Prep Redzone Iowa's Team of the Week | 7th Edition

Prep Redzone highlights eleven of the top performances statewide to bring you Iowa’s seventh edition of “Team of the Week” for the 2021 season. See what these players did and how they did it in their performance breakdowns below. Congratulations to this group on their outstanding performances and contributions. Get to know them now. [player_tooltip player_id="104088" first="Braylon" last="Kammrad"], QB, Lewis Central, <a href="https://twitter.com/KammradBraylon">Twitter</a> Kammrad posted impressive numbers against Glenwood throwing for 233 yards and 5 touchdowns on 18/27 passing. The film, though, and the jaw dropping ability he displayed makes it all so much more impressive. The mechanics, touch, and placement of his deep balls was outstanding; the kind of passes you marvel at as they cut the air. Kammrad also showed off elite mobility and awareness under pressure and wasn’t afraid to throw and nail any route. [player_tooltip player_id="148827" first="Keenan" last="Tyler"], QB, Decorah, <a href="https://twitter.com/keenan_tyler3">Twitter</a> Tyler lit it up in a week 7 rout of Marion going 14/22 for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns; he added 38 yards and a score on the ground, too. Tyler, also the Vikings’ leading tackler and an outstanding Linebacker, really looked at home taking snaps on Friday night. One of his touchdown passes came on a slant over the middle of the field and he fit the ball into the tightest of windows between defenders. Tyler is certainly one of Iowa’s best two-way players. [player_tooltip player_id="152704" first="Caden" last="McDermott"], QB/RB, Pleasant Valley, <a href="https://twitter.com/cadenMcdermott8">Twitter</a> Pleasant Valley ran for 308 yards on Friday night against Iowa City High, a team that had only been giving up 76 per game to that point. McDermott, behind one of Iowa’s best Offensive Lines, ran for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. McDermott executed plays like Veer, QB Follow, and QB Counter perfectly. His reads and aiming points were exact and it put his opponent in a bind. McDermott and the Spartans nailed the game plan and came away with a huge win. [player_tooltip player_id="147986" first="Danny" last="Rankins"], RB, Valley, <a href="https://twitter.com/danny_rankins">Twitter</a> It only took 9 carries for Rankins to rack up 185 yards and 3 touchdowns Friday night against Lincoln. One of his scores, a handoff on Zone Read behind Jet motion went for 58 yards and he made everyone miss. The patience and cuts used to make a handful of defenders absolutely whiff as he weaved down the field was very impressive. The same skill set was very present on his second and third scores that came on Power and Bunch GH Power. Rankins was dynamic. [player_tooltip player_id="148828" first="Cullen" last="McShane"], RB, MFL-Mar-Mac, <a href="https://twitter.com/McshaneCullen">Twitter</a> Through week 7 McShane leads his team in rushing, receiving, and tackling. McShane ran for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns on 13 carries, had 8 total tackles, and returned a kick 90 yards to the house Friday night in a big win over Cascade. The speed and physicality McShane plays with is unparalleled. He delivers knockout blows on both sides of the ball. On one carry, a 35 yard gain, he cut back twice, hurdled, spun, and then carried several defenders for extra yards. [player_tooltip player_id="104750" first="Kai" last="Black"], WR, Urbandale, <a href="https://twitter.com/Kai_Black23">Twitter</a> Black, in about one half of action, hauled in 3 receptions for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. His first score was a vertical route that split deep third coverage out of stacked doubles. Black outran everyone to pay dirt. He mossed a defender for his second score, but his most impressive catch was an acrobatic one on the sideline where he tapped both feet down before going out of bounds. Black is part of one of Iowa’s top receiving duos and they are dangerous. [player_tooltip player_id="99896" first="Brennen" last="Matthews"], OL, Waukee, <a href="https://twitter.com/BrennenMatthews">Twitter</a> Waukee ran for 278 yards in Friday night’s win and big number 61 was a strong contributor. He is a tower of a Lineman at 6’5 and creates a ton of space for ball carriers to operate at Left Tackle. Matthews displayed outstanding footwork out of his two-point stance that helped him line up his blocks and get there explosively. He expertly reaches and digs Defensive Linemen out of gaps. He is nonstop and flies downfield looking for work every time his team busts one. [player_tooltip player_id="23980" first="Ryley" last="Barnett"], LB, Cedar Falls, <a href="https://twitter.com/ryleybarnett22">Twitter</a> Barnett, one of Iowa’s top Linebackers, had an ultra productive game in week 7 posting 14.5 tackles and held a Hempstead team down in a game the Tigers were without their starting Quarterback. He is one of the most physical players in the state at the point of attack: tackling and defeating blocks. Every hit and collision he was involved in absolutely floored his opponents; the game film is like a big hits highlight reel. He is a monster of a 4-2-5 Mike backer. [player_tooltip player_id="105139" first="Andrew" last="DePaepe"], DL, Pleasant Valley, <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewDepaepe2">Twitter</a> Depaepe was largely responsible for City High’s struggles on Friday night. His 7 tackle, 3 TFL, 2 Sack performance helped to take the run away from a team that had dominated everyone on the ground so far and put them in predictable situations, especially in the second half. The Little Hawks kept running it into the boundary, scheming away from Depaepe, but he blew up blocks and got there anyway. He landed a perfect speed chop to get home on one of his two sacks. [player_tooltip player_id="100044" first="Luke" last="Gaffney"], DL, Linn-Mar, <a href="https://twitter.com/lgaffney6070">Twitter</a> Gaffney could not be stopped in the Lions’ week 7 throttling of Ottumwa. He must have been pretty fired up having just received PWO’s from Iowa and Iowa State; Gaffney recorded 8 tackles and 3 TFL. He beat his block into the backfield on one play and shoved the ball carrier down like it was nothing. Gaffney destroyed double teams to make tackles and defeated blocks while crossing face to make tackles. He was simply relentless and didn’t let the backfield breathe. [player_tooltip player_id="23942" first="Xavier" last="Nwankpa"], DB, Southeast Polk, <a href="https://twitter.com/xaviernwankpa01">Twitter</a> Nwankpa’s late game heroics, for the second time this season, came through in the clutch to turn Prairie away as time expired. The Hawks drove deep into Rams territory and set up a manageable field goal try to win the game and deliver an upset. Nwankpa wasn’t going to let that happen. Behind a strong push he timed his jump perfectly, seemed to hang in the air forever, and knocked the ball down with a fully outstretched hand. He added 6.5 tackles.