Each Teams MVP Heading into Next Season (Group 5)

Here is Group 5! This part will feature Southeast Polk, Prairie, Linn-Mar, Waterloo West, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, and Ottumwa. Lets dive in! Southeast Polk - CO-MVP [player_tooltip player_id="23947" first="Jaxon" last="Dailey"] (QB), [player_tooltip player_id="23942" first="Xavier" last="Nwankpa"] (DB) Class of 2022 Southeast Polk brings back stars [player_tooltip player_id="23942" first="Xavier" last="Nwankpa"] and [player_tooltip player_id="23947" first="Jaxon" last="Dailey"], making expectations high. I went with a CO-MVP because both players will need to bring their game to a higher level than last season to win a championship. [player_tooltip player_id="23947" first="Jaxon" last="Dailey"] will have to find a different go-to target this coming season, which can present a challenge. He does have a stud running back (Titus Christensen) and a beast on the offensive line in [player_tooltip player_id="24023" first="Kadyn" last="Proctor"]. Xavier will definitely make a big step his senior season and he is going to be the head of the defense and a major play maker for Southeast Polk on the offensive end. One of the best teams in the state and it is Championship or Bust in Altoona. Prairie - Dionte Fiss (QB) Class of 2022 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11593000/Dionte-Fliss">Hudl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/flissdionte?lang=en">Twitter</a> [player_tooltip player_id="98655" first="Dionte" last="Fliss"] is one of the more impressive returning QBs, throwing 7 Touchdowns and only 1 Interception. He is mobile and has a high-quality arm. Prairie had a run-first scheme with star [player_tooltip player_id="23862" first="Nick" last="Pearson"] (and it worked for the most part), but I would like to see Prairie hand the keys of the offense to Dionte. A talented receiving core featuring WR Elijah Ward and TE [player_tooltip player_id="23945" first="Gabe" last="Burkle"] is returning - and I think Dionte would flourish if given a chance to throw the ball more. But either way, Prairie is a team to watch next season. Linn-Mar - [player_tooltip player_id="98656" first="McKade" last="Jelinek"] (QB) Class of 2022 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11275258/McKade-Jelinek">Hudl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mckadejelinek?lang=en">Twitter</a> This was a tough one. I like [player_tooltip player_id="23960" first="Clayton" last="Muszynski"] and think he is poised to be the leader of this defense next season, but a returning QB is a huge advantage in high school football and that is why I am going with [player_tooltip player_id="98656" first="McKade" last="Jelinek"]. He does a great job of scanning the field and looking at his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd options. If he improves his consistency and accuracy, I think Linn-Mar could end up making a run in the playoffs. McKade had 6 Passing Touchdowns, 2 Rushing Touchdowns, 481 Passing Yards, 71 Rushing Yards, 4 Interceptions, and a 54.2 Completion Percentage during his junior season. Waterloo West - [player_tooltip player_id="99160" first="Jeremiah" last="Feahn"] (WR/LB) Class of 2022 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13264579/Jeremiah-Feahn">Hudl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/feahnjeremiah?lang=en">Twitter</a> Jeremiah had a high-quality junior year for Waterloo West, putting up 398 Receiving Yards, 3 Receiving Touchdowns, and 22.1 Yards Per Catch. He rarely went down on the first contact and was great after the catch. I would like to see some more separation created off of routes that could get him more notice. He also had a great year at linebacker, putting up 46 Tackles and 38 Solo Tackles. He has the potential to blow up and get some high-quality division attention with some fine-tuning and a slight technique improvement. Cedar Rapids Jefferson - [player_tooltip player_id="100891" first="Lonny" last="Melvin"] (DB/WR) Class of 2022 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11322848/Lonny-Melvin">Hudl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/lonny_melvin">Twitter</a> [player_tooltip player_id="100891" first="Lonny" last="Melvin"] had a heavy workload last season, playing offense and defense while being first on the depth chart in both positions. At WR, Lonny is good at making plays in zone coverage and finding soft spots. Lonny is good at reacting to where the ball is placed and making a play on it. With some polish, he could be an outside wide receiver at a high D-2 or a school like Saint Thomas. At DB, [player_tooltip player_id="100891" first="Lonny" last="Melvin"] is long and athletic. He makes quality plays on the ball and has good play recognition. Lonny also makes a lot of tackles in coverage, preventing some big plays. He has a high ceiling. Overall, Lonny should have another heavy workload this season and generate some college interest. Ottumwa - Austin Fountain (LB/RB) Class of 2022 Ottumwa struggled last season, going 0-7. They also lost [player_tooltip player_id="23927" first="Trae" last="Swartz"], who was a big factor for them offensively. With limited choices, this decision was difficult, but I am going with Austin. He put up quality numbers, having 31.5 Tackles, 17 Solo Tackles, 1 Sack, and 4 Tackles for Loss. It will be interesting seeing who Ottumwa’s main guy is next season. That will wrap up Group 5! The next part will be on Group 6 consisting of Ankeny Centennial, Waukee Northwest, Urbandale, Sioux City East, Des Moines East, and Sioux City West.