Iowa7v7 Back to Ballin Day One: Top Gunslingers

CEDAR FALLS/WATERLOO, IA-- In what was a fantastic weekend of 7on7 football at the Iowa7v7 Football Back to Ballin event played at the UNI Dome (Cedar Falls) and Cedar Valley Soccer Complex (Waterloo), we got to see tons of talent from Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota. We start our evaluations at the quarterback position, wherefrom my eyes, these QB rooms from across the Midwest are absolutely loaded from the 8th graders (2025) up to the seniors (2021). Note: This list was accumulated from plenty of notes throughout the weekend & input from all coaches and teams from the event. If we missed anyone, please email Nate@PrepRedzone.com 2025s Maximus Sims | St. Thomas Acadamy (Mendota Heights), MN/Hitmen | (2025) <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EaJn9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fr. Tape</a> Riley Grossman | Lakeville North, MN/Hitmen | (2025) <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15104805/Riley-Grossman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl Profile</a> 2024s Hudson Ferralez | Hesston, KS/785 Elite | (2024) Ferralez was one of the top young gunslingers I got to watch this weekend at the UNI Dome. Ferralez was making throws that show so much potential in his game. When I watch Hudson’s tape, I see a QB that gets the ball out very quickly out of his hands and can make a variety of throws that make him next-level material even as just a young freshman. I am a big fan of this young man’s touch on the football as he can squeeze throws into some tight windows. He also has solid precision. His QB play all weekend was essential at getting 785 Elite a championship in 15U this weekend. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EYz89" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="105379" first="Tanner" last="Zolnosky"] | East Ridge (Woodbury),MN/Hitmen | (2024) <div class="mceTemp"></div> Zolnosky has one of the best young arms Minnesota has to offer, and he indeed showed that on Saturday. My jaw hit the turf when I saw Zolnosky’s arm strength on one of his multiple touchdowns from the weekend. Zolnosky doesn’t just use that arm strength in the pocket either; he showed that he could drop some dimes with excellent precision to go along with it when you roll back his tape as a freshmen QB at East Ridge, where he was getting some quality varsity reps as just a freshman. I have no doubt in my mind Tanner will be one of the top QBs in Minnesota for years to come with what I saw on Saturday as he has such a high ceiling with plenty of room for even more growth in the comings years. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Es3er" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fr. Tape</a> [caption id="attachment_125319" align="alignnone" width="151"]<img class="wp-image-125319 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_2456-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="151" height="201" /> East Ridge/Hitmen QB [player_tooltip player_id="105379" first="Tanner" last="Zolnosky"][/caption]  Carson Fox | Clear Creek-Amana, IA/Fire Dragons | (2024) Fox put together some solid drives for the Fire Dragons this weekend at the UNI Dome. Carson isn’t the biggest QB on the face of the earth but has plenty of time for growth and development. He shows strong poise and has good strength in his throwing arsenal. When I roll the tape on Fox, I see loaded potential as an EDGE rusher on defense as he shows plenty of glimpses of intense bursts on his freshman tape off the line. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EQpAX" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fr. Tape</a> 2023s [player_tooltip player_id="104081" first="JJ" last="Kohl"] | Ankeny, IA/Team Premier | (2023) Kohl had a tough first outing of the day, but in the rest of his games, he settled in nicely for Team Premier in the later games. Kohl is a big-bodied 6’6 225 pound QB that loves the deep ball. Kohl also showed the zip on the football on his shorter throws. Kohl offers strong precision in his film and gives his wide receivers options when he throws the ball, putting the ball in spots away from the secondary in tight windows. Kohl has been a workhorse in the weight room this offseason adding 25 pounds since March 2020 to show even more discipline. Kohl is one of several QBs from our list from Day 1 that is our Prep Redzone Iowa Watchlist in the Class of 2023. