Stuttgart Ricebirds 2021 Seniors Preview

The Stuttgart Ricebirds suffered a tough defeat to Shiloh Christian in the semi-finals of the state playoffs on Friday night. However, credit must be given to a talented Stuttgart team that will be loaded with a talented senior class next season. We are going to examine the key seniors for Stuttgart that will have a chance to play on Saturdays in 2022. <strong>Pate Kleinbeck- Quarterback</strong> A quarterback that has the potential to have a huge offseason from a recruiting perspective is Pate Kleinbeck. Kleinbeck has an accurate arm and it is strong to fit the ball into a tight window. The part of his game that I enjoy is that he is not afraid to use his legs to extend drives. Kleinbeck helped lead the Ricebirds to an impressive turnaround this season. Stuttgart finished the season with a 12-1 season after winning only one game a season ago. Kleinbeck is going to be a player to watch during the offseason as well as the regular season. <strong>Artie Lee- Wide Receiver</strong> All impressive quarterbacks must have a reliable wide receiver to throw the ball to and Lee fits that descriptions. Lee is an athletic wide receiver that is a threat in the red zone. He has the ability to go up and high point the football. Lee does a great job of using his speed to get into his routes and keep the defensive back honest. He is one player that I expect his recruiting to heat up this summer when seven on seven play gets started. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="75086" first="Daniel" last="Poole"]- Cornerback/Running Back</strong> Poole is such an intriguing talent because he is so effective on both sides of the ball. Poole is a highlight reel no matter where he lines up on the field. From the defensive perspective he has excellent instincts and has no trouble anticipating the route the opposing wide receiver will run. Poole has the hands to pick off the pass and if he cannot make the interception, he will bat the ball away from the intended receiver. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the he is a decisive runner and is rarely brought by the player to make contact with him. He is going to have a busy offseason and I would expect to see his recruiting take off as well this offseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="75113" first="Lavonte" last="Clark"]-Defensive end/Linebacker</strong> Clark is extremely versatile and has the talent to play the defensive end and linebacker spots. He does a great job of being able to get into the opposing offensive backfield. Clark does a good job being able to bring down the ballcarrier and he will rarely miss a tackle. One area that he will continue to improve is the area of pass coverage. Clark will have the opportunity to see the field quite a bit next season and it will be interesting to see how much improvement he makes. Clark has potential and he should be another player that will be playing on Saturdays in the future.