Preseason Preview: Burnsville

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Burnsville Blaze struggled through a one-win season in 2021. However, they return a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball and should have some effective skill position players on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Our strength should be the defensive line and defensive backs on defense," head coach Vince Varpness said. "We have some young linebackers that need to prove themselves. Offensively, we have some good wide receivers that can make plays and a returning running back. Our offensive success will depend on our offensive line coming together. We have a great kicker in Kenny Steffen who has a big leg for field goals and is improving his kickoffs every day."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Players to watch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_62fdc14fc112a","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["312961"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Saykeo returns as the Blaze's leading rusher from last year, but he is much more than that. He is lean and doesn't look like he would be very physical, but he is deceptively strong. He has good speed and can get the corner on runs to the outside. He has quick feet in the open field and will make defenders miss if they don't get him squared up. He can break a tackle and is an effective blocker. Defensively, he is a physical defensive back with good range and a physical but technical tackler. Saykeo anticipates and breaks on the ball effectively and uses good body position when making plays on the ball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["312964"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Playing mainly as a 3-4 defensive end, Sonie also slides inside to play the nose. He is extremely quick off the ball, has good straight-line speed, and can run plays down from behind. He is powerful at the point of attack and uses his base to make himself hard to move off the line of scrimmage. He also has good upper body strength and uses it to keep blockers off his body and to shed one-on-one blocks. Sometimes he plays a little high for my liking, but when he keeps his hips and pad level low, he is explosive and spends a lot of time in the backfield.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Markeese Howard","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Burnsville","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Howard played mainly slot corner as a sophomore. He has solid cover skills and breaks on the ball well. He is not the biggest guy on the field, but in the running game, Howard is a fearless tackler in the open field. He routinely throws his body into the body and legs of more physical players – usually with good results. He also played some deep safety and used his speed to close on receivers and in the running game. Offensively, he played some slot receiver and showed solid hands and – not surprisingly, a willingness to sacrifice his body to throw a block on a larger athlete.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Nicholas Meuser","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Burnsville","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Football is a sport good athletes can typically find a way to contribute even without much experience. Meuser is one of the better baseball players in the state and will be suiting up to play football for the first time – maybe ever. With his size and obvious athletic ability – he throws a fastball in the high 80s and has home run power at the plate – it will be interesting to see where he slots into the lineup.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /-->