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EWy14" target="_blank" rel="noopener">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="24030" first="Jamison" last="Patton"] | Des Moines Roosevelt, IA/Team Premier | (2023) I watched limited reps of Patton compared to the others, but what I did saw was more than enough to add him to the list on day one at the UNI-Dome. I found Patton to have an excellent touch on the football in every throw he made on Saturday. Patton has so much strength in his quick release it just looks so natural flying out of his arm. What else drew me to Patton was his shift in his feet; as you could tell on Saturday, if you wanted this kid to win a play with his legs, he most certainly has that drive with his explosive feet. Another QB prospect that sits on our 2023 watchlist out of Des Moines Roosevelt. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ecggm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="112140" first="Finn" last="McElroy"] | Edina, MN/Potenza Sports | (2023) The transformation in McElroy’s game from what I watched even six-seven months ago is fantastic. First of all, you can tell McElroy has transformed his body in the weight room, looking so much stronger than the last time I watched him. He’s also has made significant gains in his throwing mechanics from that time, and he has such a strong football IQ on what he wants to do with the football. Finn’s ability to be a fire-pop thrower just to pick apart defenses like it’s a game of Operation is super fun to watch. We get so fired up about the deep balls in 7on7 that we sometimes forget about the QB prospects that are just making the right throws at the right time, just like Edina’s [player_tooltip player_id="112140" first="Finn" last="McElroy"]. Certainly, a college-level prospect coming out of the Hornets program. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FJ9m4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa 7on7 Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104805" first="Nolan" last="Mosier"] | Davenport North, IA | (2023) Mosier was another big framed quarterback that showed off the tools that he could just grind out quality yards on the defense by putting the ball in the right spot at the right time. Rolling back Mosier’s film, you see a prospect that uses the sidelines to his advantage and can fit throws in small windows with ease. I really like Mosier’s throws inside 20 yards as that’s when you see the best zip on his ball. Mosier also has a strong pocket presence and throws really sound seam passes between multiple defenders. Big time measurables at 6’4, 220. Mosier is another 2023 prospect on our 2023 Watchlist for QBs in Iowa. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/13075153/5fc698329677700ba831cde0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">So. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="112054" first="Jacob" last="Kilzer"] | Maple Grove, MN/Potenza Sports | (2023) Our #1 QB prospect in the 2023 class showed off his spot this weekend in Iowa. Kilzer made some precise throws and let his wide receivers go up and get it as he had some excellent placements from what I saw this weekend. When you roll back Kilzer’s film, you see arm strength that looks effortless even when he makes the bigger throws on his tape. Another QB on this list can make some great plays with his legs and use his strong lower body to gain his fair share of yards after contact. He also has strong footwork, and in my eyes, he can develop even better footwork when he’s throwing from the pocket. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/14323938/5fa80f7c0c54df0af46bd28b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">So Tape </a> [player_tooltip player_id="104089" first="Dallas" last="Sauser"] | Grinnell, IA | (2023) Sauser was such a precise thrower in leading the Grinnell Tigers to a second-place finish in the 18U division. He certainly has the football IQ to know his wide receivers’ speed and puts it in the right spot to get his guys the momentum when driving down the field. When I watched Sauser’s high school film, I saw a QB that excels at throwing the ball over the middle of the field with ease in an effective as an RPO quarterback. He has a rapid release and has some leg speed to get some quality yards on the run. Sauser has a really effective swipe running the option and has caught plenty of defenses off guard following the ball too much, and they instead get stuck behind chasing the wide receiver for touchdowns. Sauser had a 10/1 touchdown to interception ratio as a sophomore which is a good reason why he’s on our 2023 watchlist in the state of Iowa. [player_tooltip player_id="49840" first="Colton" last="Hackel"] | Perham ,MN)/Hitmen | (2022) It would be an understatement to tell you Hackel was letting it rip this weekend for the 18U champion Hitmen. Hackel was super effective at throwing the deep ball with his tremendous arm strength. Hackel showed astonishing accuracy in the bulk of balls I saw him throw on Saturday regardless of the throw he was making. When you roll back the film on Hackel, you not only see the arm, but you see the elusiveness in his game as he gets out of trouble with his legs and still makes gains for positive yards. Not only was I super impressed with Hackel’s performance this weekend, but I came away even more impressed with him as a person, as after his Hitmen team got the championship win, he was the first kid in line over on the Grinnell sidelines shaking hands with his opponents showing what a humble kid he really is. Last year’s best QB in Minnesota came from the outstate, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the next one be Perham’s [player_tooltip player_id="49840" first="Colton" last="Hackel"] in his senior season. