Outstate prospect report: Southwest

Next up on my trip around Minnesota, I ventured into the southwest region of the state. Southwest is a bit of a loose term here – no one would claim St. Cloud is in the southwest part of Minnesota, but when cutting up the pie geographically, for purposes of this series of stories, the area fits in best in that quarter of the state. It was not hard to find football talent in the class of 2022 in this broader definition of the southwest. I decided to cut the list off at ten. I could have gone at least four or five deeper, and that is not including a couple of high-end guys I have already done individual stories on that I decided to omit – looking at you, [player_tooltip player_id="49820" first="Deylin" last="Hasert"], and [player_tooltip player_id="18438" first="Sam" last="Rensch"] - to give some other guys exposure. [player_tooltip player_id="18444" first="Thomas" last="Diew"] <strong>DL St. Cloud Apollo</strong> What is the best way to explain how athletic Diew is? The defensive end also plays wide receiver on offense. At 6’8", Diew’s length is possibly his best attribute. He uses his length and hands to get separation from blockers. When he can’t get to the quarterback, his length allows him to get into passing lanes. At 220 pounds, he is more physical at the point of attack than his long frame would suggest. Diew has some DI interest heading into his senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="49926" first="Andrew" last="Gottwalt"] <strong>ATH St. Cloud Tech</strong> Gottwalt runs tight routes and shows excellent footwork. He has good reactions and adjusts to the ball well. Not just a pass catcher, Gottwalt also uses good footwork as a willing and effective blocker on the outside. Although he is not a big receiver, he is one of the better blocking wide receivers that I have seen watching highlight packages. With his physical style, it should come as no surprise that he is most effective running short routes to take advantage of his physical nature. [player_tooltip player_id="18447" first="Devon" last="Verhasselt"] <strong>DB Hutchinson</strong> Playing a deep safety, Verhasselt has excellent instincts when it comes to supporting the run. He breaks decisively on the ball and is a physical, downhill tackler who excels in the open field. He takes good angles, both attacking the run and covering the deep pass. [player_tooltip player_id="49930" first="Caden" last="Fenger"] <strong>ATH Marshall</strong> Playing running back and outside linebacker, Fenger plays remarkably the same on both sides of the ball. At 6’0" 205 pounds, he is not the most physical runner or linebacker, but he is physical enough. He moves on offense similarly to how he moves on defense, using quickness and angles to find the hole, get the edge or beat a blocker to a spot to disrupt a play. DII and DIII programs have their eyes on Fenger. [player_tooltip player_id="49825" first="Aaron" last="Elliott"] <strong>LB Hutchinson</strong> Elliott takes an aggressive approach to the inside linebacker position. Once he diagnoses the play, he explodes into the hole and lays the wood to ball carriers. He has great range and can run from sideline to sideline in pursuit of the ball. He is adept at sorting through the trash while still being able to find the ball carrier. Elliott also plays tight end and is just as physical and aggressive blocking as he is tackling. Elliott currently holds two DII offers. [player_tooltip player_id="18440" first="Zach" last="Jorgenson"] <strong>QB Fairmont</strong> Jorgenson moves well in the pocket and has a strong arm. He can make throws downfield from one sideline to another. He throws a catchable, accurate deep ball and can push the ball down the field while on the run. I don’t think he looks to run often, but he moves well in the pocket and can buy himself time to make throws. Maybe he should look to run more because he has excellent speed for his 6’3" 180-pound frame when he opens it up. [player_tooltip player_id="116257" first="Hudson" last="Artz"] <strong>LB Fairmont</strong> Artz appears to be going one hundred miles an hour all the time. He is extremely aggressive from his linebacker spot both in the running game and when rushing the passer. Aggressive but under control, Artz can breakdown quickly and, despite his attacking style, gets himself in good position is a solid tackler. His aggressive style made him perfect on special teams. He was so effective he was named Special Teams Player of the Year in his district. When taking into account he was a multi-event participant in the state track meet this year, at 6’0" 185-pounds, he is faster than he looks – adding to his effective aggression. He currently has at least three DII offers. [player_tooltip player_id="116502" first="Ty" last="Hansen"] <strong>WR Pipestone</strong> At 5’11" and 180 pounds, Hansen relies on quickness and footwork. A two-way player, Hansen excels on short routes by using his good footwork to make sharp cuts to get himself open. In addition to good hip rotation, that footwork allows him to break on balls defensively at corner and react quickly to the receivers’ routes. [player_tooltip player_id="116490" first="Trevor" last="King"] <strong>ATH Heron Lake-Okabena-Fulda</strong> As a linebacker, King’s lateral movement allows him to move efficiently from tight end to tight end. When he lines up a ball carrier, he hits his man and wraps him up. The ball carrier stays hit. At 6’0" 180 pounds, King works well in a phone book and in space. He uses his hands well to fight off blockers. His hands help him as a tight end too. They allow him to get off the line of scrimmage relatively cleanly. He is athletic enough to line up as a slot receiver and still get separation running routes. [player_tooltip player_id="120954" first="Levi" last="Lindley"] <strong>RB Jackson County Central</strong> Lindley plays three positions for the Huskies – running back, Wildcat quarterback, and linebacker. On offense, he is a powerful runner with just enough wiggle to make people miss in the open field. Primarily a one cut-and-go runner, his powerful lower half allows him to shed arm tackles with ease. It was not a rare occurrence to see him dragging helpless tacklers three or four yards downfield as they desperately wait for help bringing Lindley down. As physical as he is, it did not come as a surprise to see him blowing defenders out of the way when he is asked to be a lead blocker. His physical style makes him a solid tackler on defense who is especially explosive coming off the edge.