Rise & Fire: Saturday’s top ‘24-‘26 QB’s, DB’s and LB’s

The Rise and Fire camp held three different sessions, the first was for the young up-and-coming athletes while Saturday and Sunday saw the incoming freshman and rising sophomore's competing. I've already gone over Sunday's group and now the focus will go to the Saturday's group. After already looking back on the top pass <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/07/rise-and-fire-24-25-top-pass-catchers/">catchers,</a> here where the quarterback's who threw them the balls along with their 1v1 competition on defense. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167187" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/02387209-A8DB-423E-881C-8C04F2FE24AE-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2025 Nazareth [player_tooltip player_id="118787" first="Logan" last="Malachuk"] (5'10” and 155lbs) @LoganFranchise Although a bit on the smaller side, Malachuk makes up for it with his very strong arm. It's advanced for his age, his motion is compact and short, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. Malachuk is accurate with his throws, he does need to get better at leading receivers. He's a solid athlete as well, solid speed and elusiveness. Malachuck's got at least one year of waiting in the wings before he's a viable option to start at Nazareth barring injury. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167189" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/87BAD30F-88E1-4EC9-BCF4-78363ECF168A-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Riverside-Brookfield [player_tooltip player_id="160516" first="Diego" last="Gutierrez"] (5'11” 182lbs) @DiegoGu89654875 This offseason has seen Gutierrez gain a lot of confidence, something that he'll need heading into this fall. He's positioned to be the starter after getting some varsity time last year. Gutierrez has solid arm strength and is a decent athlete. Very solid on short and intermediate throws, but does need to improve on his deep shots. That will come as he continues to get old, as Gutierrez will relied on much more this fall. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167190" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/EED1D678-0F29-41E5-A3E4-0AF3067427C0-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2026 Owen Lansu (6' and 150lbs) @OwenLansu12 Very polished for such a young player, seeing Lansu again over the summer he's improved his game. The footwork stands out, as he does well setting himself to make accurate throws. Lansu's arm strength is also impressive for his age, he can easily launch the ball 50 yards downfield. He won't see a high school field for over a year, but when Lansu does, he should compete for a starting job immediately. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167191" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/78C94B8C-340A-4F68-8F93-A067C432DA19-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Bolingbrook [player_tooltip player_id="891895" first="NaCari" last="McFarland"] (6'4” and 161lbs) @NMcfarlnd The frame is extremely impressive, he towered of over the group on Saturday, plenty of room to add good weight on as he gets older. A long strider who moves very well. McFarland showed solid accuracy and good touch on his shorter throws, but does need to tighten up his deep attempts. He looked a bit overmatched when he returned the next day, but with more reps he'll adjust to the speed of the game. Overall, McFarland has an extremely impressive skill set that will only grow in the future. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167192" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/F8053B0E-FC91-4A62-ACC6-618C02BB80BF-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Wheaton North Max Howser (5'11” and 170lbs) @mohowser21 What stands out first is that Howser has an absolute cannon for an arm. There was a long throw after camp and if there was an “official” long throw competition, he would have won it. Howser isn't the tallest, but he's stocky in build. He had good footwork and squares his shoulders well when on the move. I really like the upside that Howser has, he's definitely one to watch the next three years. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167194" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/6D35C5FB-0669-45A9-AB42-B853C78C3B1D-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 St. Charles North QB Jake Mettetal (5'10 and 175lbs) @jakemettetal It's been a few months since I last saw Mettetal and the amount of weight he has added was noticeable, especially his lower half. He's got a very strong arm, and is accurate inside 15-yards. Like most young quarterbacks Mettetal does struggle a bit with his deeper attempts. He's got solid footwork and a quick release, but I like what Mettetal brings to the table. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167195" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/04BC6BA8-4671-4EDF-B0D9-3BC23C38D633-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2025 Mt. Carmel [player_tooltip player_id="131488" first="Jack" last="Elliott"] (5'10” and 165lbs) @JackElliott09 For a incoming freshman, Elliott carries himself very well. He's got good size and moves very well. Elliott does a good job of getting his body in position to make solid throws, even on the run. He's got the ability to pop the top off a defense, arm strength isn't an issue for Elliott. I'm excited to see what he does for a very talent Mt. Carmel squad, even if he has to wait his turn on the varsity level. