Small school returning players to watch – Class A

Brian Jerzak July 10, 2022 @ 02:39 PM

Continuing with my focus on big talent at small schools, I take a look at some of the top returning players in Class A. Like my Nine-man stories, stats and film are sometimes tough to find with smaller schools, so all the players in the next two stories were on teams that had a ton of success in 2021. That said, here is part one of my two-part Class A focus. Isaac Pohlen QB Minneota Pohlen can do just about anything on the football field. He has a great arm and can throw accurately deep and on shorter throws where precision is needed. He can play out of the shotgun and from under center. He is a true dual-threat quarterback who is not afraid to take or sometimes give a hit in the running game. His greatest strength is how well he throws on the move. His arm strength is especially displayed, rolling out and still throwing deep. The Vikings’ coaching staff called a lot of designed rollouts, and Pohlen is consistently accurate on the move. Jaden Deacon RB Murray County Central Deacon has solid speed to the outside. He shows good cutting abilities and sets up defenders and blockers well in the open field. Once in the open field, he can run away from defenders. [player_tooltip player_id="368535" first="Max" last="Rost"] WR Minneota Rost has good cutting abilities and is a tough inside runner who can bounce off tacklers if they are not wrapping up. That cutting ability makes him a dangerous punt returner. Cutting combined with his speed make him tough to tackle in space. Rost is a threat in the passing game too. He is reliable in the short passing game. Tygh Gullickson RB Deer River A triple threat on the football field, Gullickson excels at running back, corner, and in the kick return game. He has quick feet as a running back and is tough to corral in the open field. He is a threat in the passing game and makes decisive cuts at the line of scrimmage - usually finding the hole. His quick feet translate into his defensive back play. He has quick hips – allowing him to transition to coverage on a deep ball. He also can put his foot in the ground and close on shorter routes. He is more physical – on both sides of the ball – than his frame would suggest. Luke Dingmann QB Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Dingmann has a strong arm and throws a nice deep ball. He works well as a pocket passer but can get out of the pocket and pick up yards when he needs to.