Small school returning players to watch – Class AA part 1

Continuing with my focus on big stars who play for small schools, I shift to Class AA with a three-part series of stories. Today I put a focus on guys who normally don’t get the ball in their hands much but focus on either protecting them or getting them on the ground. This story happens to be Maple River focused but many other schools will be highlighted during this series of stories. <strong>Timothy Buckholtz LB Maple River</strong> Buckholtz is an athletic inside linebacker. His pass drops are quick and decisive, and he reacts well to the ball in the air. Buckholtz is an aggressive run stopper who uses speed over power to beat his man to the spot. He keeps his hips low and uses his hands to keep bigger blockers off his body. [player_tooltip player_id="119520" first="Jayden" last="Hoss"] <strong>OL Pipestone Area</strong> I could only find tape from Hoss’ sophomore season, but even that shows the kid’s potential. What stood out immediately was his footwork – both in pass protection and in the running game. He has excellent hips and gets his body in position quickly. He is able to not only deal with outside pass rushers because of his quick feet and hips, but he can also execute the hard-to-teach hook block on defensive ends. I like his pad level, but his next step will be to lower his hips so he can drive guys off the line of scrimmage. [player_tooltip player_id="313117" first="Tobias" last="Conover"] <strong>DL Maple River</strong> Conover gets off the line of scrimmage with a quick first step. He has enough straight-line speed to run plays down from behind. He keeps good leverage and uses an excellent rip move to keep leverage and to get to the quarterback. [player_tooltip player_id="287255" first="Ashton" last="Lloyd"] <strong>TE Blue Earth Area</strong> Lloyd is a big, physical target who is a tight end in name but is just as likely to line up out wide. He has a huge catch radius. His length and sure hands will give any defender problems. While he won’t blow you away with his straight-line speed, he runs solid routes and uses his body well to almost rebound the ball – much like he does on the BEA basketball team. He is a willing and effective blocker who can punish smaller defenders when he gets the ball in the open field. He is a devastating blocker in the run game against linebackers and defensive ends when in the traditional tight end position, but especially out wide when he routinely buries defensive backs. [player_tooltip player_id="188213" first="Cooper" last="Ochsendorf"] <strong>LB Maple River</strong> A sideline-to-sideline player, Ochsendorf has solid closing speed and can track plays down from the backside. He efficiently transitions from attack mode to break down and track the ball carrier in the open field. When he is about to get blocked, he explodes and delivers the hit instead of getting hit. As an outside linebacker, he does an excellent job of keeping his outside shoulder free, so he can keep contain while fighting off blockers and getting to the ball. Ochsendorf’s physical strength makes him a violent tackler, but he will likely need to lower his pad level against better players.