Outstate prospect report: Northeast

While prepredzonemn.com tries to cover players from all over the state, living where I live, personally, I am guilty of covering games and athletes who live near me in the Metro area - just look at the cover photo. Over the next couple of weeks, I will virtually travel to all four corners of the state to highlight some of the best of the 2022 class from the outstate areas. Today, I start in the northeast. [player_tooltip player_id="49876" first="Connery" last="Wiecks"] WR Duluth East His film on the offensive side of the ball is nice, but Wiecks impressed me more as a defensive back. At 6’1", his length, receiver skills, and instincts are a problem. He is a long strider who makes up ground faster than it appears. He doesn’t have great cutback ability, but for a long athlete like Wiecks, he moves well in the open field – enough for the coaches to use him in the running game. Although not his strong suit, the 195-pound athlete is a willing tackler and blocker. Wiecks has an offer from Macalester and has multiple DIII and DII schools interested in him. [player_tooltip player_id="49834" first="Andy" last="Thomsen"] LB Grand Rapids Thomsen is physical at the point of attack. When offensive linemen or lead blockers come out to meet Thomsen – they will remember it. The inside linebacker has a solid initial punch to keep potential blockers at range. He appears most comfortable as a between-the-tackles linebacker but has the range to get sideline to sideline. The 6’3" 230-pound athlete has committed to suit up for North Dakota State after his senior year. [player_tooltip player_id="49855" first="Will" last="Turnbull"] TE Cloquet Turnbull runs tight routes from his tight end position and can make the contested catch in traffic. At 6’2" 225 pounds, Turnbull moves well and has good straight-line speed. He gets better separation than it looks like he should. As a stand-up defensive end or outside linebacker, he explodes into ball carriers. With the speed that makes him a problem on offense, he can run plays down from the backside and run down opponents well downfield. He has multiple Division II programs looking at him. [player_tooltip player_id="116281" first="Reese" last="Turnbull"] OL Cloquet Turnbull has a quick first step as both an interior offensive and defensive lineman. His quickness allows him to get to the second level, cut off angles and engage with linebackers before they can square up in the hole. He has a good initial punch to keep defenders on their heels and keep defensive linemen from getting inside his initial arm extension. The 6’2" 255-pound athlete has a roster spot offer from Augsburg and interest from multiple Division II programs. [player_tooltip player_id="49882" first="Alec" last="Turnbull"] QB Cloquet The third and final Lumberjack Turnbull has good arm strength to push the ball down the field. When he has time to set his feet, he throws an accurate deep ball. Along with the arm to stretch the defense, he can put the ball on his receivers, running shorter routes. While I wouldn’t say he is a running quarterback, Turnbull has good pocket presence and runs to give his receivers time to get open. When on the run, he still puts the ball where he wants more often than not. He is looking at a lot of Division II interest with some DI programs sprinkled in as well. [player_tooltip player_id="49841" first="TJ" last="Chiabotti"] RB North Woods Chiabotti is rarely brought down with an arm tackle. Defenders will have to put a shoulder into him and wrap him up to get him on the ground. He is most effective when he can make one cut and get up the field. Not just a runner, Chiabotti is effective in the passing game as well. He can make tough, contested catches out of the backfield. A classic I-formation back, the 5’11" 195-pound athlete has good vision to see the hole and hit it – often a full speed. Chiabotti has drawn interest from plenty of DII programs.