2021 Minnesota Team Preview: Minneapolis Southwest Lakers

MINNEAPOLIS– We move onto our second "two a days" from Wednesday evening as we move over to preview the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. Over the last few years, the Lakers had their fair share of D1 prospects such as TK Marshall (NDSU) and (St. Thomas) in the last two years. They also in my eyes, have a strong amount of college-level prospects that come into their Class of 2022 which we will talk about here shortly. They are very senior-dominated this season which has to give them an edge against plenty of teams that are on their schedule. Without further a do, I give you the 2021 football preview on the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers! Enjoy. The Prospect List Preston Engen Preston Engen 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Minneapolis Southwest | 2022 State MN | QB | 2022 Engen is in my eyes one of the most sleep on quarterbacks in the Metro. When you put it in perspective that he’s only played football for two seasons and then you watch his tape, it’s hard to believe that is at all the case based on the excellent skillsets he has in his arsenal. What I watched at practice was a young man that gets the ball out of his hands quickly and has a high character level with his teammates. There was also a lot to like about his arm strength (see video below) as he has a calm demeanor in the pocket and is not afraid to let it rip while having sound precision to give his receivers ample space to run with. Engen has currently one D3 offer but is a D2 prospect in my eyes that has his fall season to prove that his stock stands at that level with also having solid size as a 6’2 quarterback. What else do I like about Engen? As a hooper, he took the lead to convince his teammates to go the football route which also speaks volumes about his character. Jr Tape | Twitter Keandre Brown Keandre Brown 5'10" | 200 lbs | ATH Minneapolis Southwest | 2022 State MN | RB/LB | 2022 Brown is a well-put-together two-way prospect for the Lakers at 5’11 200 pounds that has a really strong vision at the linebacker position between the tackles. He makes some great read adjustments to give himself the best angle to attack the football. Brown also shows sound contact level on his tackles as the bulk of the hits I have seen on his have that extra pop the college coaches should want to see. His ability to crash deep into that first level and into the backfield is another excellent skill set he brings to the table. Brown also lines up at running back where in his junior season he averaged 7 yards per carry. He currently holds two college football opportunities and is in my eyes destine for more going into the fall season as there is a lot to like about this young man at the next level. Jr Tape | Twitter

Camden Holter | WR | 2022 Man, does this young man have quite the amount of athleticism. As another hooper turned footballer, Holter brings a lot of size at 6’4 and has a very wide catch radius he showed on Wednesday at fall camp. I watched some of Holter’s tape from the Lakers team camp at SDSU and came away impressed with the balance of his footwork to stay inbound around the sidelines. He also showed off a playmaking mentality with some of the heavier contested balls that were thrown his way. He is certainly a player that you have to allow him to go up and make a play with that athleticism we mentioned. The Lakers have to be excited to get this young man in a football uniform after one year at Holy Angels. No offers as of yet. Jr Tape | Twitter Charlie Boucher Charlie Boucher 6'3" | 230 lbs | TE Minneapolis Southwest | 2022 State MN | TE//LB | 2022 Boucher is likely the last player you want invading your backfield based on the tape I watched today, as it turns into smackdown mode really quick once he gets his hands on you. This season you will see even more of that physicality from Boucher, as he’s gotten about 20 pounds stronger to 230 pounds. He shows off a quick shedding ability with getting off tackles as he has an aggressive swipe while doing so too. Boucher also does a nice job as far as his range, as I have seen enough film on him to see that some of the ball carriers he makes a play on would be out of reach for other linebackers that don’t have the reach Boucher has. At tight end, although Charlie did not get a ton of targets last year he gives the Lakers a very sizeable TE with a fighter mentality in high traffic areas and will be a red zone and short-yardage threat the Lakers are going to want to look for in 2021. A D1 prospect in my eyes. Jr Tape | Twitter Sam Benick Sam Benick 6'4" | 240 lbs | OL Minneapolis Southwest | 2022 MN | TE/DE | 2022 Benick was another prospect I enjoy watching on Wednesday at Southwest’s fall camp. His force in drills was what stuck out to me most as I saw a prospect that had a strong punching ability. When I watched his tape I was impressed with his latching ability to keep the defender in his presence so he could continue his battle. I think he can develop a little stronger punch on film this season as he threw some solid punches but I wanted more force as I saw at fall camp. Benick is a prospect that can block into that second level if needed. I also was impressed with his foot speed and on occurrence saw him multi-engage with multiple defenders on the same play. Benick holds one MIAC offer at the moment. Jr Tape | Twitter Brayden Engrav Brayden Engrav 6'3" | 280 lbs | OL Minneapolis Southwest | 2022 State MN | OL/DL | 2022 If I need someone to drive the bus up the field into the second and third level of the field, there’s not another kid I would call other than Bryaden Engrav of Minneapolis Southwest. This young man is a play till the whistle type player that has so much control over his defender he’s blocking as that continues to play by play thru the first minute of his film. Engrav might not be the hugest linemen out there, but still, at a firm 6’4 250 pounds, he’s got so much leverage that is getting slept on at the higher levels of scholarship football. Not to mention his excellent foot drive and speed is another great strength he has. Jr Tape | Twitter Declan Maida | DB | 2022 When I watch Maida’s tape, I see a DB prospect that is really strong at reading the eyes of the ball carrier and with that skillset uses his strong instincts to locate and go to the football in a quick span of time. He has a solid hip drive that can turn in any direction to go to be an attacker to go get the football. His contact level is just how you want out of your defensive backs, he hits hard man. You also need to look at this young man’s reaction time, as he reacts quickly when the ball comes into his zone with strong speed on the chase. With the tape I have, there’s no doubt that Maida is one of the best prospects in the Lakers secondary. Jr Tape | Twitter Other Lakers to Watch Andrew Gregerson | WR | 2022 JD Lewis | ATH | 2022 | Tape Treveon Hall | DB | 2022 | Tape Gray McCleary TE/LB | 2022 | Tape Ben Kattreh-Kurtz | OL/DL | 2022 | Tape 2021 Lakers Schedule Thurs, September 2nd: Away @ St. Paul Highland Park Fri, September 10th: Home vs. St. Paul Como Park Fri, September 17th: Away @ Richfield Thurs, September 23rd: Away @ Minneapolis Washburn Fri, October 1st: Home vs. Bloomington Kennedy Fri, October 8th: Home vs. Minneapolis North Thurs, October 14th: Away @ Minneapolis DeLaSalle Wednesday, October 20th: Home vs. Minneapolis South