Missouri Week 5 Friday St. Louis area standouts

There were plenty of impressive performances throughout the St. Louis area on Friday night of Week 5 of the Missouri high school football season, both with teams and individuals. Here is a quick look at some of the top performances on Friday: <strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id="207474" first="Jack" last="Ahlbrand"], 6-1, 190, Marquette, 2023</strong> Ahlbrand only completed eight passes against Pattonville but four of them went for touchdowns. He finished 8 of 13 for a career-high 253 yards and four touchdowns – all in the first half – and added two early touchdown runs. Ahlbrand connected with junior wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="207477" first="Gavin" last="Marsh"]</strong> for four receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Ahlbrand  has completed 50.6 percent of his passes for 771 yards, with 11 touchdowns against one interception, and also rushed for three scores. Marsh now has 14 receptions for 479 yards and seven touchdowns. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="193114" first="Arhmad" last="Branch"], 5-11, 155, Festus, 2023</strong> Branch had a career game in the Tigers’ loss at Hillsboro. The junior standout caught seven passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including a 95-yard touchdown pass from [player_tooltip player_id="96133" first="Cole" last="Rickermann"] in the first quarter. Rickermann threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 30 yards in the loss. Through five games this season, Branch has 18 receptions for 584 yards and six total touchdowns. <strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id="37580" first="Cooper" last="Brown"], 6-3, 200, Holt, 2022</strong> Brown continues to put up numbers every week and remains one of the state’s best under-recruited prospects. This week, in a 57-21 win over visiting Zumwalt West, Brown completed 21 of 26 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Brown’s top target was senior tight end [player_tooltip player_id="99517" first="Alex" last="Ginnever"], who caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Through five games, Brown has completed 74.7 percent of his passes for 1,251 yards, with 16 touchdowns against three interceptions, and has rushed for 114 yards and four scores. <strong>ATH [player_tooltip player_id="37535" first="Cameron" last="Epps"], 6-3, 205, Chaminade, 2022</strong> An Oklahoma State commitment, Epps had a career day in a 64-7 win at Granite City (Ill.). Epps ran 11 times for 205 yards and five touchdowns, completed five of nine passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a punt for a score — giving him eight total touchdowns. (<a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11245755/614f694c4df5910514ccb0b1">HUDL highlights</a>) Epps, who is one of the state’s top prospects as a defensive back, played quarterback a year ago as a junior but switched to wide receiver to start the season. Now it appears he is back at quarterback. He has a team-high 516 total yards (354 rushing, 162 receiving) and 11 touchdowns. He has also passed for 177 yards and three scores (against one interception). <strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id="103098" first="Payton" last="Hoker"], 5-11, 185, Zumwalt North, 2022</strong> Hoker completed 15 of 21 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns (against one interception) in a 62-20 win against visiting Zumwalt East. He threw touchdown passes to four different players. In the past two weeks, in wins against Washington and Zumwalt East, Hoker has combined for 544 passing yards and eight touchdowns against just one interception. <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="103779" first="Jeremiyah" last="Love"], 6-2, 195, CBC, 2023</strong> Love showed what he was capable of with his long touchdown run in the season opener against East St. Louis, but the junior Division I prospect had his breakout game on Friday in leading the Cadets past rival St. Louis University High, 59-27. Love carried 11 times for a career-high 185 yards and scored three touchdowns and added three receptions for 32 yards, giving him 217 total yards on the night. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="207488" first="Tyler" last="Macon"], 5-11, 175, Kirkwood, 2023</strong> Kirkwood came up short against Hazelwood Central, but Macon shined with 10 receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. A junior wide receiver, Macon has been a breakout performer this fall for the Pioneers. Through five games, he now has 26 catches for 475 yards and eight touchdowns, including a punt return touchdown. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="126237" first="Jeremiah" last="McClellan"], 6-1, 180, CBC, 2024</strong> McClellan established himself as a big-time Division I prospect in the offseason and racked up several offers. On Friday, at SLUH, he shined in a breakout performance when he caught eight passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns – his first varsity touchdowns. <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="103467" first="Jaxin" last="Patterson"], 5-10, 170, Hillsboro, 2023</strong> Patterson had a monster game in Hillsboro’s 34-29 win over visiting Festus. He carried 26 times for 260 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 5 minutes 3 seconds remaining. For the season, Patterson has rushed for 756 yards and 10 touchdowns on 84 carries. <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="103085" first="Jamarion" last="Price"], 5-10, 180, Hazelwood Central, 2022</strong> Price shined bright under the Friday night lights in a showdown against undefeated Kirkwood that turned into a blowout. He carried 18 times for a career-high 261 yards and three touchdowns – all three scores came in the second half – as the Hawks pulled away for a 49-28 road win. For the season, Price has rushed for 653 yards on 57 carries, for an average of 11.5 yards per carry, and scored 11 touchdowns. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="207493" first="Will" last="Thomas"], 5-8, 145, Howell Central, 2023</strong> Howell Central came up on the wrong end of a 48-20 loss at Timberland, but Thomas  shined. He caught six passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Through the first five weeks of the season, Thomas has 20 receptions for 415 yards and three touchdowns. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="125255" first="Ryan" last="Wingo"], 6-2, 200, St. Louis University High, 2024</strong> Wingo may have been the best player on the field for the CBC-SLUH showdown that featured several Division I prospects. Like McClellan, the state’s top prospect in the sophomore class turned in a breakout performance when he caught eight passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He also did a good job as his team’s punter with several kicks that flipped field position. <em><strong>You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/natelatsch">@natelatsch</a>.</strong></em> &nbsp; &nbsp;