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EhPQx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jr. Tape</a> [caption id="attachment_125317" align="alignnone" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-125317 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_2459-1-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /> Perham/Hitmen QB [player_tooltip player_id="49840" first="Colton" last="Hackel"][/caption]  [player_tooltip player_id="99342" first="Peyton" last="Goode"] | Ankeny Centennial, IA/Level Up | (2022) Goode not only showed what a fantastic QB he was this weekend, but he also showed he’s got plenty more tools in the shed than just that. Goode is such a versatile threat that is super fun to watch go to work wherever he is on the football field. Goode has strong jets in his legs and made one of the most acrobatic catches I witnessed on Saturday. Goode is one of those athletes that when he sees a lane coming from the backfield, he likes his legs just burst out from under him, and it’s all gas, no brakes from that point on. When you watch his film, you see a QB that the ball just snaps out of his arm with a terrific zip on the ball. There’s not a doubt in my mind Goode can play scholarship-level college football at either position. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EF7f0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="18529" first="Cade" last="Fitzgerald"] | Champlin Park/My7on7 (MN) | (2022) Fitzgerald predominantly plays quarterback but checked multiple boxes as an athlete this weekend but still owned his craft at the quarterback position along with catching several balls at wide receiver and was able to lock up some wide receivers at cornerback too. When you roll Fitzgerald’s tape you not only see loaded deep ball arm strength but you see a kid that has strong mobility to make strong throws on the run and can use his legs to create his own yards as well. When you look at his numbers from 2020 for the Rebels he had over 1100 yards which over 400 of those all-purpose yards were on the ground showing what a versatile threat Fitzgerald really is. Besides his deep ball strength, Fitzgerald also has a good touch throw he uses to his advantage. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EhJHe">Jr Tape</a> 2021s [player_tooltip player_id="18131" first="Andrew" last="Gotziaman"] | Minneapolis Washburn, MN/My7on7 | (2021) Gotziaman was another seasoned veteran at QB for My7on7 on Saturday. Gotziaman showed off some great poise in the games in the variety of throws he made that I witnessed and was another driver of the field making the right throws to pick apart defenses. When you roll Gotziman’s film, you see a fearless ball thrower that’s not afraid to sling it deep to anywhere on the football field. Gotziman has solid precision, knowing getting the ball just in front of WRs like [player_tooltip player_id="18072" first="Jamarien" last="Wheeler"] will more than likely lead to a Miller’s touchdown. The Gusties out of St. Peter got a gem of a QB in Andrew Goitzman. <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Ehpwa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sr. Tape</a> [player_tooltip player_id="22929" first="Jack" last="Pelzel"] | St. Cloud Cathderal, MN/My 7on7 | (2021) From what I saw from the early morning games, Pelzel has made great strides from 2020 to 2021 on his mobility for making throws outside of the pocket once he found his rhythm. I found Pelzel threw his best balls of the weekend to his fellow St. Cloud Cathderal Crusaders teammate (we’ll chat about him soon), which gave him a big window to throw to. Jack is a Concordia-Moorhead commit that should have a great career with the Cobbers up north! <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EX3GA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 Tape</a> [caption id="attachment_125320" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="wp-image-125320 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/03/IMG_2454-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /> St. Cloud Cathedral/My7on7 QB [player_tooltip player_id="22929" first="Jack" last="Pelzel"][/caption]