Class of ’22: Top Players in Shawnee Mission

There are several talented players in the Shawnee Mission school district.  Those players should have a tremendous impact on their team in 2021.  Here are the top 5 players from the class of 2022. <strong>DL, [player_tooltip player_id="35543" first="Haiden" last="Berndt"], 6’3, 255, Shawnee Mission West</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35543" first="Haiden" last="Berndt"] is the 8th ranked DL and the 54th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  In 2020, he made 21 tackles with 4.5 TFL.  He plays as a DE where he lines up in a 5T.  He is a good pass rusher who is quick off the ball, dips his shoulder to get under the OT and executes a rip move to beat the OT, displays very good closing speed as he rushes the QB and forces the QB to release the ball much sooner than he anticipated resulting in an incompletion.  Against the run, he defeats the block of the OT using his play strength and hand use, keeps his eyes on the ball carrier at all times and uses his excellent play strength to bring the ball carrier down with force. <strong>LB, [player_tooltip player_id="89231" first="Keith" last="Locke"], 5’11, 210, Shawnee Mission Northwest</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="89231" first="Keith" last="Locke"] is the 9th ranked LB and the 64th ranked player in the class of 2022.  In 2020, he played well as he made 42 tackles with 4 TFL and had 2 sacks.  He plays as an ILB.  Against the run, he uses his instincts and play speed while taking the correct angle in pursuit of the ball carrier, plays at a good pad level and displays good form tackling ability as he drives through the RB bringing him down with ease.  He is also an effective pass rusher who uses his play speed to quickly penetrate the A gap, his range and closing speed in pursuit of the QB and his play strength to finish up with a sack. <strong>TE, [player_tooltip player_id="35626" first="Logan" last="Oberle"], 6’5, 240, Shawnee Mission North</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35626" first="Logan" last="Oberle"] is the 2nd ranked TE and the 117th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He plays in tight as a Y where is used primarily as a blocker.  He is an excellent run blocker as he fires out low, quickly shoots his hands placing them on the chest of the SAM but also quick enough to block a 5T while delivering a great hand punch, drives his legs and displays excellent play strength and physical toughness as he finishes the block to the ground against LB and DE. <strong>WR, [player_tooltip player_id="89682" first="Jack" last="Meylan"], 5’11, 170, Shawnee Mission Northwest</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="89682" first="Jack" last="Meylan"] is the 14th ranked WR and the 119th ranked player in the class of 2020.  In 2020, he had a very good season for the cougars as he caught 28 passes for 391 yds and scored 11 TD.  He plays as an X on the outside.  He uses his football intelligence to read the coverage, finds the soft spot in zone, breaks off his stem at a 90 degree angle on a dig route while possessing good hands as he makes on target catches with ease and shows very good toughness and heart as he runs behind his pads with the ball in his hands lowering his shoulder against DB and LB to pick up a few extra yards. <strong>OL, [player_tooltip player_id="91414" first="Jack" last="Muller"], 6’1, 248, Shawnee Mission East</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="91414" first="Jack" last="Muller"] is the 20th ranked OL and the 126th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He plays as a LT.  He is a very good run blocker who quickly gets his hat across the 5T on reach blocks while delivering a powerful hand punch as he wins battles with his hands inside, uses his play strength in his upper and lower body to drive the 5T off the ball opening a big hole for the RB and displays good physical toughness as he finishes the block to the ground.  He is also a good pass blocker as he keeps his feet constantly moving, anchors well as he sinks his hips to prevent him from getting bullrushed, is physical at the point of attack and keeps the QB clean.