.  An outstanding run blocker as he fires out low, shoots his hands quickly with good placement inside of the SAM Linebacker and uses his very good play strength to drive him off the ball.  When executing a reach block, he uses his very good quickness to get his hat across the face of the 7T and uses his excellent physical toughness to finish the block to the ground for a pancake.  He is a very good pass blocker as well as he keeps his feet moving constantly and is strong enough to anchor against DE lined up in a 4i while using his reactive athleticism to stay in front of his man as the DE executes a twist. [player_tooltip player_id="35563" first="Tai" last="Newhouse"] DL Free State 6’3 285 Tai is the #7 ranked DL in the class of 2022 and the #24 ranked player overall.  He plays as a DE where he lines up predominantly in a 5T.  He is quick off the ball and plays at a good pad level while shooting his hands quickly and violently as he drives the OT back.  He uses his very good quickness and agility to defeat the OT by beating him with an inside move and uses his good motor and play speed to pressure the QB as the QB releases the ball quicker than he would’ve liked to.  Against the run, he uses his instincts to take the correct angle to the ball carrier and uses his play strength to bring him down with force. [player_tooltip player_id="35567" first="Noah" last="Smith"] OL/DL Lawrence 6’4 290 Noah is the 28th ranked player overall in the class of 2021.  He plays mostly on offense as a LT and a DT on defense.  A very good run blocker who fires off the ball quickly at a good pad level, gets his hat across the face of the 4i to win the outside shoulder when executing reach blocks on outside zone runs, rolls his hips on contact and delivers a powerful hand punch with good placement as he drives his man off the ball leading to a big gain or a TD by the RB.  In pass protection, he keeps his feet moving while bending at the knee and uses his hands, physical toughness and leverage against DE in 4i or 5T to maintain space between him and the QB. [player_tooltip player_id="35588" first="Tyler" last="Gourley"] OL Free State 6’2 290 Tyler is the 7th ranked OL in the class of 2022 and the 49th ranked player overall.  He plays as a C for the Firebirds.  He is a very good run blocker who quickly gets to the 2nd level for a combo block after double teaming the 1T with the OG on inside zone runs and uses his excellent play strength to throw the LB to the ground with ease.  In pass pro, he keeps his feet moving and wins battles against the NT with his hand placement, leverage and play strength as he keeps the QB clean. [player_tooltip player_id="35595" first="Jet" last="Dineen"] QB Free State 5’11 180 The play of [player_tooltip player_id="35595" first="Jet" last="Dineen"] was a bright spot in the 2020 season for the Firebirds.  He is an efficient passer when he is asked to throw who also displays very good athleticism and is a dual threat at the position.  When looking at the film, he plays with great competitive toughness and power as he is able to break multiple tackles from DB and LB due to his very good play strength and can run over DB and LB while on QB design and option runs.