From The Sidelines: Southern Boone vs Boonville

I hit the road to check out some smaller school Mid-Missouri football last Friday, where I knew they played physical and competitive, and also had some future college talent that I wanted to see. Here are my thoughts I came away with after watching Boonville's close victory that went down to the wire over Southern Boone 18-14.   BOONVILLE [player_tooltip player_id='177957' first='Tyson' last='Ellison'] Class of 2023 DE wasn't as much of a factor as I anticipated after having seen him a few time in camp, but he still was a vocal leader in rallying his teammates on defense and offense during the game, especially at the end when needed. The 6'1" 190 edge rusher has a good get off and motor, and he does a nice job running down plays all over the field and playing to the whistle. Southern Boone prepared well for him in their game plan. He could easily play OLB or EDGE on the next level.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-231.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452668"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Braylon Ellison One of the main reasons I attended this game was to see this 2026 potential big time prospect on the rise. Unfortunately, Braylon injured his shoulder early in the game and did not return. The 6'2" 250lb freshman started at OT and DT for the Pirates and did a nice job in limited play showing the potential that is there. He's a good young athlete who moves well and has good strength. He displayed pretty good feet and blocking ability, and looks the part along the defensive line where his size, strength and quickness was noticeable. Both Braylon and Tyson are the sons of former Mizzou DT and current assistant Atiyyah Ellison, who also spent some time in the NFL. Braylon looks as though he will grow closer to his Dad size as a DT then Tyson. Definitely a player to watch for over the next three years.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-043.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452671"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Maddex Douglas This 6'3" 220lb junior DE was the top defensive line prospect I saw on the night. Douglas, who also plays WR, is very athletic and active off the edge. He has good speed and quickness, and showed a good motor and playmaking ability on the night. Maddox did a nice job helping his team lock down a win and seemed to be around the ball all evening. He's currently tied for leading the team in tackles and sacks and leads them in tackles for loss after four games.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-218.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452672"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Jackson Johns Another intriguing players was the 6'3" 185 WR/S Johns, who was a big factor on both sides of the ball on the night. He caught a TD pass and was one of the top defenders on the night for the Pirates. The rangy Johns was all over the field making plays it seemed and showed good speed and ball skills. He does a nice job running with the ball as well. On the season he's averaging almost 25 yards per catch and is also among their leading overall tacklers on defense.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-223.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452673"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Dakota Troost This speedy playmaking receiver and returner was another main reason to check out the Pirates, but he was also another early casualty to injury in the game. You could see his overall speed and athleticism that has made him one of the early offensive threats and standouts in Mid-Missouri. He was one of their top rushers and receivers heading in to the game and leads the team in all-purpose yard with 590 in three games. Troost is also a talented defensive back and returner.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   SOUTHERN BOONE   Austin Evans A talented dual-threat QB who did a nice job running his teams offense and putting them in position to win the game. Has a nice arm and can move the chains with his scrambling ability and legs but his crisp, accurate passing is what is most impressive. He's passed for 11 TDs and almost 900 yards in his first four games.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-225.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452674"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Chase Morris A nice go to receiver for Southern Boone. Undersized at 5'7" but seemed was very active and did a nice job working to find open space and then make the catch when needed despite being known as the top target. Quick more then straight-line fast and has soft hands to haul in passes. Has caught 30 for 570 yards and 7 TDs through 4 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='300324' first='Jacob' last='Bowles'] Powerful downhill runner who has decent speed and also solid pass catching ability out of the backfield. Can move the pile and get YAC. Tough for one defender to tackle. Does a really nice job blocking when not carrying the rock. Didn't have a big game stat-wise but his leadership showed. Also did a nice job playing linebacker showing his physical, big hitting nature and ability to run on that side of the ball as well   Dylan Nies A 6'5" 225 defensive end prospect who also played OT on offensive the entire game. Did a nice job getting pressure off the edge using his length and quickness to get in the backfield. Runs very well and didn't give up on plays until the whistle. Solid athlete who plays hard and has the upside to keep getting better.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-224.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452680"/></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>   Austin Yung Very active and strong young defensive line prospect to watch to watch these next two and half years. The 6'3" 225 DE had a great motor during the game and showed good strength and potential going forward at defensive line. Had a solid game against the run and got some good push in the pass rush as well.   Hayden Endsley This 6'3" 220 OLB prospect is also a very talented wrestler. He didn't play like a freshman and hasn't early in the Eagles season so far. He has great size and physical development early and showed good athleticism. Runs very well and the ability to make plays side-line-to-sideline and downfield. Did a nice job on the pass rush both from his OLB spot and while playing DE a little bit. Also stepped in and played some DT showing his versatility. Definite player to keep an eye on for the future as a prospect.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Southern-Boone-vs-Boonville-219.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452681"/></figure>

I hit the road to check out some smaller school Mid-Missouri football last Friday, where I knew they played physical and competitive, and also had some future college talent that I wanted to see. Here are my thoughts I came away with after watching Boonville's close victory that went down to the wire over Southern Boone 18-14.