PRZ Iowa | New to the Scene | Part 7

August 26th feels like it is forever away and then some. It may not seem like it, but the season will be here before you know it. There are plenty of household names that everyone has on their board and will be keeping a close eye on, but there is also plenty of lesser known or undiscovered talent that could make 2022 their year. These athletes have already done some very impressive things on the field, have shown flashes of serious ability, or dominated the underclassman scene that make them legitimate breakout candidates and names on the rise. Get to know these guys now before the season is here as they are sure to make plenty of noise and become known across the state. Kacen Boyer, RB, Iowa Falls-Alden, C/O 2023, 5’10 160, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10030333/61a5ad5f9a9b6c01d4df66cf">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KacenBoyer_">Twitter</a> Boyer wrapped up his Junior campaign with 920 total yards and 11 touchdowns; what immediately stands out when it comes to his game, and what makes him a name to keep an eye on, is how much damage he can do on off-tackle carries. Boyer’s skill set is an excellent fit for the Cadet’s 21 Personnel sets. One play that illustrates this really well is a Toss that went for a 35 yard touchdown. The Cadets pulled their Guard play side, widened the split of their Tight End, and used their Fullback to kick out the edge defender. This created plenty of opportunity for Boyer and he read his blocks perfectly by cutting it up inside his Fullback, bouncing outside, and bursting between a Corner and Safety who took poor angles. On another score of his, this time behind what appeared to be Duo with a Fullback leading through, Boyer followed his blocker into the B gap, the near Linebacker tried going inside the lead block instead of staying over the top, so he made one move cutting outside and was gone. Boyer has the burst and speed to go the distance when daylight appears. [player_tooltip player_id="245623" first="Kayden" last="Dirks"], QB, Treynor, C/O 2023, 5’8 150, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FkEii">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/KaydenDirks">Twitter</a> Dirks is quite the playmaker and his abilities are such a good fit for a Quarterback operating the triple. What really stands out is how elusive and slippery he is; he takes what the defense gives and when that is to keep the ball he is very difficult to track and tackle. One play that showcased many of his skills was a simple Outside Veer into the boundary. Dirks rode the Fullback in the mesh all the way to the B gap, pulled it, made it look like he was going to pitch to force the Corner away from him and for everyone else to over pursue, tucked it and took off. He broke three tackles and dragged a fourth for nearly ten yards before he finally went down. The combination of agility, finesse, power, and toughness is uncommon; it is a recipe for big plays when commanding the kind of offense that he does. What impresses most is how hard he is to get to the ground. Dirks was under heavy pressure on another play, a 4th and long, was wrapped up as he was trying to escape the pocket and thrown to the ground, but he managed to keep his feet and found an open target downfield. Gavin Timmer, DB/RB, Spencer, C/O 2023, 5’10 160, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12804263/618094913453160178a098c0">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinTimmer">Twitter</a> Timmer, in addition to being impressive in the secondary and out of the backfield, is one of the top return men in the state; he housed one kickoff and two punts last season. With the skill he showed off doing that, and Spencer graduating their starting backfield from a season ago, you can expect Timmer to see a lot of touches as a Senior and should be on the radar as a breakout candidate. One of his punt returns for a touchdown was fielded on a bounce with coverage just a couple yards in front of him; he made an incredible cut to make the first man miss and then wove straight ahead through three more defenders and towards the sideline into open field. How he totally avoided contact on a play that looked like it had no chance for a return at all was jaw dropping. What he does in that part of the game should make him so dangerous in Spencer’s option attack, especially as a pitch man if he lines up at Wing; he’ll have the same space and angles to work with when he gets the ball when the Tigers run triple. Expect Timmer to be a top two-way player next year. Nick Wulfekuhle, RB, Beckman Catholic, C/O 2023, 6’1 190, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Gccit">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Nick_Wulfe">Twitter</a> The side of the ball that Wulfekuehle’s talents lend well to is interchangeable; the way he gets downhill and attacks towards the line of scrimmage, whether he is carrying the ball or looking to make a tackle, makes him dangerous in both roles. The all-district selection led the Trailblazers in tackles a season ago with 50 and very effectively spelled carries out of their backfield to the tune of 8.8 yards per carry. There is one play on his highlights, a simple Power, where builds a big head of steam, lowers his center of gravity, and drives his knee straight through an attempted tackle. The way he delivered the blow on contact without being phased or slowed down by the defender was impressive. There is another snap, this time at Linebacker, where he very similarly shot ahead; Wulfekuhle got incredibly low, ran his feet, upended his opponent, and drove him into the turf. Wulfekuhle runs angry and he hits hard. His dominance on defense can be expected to continue and he appears to be in line to see his share of carries rise significantly. He is built to handle the workload. Sean Zimmerman, OL, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, C/O 2023, 6’2 275, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13130280/619138a434530605d8106f61">hudl</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanZim76710529">Twitter</a> <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/03/SZ-SBL-crop-768x505-1648132803.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-310406" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/03/SZ-SBL-crop-768x505-1648132803-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Watching Zimmerman skip pull from his guard position and absolutely wreck undisciplined Defensive Linemen when the Warriors run Power is a treat. He does it over and over again on his highlights: the footwork and mechanics are so smooth, the velocity with which he gets out of his stance and behind his Center is spot on, and he does such a terrific job of adjusting his angle on the fly to pick up the first opponent he sees. What is just as impressive is the way that he sets and secures the inside gaps on pass plays. Zimmerman keeps his weight stacked and balanced, is patient and frustrates pass rushers, and just absorbs and swallows up opponents to stonewall them when they try to attack with power. The way he gets distinguishable technique to show up in games shows maturity and isn’t common. There is no doubt that Zimmerman will look to build on a very successful Junior campaign where he was named all-district honorable mention for the work he did up front paving the way on the ground and protecting one of Iowa’s better passing attacks.