Class of ’23 Players to Watch: Wichita

With 7 players ranked in the top 150 and 2 in the top 5 in the class of 2023, it is safe to say that there is a great deal of talented Juniors in the Wichita public schools.  Here are five of those players to keep an eye on this season. <strong>RB, [player_tooltip player_id="35641" first="John" last="Randle"], 6’0, 180, Wichita Heights</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35641" first="John" last="Randle"] is the 2nd ranked RB and the 2nd ranked player overall for the class of 2023.  He had a very good Sophomore season in ’20 as he rushed for 1009 yards on 102 carries and scored 17 TD.  He had 7 games where he rushed for at least 100 yards. He also caught 5 passes for 57 yards.  He displays very good vision and decision making as he quickly finds the open hole and uses his quickness to bend it back or bounce it to the outside if need be.  He shows good burst through the hole and accelerates to top speed quickly as he shows very good play speed outrunning DB for long gains. <strong>ATH, [player_tooltip player_id="35662" first="Wesley" last="Fair"], 6’3, 175, Wichita Collegiate</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="35662" first="Wesley" last="Fair"] is the #1 ranked ATH and the 5th ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  He did it all last year as a Sophomore as he completed 66 of 111 passes for 944 yards and 7 TD, rushed the ball 253 times for 1771 yards and 27 TD and caught 4 passes for 74 yards and a TD.  In addition, he also contributed 52 tackles with a TFL, 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries on defense. On offense, he uses his very good mobility to escape the rush of the LB blitzing through the A gap, showing excellent acceleration ability in the open field as he is able to run away from all defenders en route to a long TD.  He is a very good passer who sees the entire field and delivers the deep ball with accuracy and touch placing the ball on the correct shoulder maximizing yards after the catch.  On defense he plays as a FS.  He shows excellent ball skills as he tracks the ball over his shoulder and makes the interception with his arms fully extended. <strong>ATH, [player_tooltip player_id="87668" first="Lafayette" last="Washington"], 5’10, 165, Wichita Heights</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="87668" first="Lafayette" last="Washington"] is the 8th ranked ATH and the 63rd ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  In 2020, he rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries and scored 2 TD.  He displays very good play speed as he gets to the outside and turns the corner showing great burst as he accelerates to top speed quickly and is able to outrun all defenders in the open field for a long TD.  In addition to showing great prowess running the ball to the outside, he is also a very tough runner between the tackles as he shows very good burst through the hole running behind his pads and possesses very good contact balance and play strength as he shows the ability to break tackles from much larger MLB. <strong>QB, [player_tooltip player_id="123604" first="Malachi" last="Rogers"], 6’0, 180, Wichita West</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="123604" first="Malachi" last="Rogers"] is the 15th ranked QB and the 86th ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  In 2020, he completed 15 of 30 passes for 175 yards and rushed for 112 yards on 35 carries and a TD.  On QB design runs, he uses his good athletic ability to elude LB and DL as he breaks into the secondary while using his good play strength to drag DB for a few yards as he picks up a first down.  As a passer, he finds the open receiver quickly and throws the deep ball with accuracy and touch as he places the ball in a spot where only the WR can get it.  When evading the rush, he shows good mobility as he is able to buy time with his his legs, keeps his eyes down field while delivering an accurate strike on the move with very good velocity. <strong>RB, [player_tooltip player_id="87653" first="Tmarius" last="Nolen"], 5’10, 170 Wichita Southeast</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="87653" first="Tmarius" last="Nolen"] is the 21st ranked RB and the 134th ranked player overall in the class of 2023.  His stellar play during the 2020 season was definitely a bright spot for the Golden Buffaloes.  He shows good vision and decision making ability as he makes the correct decision on which hole to run through, displaying very good contact balance as he keeps his balance after the initial hit from the LB and DB and fights through multiple defenders gaining a first down in the process.  In addition to being a talented RB, he also plays LB where he is tough against the run and pass.