Cottage Grove Scrimmage: Notes & Standouts
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COTTAGE GROVE, MN– We were out at Park High School in Cottage Grove last Friday morning for a four-team scrimmage that featured plenty of talent across the board. We knew it was a loaded slate, which is why we sent two…
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Continue ReadingCOTTAGE GROVE, MN– We were out at Park High School in Cottage Grove last Friday morning for a four-team scrimmage that featured plenty of talent across the board. We knew it was a loaded slate, which is why we sent two Prep Redzone scouts to cover one of the first scrimmages of the year. We dive into the notes of who was there and who stood out as we enter the month of August with practices getting in full swing here shortly.
NOTES & NOTABLES
The scrimmage was hosted by Park, but the football programs of Cretin-Derham Hall, Tartan, and Shakopee were also in attendance. These were some of the other notable prospects in attendance:
Martin Koivisto Martin Koivisto 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Shakopee | 2022 State MN , OL | Shakopee | 2022
Central Michigan Commit.
Luke Floysand Luke Floysand 6'2" | 210 lbs | QB Cretin Derham Hall | 2022 State MN , QB | Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022
Ari Gaithers, DB | Shakopee | 2022
Blake Johnson, RB/DB | Park | 2022
Micah Runion Micah Runion 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB Park of Cottage Grove | 2022 State MN , DB | Park | 2022
Will Haider, RB | Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022
Dominik De Los Rios, OL | Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022
STANDOUTS
As you may have seen on Friday afternoon, I shouted out the bulk of these young men on Twitter as my standouts from Friday morning. We will now dive into why these seven prospects stood out to us, for the Prep Redzone Minnesota subscribers.
@AaronLee2022, DB, Shakopee (2022) (pictured)@j_morr99, OL, CDH, (2022) (not pictured)@PrepRedzoneMN @PrepRedzone pic.twitter.com/1d7i2t1Xsz
— Nate Wahl (@NWahlScouting) July 30, 2021
AJ Burns | Wide Receiver | Tartan | 2022
The first thing that stood out to me about AJ was the long length he brought to the wide receiver position for the Titans. Every time I saw the ball in this young man’s hands he showed terrific athleticism with nearly every ball I saw him catch. Burns got the bulk of his reps in motion and showed off some solid durable especially on screenplays. This young man has a well-put-together frame, especially in his lower body. He also has the Tartan Titans school record in the high jump so he certainly has some springs in his legs to get vertical. Burns is a dominant three-sport athlete that I believe needs more college football attention in the future.
Sam West | Wide Receiver/Tight End | Shakopee | 2022
West was another wide receiver prospect from Friday morning that made some fantastic plays. Myself and my colleague Oliver West were witnesses to one of the best catches we saw all day when West high topped the football with his long reach and showed great body control to pull the ball in with ease. West lines up at both wide receiver and tight end for the Sabers and although doesn’t have any football film from last season, expect this young man to be a 6’4 205 pound WR/TE combo prospect to watch this season as I see him as a solid red-zone threat for Shakopee. Heck of an athlete on the hardwood from what I have watched on tape recently.
Evan Bearth Evan Bearth 6'4" | 190 lbs | QB Park of Cottage Grove | 2022 State MN | Quarterback | Park (Cottage Grove | 2022
Bearth was one of two quarterbacks I got to watch from the Wolfpack on Friday afternoon and looked to have the best touch on the ball of the two. He showed a quick release and solid arm strength when he had to stretch past the first down markers for his throws. I also was a fan of his accuracy as he showed on multiple reps that he could put the football right in the wide outs bread basket to advance up field. He could develop a little more arm strength on his deeper throws, but regardless the Wolfpack are in good hands in 2021 with two solid quarterback options.
Durelle Hall | Defensive Back | Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022
You can learn more about Hall from my recruiting report on him here from last summer. After circling back at my notes on what I had down about him from Friday, I am strongly convinced our other scout, Oliver West used every adjective I used to describe the way Hall performed on Friday morning:
2022 DB @DurelleHall2022 is poised for a huge SR season after missing last yr w/ an injury. Long, rangy, and fluid & natural with his hips and feet combine for a ballhawk in the @CDH_Football secondary. With the Raiders ⬇️ to 5A I think he may play WR too 👀@PrepRedzoneMN pic.twitter.com/kIQNvTEpYw
— PrepRedzone Oliver (@OJW_Scouting) July 30, 2021
Maurice White Maurice White 6'0" | 205 lbs | RB Tartan | 2023 MN | Running Back/Linebacker | Tartan | 2023
White was a grinder at tailback for the Titans from what I watched early on Friday morning. He showed solid hip flexibility and had no problem shifting either way from what I had witnessed when Tartan was scrimmaging with Park. I have a gut feeling with this young man’s measurables (6’0 205) and solid lower body strength that he will have no problem in 2021 gaining key yards after contact with his running ability. He also has a solid burst when he sees an open hole in the defense. White also got my attention at linebacker, as he showed excellent vision on reading where the play was going. One of the youngest in my standouts group from Friday will two seasons to go.
Aaron Lee Aaron Lee 5'10" | 160 lbs | DB Shakopee | 2022 State MN | Defensive Back | Shakopee | 2022
Lee has also been a Prep Redzone Showcase standout in our most recent showcases. He showed on Friday some matching skillsets you will see in his film, as he is a ballhawk that makes a herd of plays on the run. On Friday in Cottage Grove, Lee showed his versatility as he was effective in crashing into the inside run as well as using his solid reach to make waves on passing plays. Aaron also has a solid contact level on his tackles and has some solid explosiveness. I certainly think he plays a lot stronger than his 5’10 160 pound frame and will be a strong small school prospect with some juice.
James Morrison James Morrison 6'6" | 315 lbs | OL Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State MN | Offensive Line | Cretin Derham-Hall | 2022
I was really impressed with how well efficient Morrison’s attack level was when he was in the early drills for the Raiders. Obviously, this young man has a lot of size (6’6, 315), but he 100% knows how to use it to his full advantage. He showed a strong stance and was a hog molly prospect that could land multiple punches on different defenders. I watched James at our Prep Redzone Showcase this winter, and I love the improvement I have seen in that span of time as I think he certainly has improved his footwork since that time. There is some surprise in me that Morrison has just one Northern Sun offer here in early August as I think this young man is due for a few more as he’s also a terrific student with a 4.02 GPA.