KC area recruiting notebook, Part II
After reaching the Class 6 semifinals for the first time, Lee’s Summit North is seeing players that helped make that happen head off to college. OT Armand Membou Armand Membou 6'5" | 320 lbs | OL Lee's Summit North |…
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Continue ReadingAfter reaching the Class 6 semifinals for the first time, Lee’s Summit North is seeing players that helped make that happen head off to college.
OT Armand Membou Armand Membou 6'5" | 320 lbs | OL Lee's Summit North | 2022 State MO was the first, graduating early and is now at Missouri preparing for spring football. Some of this teammates have recently announced they will also be playing college football. Fellow OL Trevor Taylor Trevor Taylor 6'0" | 280 lbs | OL Lee's Summit North | 2022 MO tweeted his intention to play at Northwest Missouri State on Sunday, Jan. 30. He was a three-time all-conference pick and held offers from MidAmerica Nazarene and Benedictine. He also visited Pittsburg State.
WR Donnell Dye Donnell Dye 6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH Lee's Summit North | 2022 State MO has pledged to play at Division II Quincy, who offered him in December. Dye had an offer from UT-Martin and Benedictine. K Seth Simpson will play at Baker, committing to the NAIA school in Baldwin City, Kansas, on Jan. 24 after getting an offer in December. Carthage College, Westminster, Avila also offered Simpson. WR Nic Gori committed to MidAmerica Nazarene on Jan. 23, bypassing offers he picked up an offer from Nebraska Wesleyan on Jan. 17 and Mission Tech Prep on Jan. 19. Another WR for the Broncos headed to play in college is Devin Blayney Devin Blayney 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Lee's Summit North | 2022 State MO , who will play football and baseball at Division II Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The latest commit came from OL Charvez Carter who tweeted on Tuesday, Feb. 1, he will head to Division II Lincoln. Carter visited Graceland and Lincoln this past weekend. Carter also had an offer from Phenix City Community College.
Liberty RB Wentric Williams III Wentric Williams III 5'11" | 185 lbs | RB Liberty KC | 2022 State MO and OL Cameron Lawson will play at the FCS level. Lawson committed to Southeast Missouri State last month, while Williams III will play at Western Illinois, which offered him two weeks ago and he committed on Jan. 26. Williams III had a preferred walk-on offer from Kansas but will head to Illinois. His father, Wentric II, played at Missouri Southern. Lawson visited Pittsburg State, SEMO, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State, Washburn and Lindenwood and had offers from Eastern Illinois and UT-Martin.
MidAmerica Nazarene picked up a commitment from LS/OL Trey Stone and QB Zane Anderson, both from Truman. Stone had offers from Missouri Valley, Avila and Bethany College. Avila, Culver-Stockton, Clarke and Carthage also offered Anderson, but MNU was the first.
LB Antonio Jones Antonio Jones 6'2" | 250 lbs | DL Lincoln Prep | 2022 State MO , the Interscholastic League defensive player of the year, committed to Division II Quincy on Jan. 27. A few days prior, on Jan. 24, CB D’eaven Roberson D’eaven Roberson 5'11" | 165 lbs | DB Lincoln College Prep | 2022 State MO picked Central Missouri over Quincy. OL Chris Frye Chris Frye 6'2" | 275 lbs | OL Lincoln College Prep | 2022 State MO is staying in state as well, committing to FCS Southeast Missouri State, which offered him back in October. The 6-3, 290 pounder visited Kansas. Frye is the fifth D-I player from the school in the past two years. Jones, Frye and Roberson were all first-team all-state picks for the Blue Tigers.
One of Roberson’s future teammates will be DB Zay’vion Hueigh from Grandview. However, UCM is without a head coach after Jim Svoboda resigned last week to take a job at Tulane.
Maryville DE Blake Casteel Blake Casteel 6'2" | 200 lbs | DL Maryville | 2022 MO , a 6-2, 215-pound DE, has committed to NAIA Benedictine College. Other Midland Empire Conference school players headed to Atchison, Kansas, to play for BC is St. Pius X WR/DB Vince Occhipinto Vince Occhipinto 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB St. Pius X (KC) | 2022 MO and Robbie Sharp Robbie Sharp 5'8" | 170 lbs | RB St. Pius X KC | 2022 State MO . Both Sharp and Occhipinto had offers from fellow Heart of America schools Baker and MidAmerica Nazarene.
Benedictine also landed Staley WR Emonta Hicks (6-1, 165). He was a first-team all-conference pick for the Falcons this fall. He started his high school career across the state line at Schlagle in Kansas City, Kansas. Staley teammate FS/SS Joey Ferrera (6-0, 185) is headed to Division II Truman State.
Park Hill DL Savion Paden (6-2, 230) also committed to Benedictine. Park Hill WR PJ Caldwell PJ Caldwell 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH Park Hill | 2022 State MO tweeted his pledge on Jan. 5 that he will play for Butler Community College. A district champ hurdler, Caldwell had offers from MidAmerica Nazarene and Culver-Stockton. Another Trojan headed to college is S. LB Will Bushman Will Bushman 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB Park Hill | 2022 State MO , who visited Northwest Missouri State on Jan. 17 and committed the next day. He was second-team all-state this year who had 128 tackles. MidAmerica Nazarene, Benedictine and University of Saint Mary.
Lee’s Summit QB Alex Benassi Alex Benassi 6'3" | 165 lbs | QB Lee's Summit | 2022 MO , who threw for 1,054 yards and 13 TDs this year, will focus on basketball in college and picked Missouri S&T.
South Forest Community Christian in Roanoke, Va., is doing well in Raytown picking up four players. WR Jawaan Griffin, DT Dominick Johnson, DB Meshach McKay, OL Ramon Morrow-Finley all committed to the Bobcats. Griffin had offers from ATL Prep, Augusta United Graduate Academy and Wren College. Johnson also had an offer from Augusta, while McKay picked up an offer from Florida Gateway. McKay also had offers from Florida Valley Sports Academy, Augusta, and Georgia Knights Athletic Academy.
Oak Park LB Jermaine Harris Jermaine Harris 6'3" | 245 lbs | DL Oak Park | 2022 State MO (6-2, 235) tweeted he will play at Baker. Harris picked up an offer from Division II Quincy on Jan. 29, two days after an offer from NAIA Baker. Division II Lincoln has also offered Harris, who had de-committed from fellow D-II Washburn. Oak Park P/K Elijah Davis has committed to Missouri Valley College.
Lafayette QB Jaren Saunders, who threw for a state-record 698 yards in a win against Atchison, Kansas, is staying in town after committing to Missouri Western. Joining Saunders at Missouri Western will be his high school teammate Carlos Cortez, a wide receiver. His brother, Drew, an assistant coach at Raytown South, was a standout football player at University of St. Mary as a QB.
Liberty North’s Justis Braden Justis Braden 6'3" | 225 lbs | TE Liberty North | 2022 State MO , a day after helping lead his basketball team to an upset over Class 6 No. 2-ranked Liberty, hit the football recruiting trail. The TE visited Truman State and picked up an offer from the Division II school on Saturday, Jan. 29. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, he announced he will head to Missouri S&T, where he had an offer. He took game-day visits to Washburn, Truman, Northwest Missouri State and Dayton.