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167196" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/479DF69C-9509-4459-BD91-44F645973241-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Marist Owen Winters (6' and 160lbs) @owenwinters6 Great size for the position at the moment, Winters showed a live arm along with good footwork. He's got some great touch on his intermediate throws, leads receivers well and does a good job on the move. Winters also throws a solid deep ball with the same touch. Although he won't be getting too much varsity time this fall, Winters is waiting in the wings for his chance and should enjoy solid career when that happens. 2024 Lyons [player_tooltip player_id="153532" first="Ryan" last="Jackson"] (5'10” and 178lbs) @RyanJackson714 At first Jackson wasn't going to be included in the top group, but after going back and looking at my film of the session, he kept standing out. He possess a strong arm, with very good accuracy and on the move the catchable balls kept coming. Jackson has been working with teammate [player_tooltip player_id="119388" first="Noah" last="Pfafflin"], multiple times they hooked up for some very impressive reps. He's a bit on the shorter side, but that doesn't really concern me at the moment. I'm excited to see what Jackson does over the next few seasons. DB's & LB's <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167199" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/A9EE8350-21D2-4477-8D84-13176BE5A7AE-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 St. Francis defender [player_tooltip player_id="132228" first="Domenic" last="Beres"] (5'9” and 190lbs) @DomenicBeres55 I don't have a position for Beres at the moment, but that's not because of his skill set. An extremely physical player, who showed good footwork and hands to make plays on errands throws. Beres is a bully against slighter players, they didn't want to see him coming up to play bump-and-run. The reason why I don't have a position on the young man is because right now, he's just too small to play a linebacker at the collegiate level. As an in the box safety, the skills definitely work. Since Beres is just a rising sophomore, how his body fills out will go a long ways to figuring out what position he plays. Either way, he's a physical, smart player that I'd want on my team. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167200" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/7AB4D513-6BFA-4C72-8ECC-ADA8A6A8E57E-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Kenwood DB Kaleb Mai (5'10” and 150lbs) @Kaleb39395002 The size is great for the position, even though Mai is very slender at the moment. His frame will fill out as he gets older, but what he already possess is great quickness and footwork. Mai is able to flip his hips well and uses his long arms to disrupt passes. He is extremely raw at the moment, but I love the potential that Mai possess. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167201" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/30DAEED8-48C0-4398-8AF3-51E64B21484A-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 St. Francis LB Andy Bucaro (5'10” and 180lbs) @bucaro_andy A solid frame with a strong lower half, Bucaro has the ability to gain good weight, especially to his upper-body. He moves well for a linebacker and did a solid job in coverage even though events like these aren't designed for ‘backers. Bucaro has good footwork when in a back-pedal, so the ability for him to develop into a 3-down player is there. I liked what I saw even though the cards were stacked against Bucaro. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167202" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/E3BC5006-EC89-4283-92F4-32FF2FC94971-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2025 Glenbard South LB Devontae Clark Great size for his age, Clark moved extremely well. He's got long arms that helped him in pass coverage, and as he continues to get more reps dropping back, he'll just get better as time goes by. Like many others in this group, he's raw but talented, common for many incoming freshmen. The base is there, good footwork and lateral quickness, to evolve into a playmaking linebacker. Clark is a name to keep an eye on as he enters high school. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167205" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/1E36559F-4D84-4048-A2EC-D5D3E0AF1C07-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 St. Francis CB Corin Greenwell It's safe to say that when this next wave of St. Francis defenders makes their mark on the varsity squad, they'll still be in good hands. Greenwell was another one of their players to stand out, he did it with his impressive fluid hip work. Although Greenwell is a bit on the lighter side at the moment, he's got room to add on good weight as he continues to get older. He made some very impressive plays during the 1v1 portion, I saw one impressive pick and a few other passes defended. When Greenwell get's his chance on varsity, the ability for him to make a mark was evident. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-167213" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/07/978F9EA8-C9F4-44CC-8741-C4202093238A-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 South Milwaukee, WI CB [player_tooltip player_id="162557" first="Blake" last="Maldonado"] (5'9” and 155lbs) @BlakeMaldonad15 During the individual portion of the camp, Maldonado didn't stick out much, it was when the 1v1 portion started, you could see why he started to stand out. The physicality that he brought was unmatched. Maldonado picked off a few passes, during that showing very good closing speed and the hips to turn with wide receivers. He's got a solid frame that will allow him to add on weight and just get stronger at the point of attack. I was very impressed with Maldonado's performance.