Nate’s Big Dogs of the Week: North Dakota, Week 3
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NORTH DAKOTA– Who was called out by their Head Coaching staff for our weekly Big Dogs of the Week in Week 3? I found via email 7 prospects and one ENTIRE unit on the ole Offensive Line that got a…
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Continue ReadingNORTH DAKOTA– Who was called out by their Head Coaching staff for our weekly Big Dogs of the Week in Week 3? I found via email 7 prospects and one ENTIRE unit on the ole Offensive Line that got a shoutout from their coaching staff for their efforts in Week 3. Find out who they are!
Michael Rostberg Michael Rostberg 6'4" | 210 lbs | QB Shanley | 2023 State , QB, Fargo Shanley (2023)
Stat Line: 19/30 passing, 319 passing yards, 5 touchdowns.
The #3 QB in the Dakotas had a fantastic game last week, throwing over 300+ yards and adding a whooping five touchdowns to his resume. Despite not having NDSU signee John Gores to throw this season, Michael has continued that excellent poise he has with his arm strength and ball placement as having the biggest arm in North Dakota’s 2023 class. Michael has sizeable mobility to extend his range especially when you get to watch him throwing on intermediate routes. He throws the ball like a man on a mission and has the durability to get out of a jam and still make a competitive throw. He does this routinely throughout his tape, as I am sometimes baffled how easy he makes it look out there. A big skillset I can say about Michael, is that even when he’s throwing a shorter route, his arm strength flies out like a cannon and his WRs better ice their fingers after the game when the ball comes their way because you will never see him make a throw that lacks this arm strength he has in his arsenal. The St. Thomas Tommies will surely love this kid over the few years.
Jeremy Laducer Jr. , QB/DE, Dunseith (2025)
Stat Line: 400 passing yards, 92 rushing yards (492 total), five touchdowns. Also had seven tackles on defense and threw the game-winning touchdown for Duniseith with no time remaining.
Talk about a first-look QB prospect on a tear last week; that was Jeremy Laducer Jr. of Duniseth. The sophomore QB also logged nearly double-digit tackles from the defensive end spot, which is exceptional for that position, especially when you look at the overall stamina this kid showed on the offensive side of the ball too. No tape available, but with being just a sophomore, hopefully we can see more of Jeremy in the coming years while scouting with Prep Redzone Dakotas.
Zach Gibson, RB/WR/DB, Nelson County (2024)
Stat Line: 27 carries, 141 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 5 total tackles, 3 solo, 2 TFL, 1 INT
Another kid that filled up the stat sheet last week was ATH Zach Gibson of Nelson County. He not only carried the rock exceptionally well, but his assets on the defense side of the ball were just as good to see on paper. He logged two tackles for a loss and an interception which means to my eyes, that he showed skillsets that contributed well on all levels of the field on defense and put together a solid offensive performance as well. No tape yet.
Lincon Wiseman Lincon Wiseman RB Mandan | 2023 State , RB, Mandan (2023)
Stat Line: 31 carries, 179 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns.
The agile wiggle that Lincon showed on tape in his Week 3 game against Bismarck Century was nothing to mess with, as he showed excellent motivated footwork to get from point A to point B with a stone-cold demeanor with his speed and feet. Lincon also showed some finessive traits between the tackles; as off first contact, he showed off what a battler he is on the inside hash as he had ample room with his cuts thru the Mandan Braves offensive line all night long against the Patriots. You will likely hear more about Lincon in the coming weeks, as he was a recent new addition to our 2023 rankings, and as a late stockriser in the 2022-2023 season, he is making his presence known in the early part of the season for the Braves as I will certainly be following this kid over the next several weeks to see how much more damage he can do to solid run defenses he’ll go up against. No offers yet, but is certainly deserving to play at the next level.
Trey Heinrich Trey Heinrich 6'0" | 175 lbs | RB Kindred | 2023 State , RB, Kindred (2023)
Stat Line: 20 carries, 194 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns.
Trey caught my eyes during the 11B championship game last season as a prospect I needed to know about and is turning a bigger corner as we look into the 2022 season. Trey’s ability to crossover run is some fun tape to watch in his first three-week tape, as he’s agile in a different form by being able to position himself to slant his footwork to bounce outside from the inside with great athleticism to show off to the college coaches listening. He also shows a lot of patience as a pass-catcher, as Trey’s patience allows his excellent offensive line to get in front of him, and he uses his high football IQ to do the rest with his feet. Trey currently holds one offer from the University of Mary, but after the first few weeks of the season should see more college programs enter the ring for his talents at the next level as this Kindred Vikings team might continue their path to likely find themselves at the FargoDome this November with Trey’s big time leads in the rushing attack for the Vikings.
Landon Carter, WR/RB, Cavalier (2023)
Stat Line: 10 carries, 236 total yards, 3 touchdowns. Defense: 11 total tackles (8 solos)
On one of Landon’s biggest runs of the night against New Rockford-Sheyenne, he had to get to the edge with some heavy traffic, but with his speed and burst in mind, he was able to turn the corner on a tight gap between the tackles and accelerate his way into the end zone for the Tornadoes by showing great determination to get to the edge and let that burst of his take care of the rest. As a pass-catcher, Landon showed his swift footwork as a north-south runner off the catch, where he was able to change his direction and use his high football IQ and vision to use that yet again acceleration to outrun the New Rockford-Sheyenne defense with some longer strides to get into the end zone for Cavalier. His third play I caught on film was interesting to scout. Landon had New Rockford-Sheyenne pulling at the chain of his ankles, in which he pitched it back to his QB Sterling Enerson to take care of business with his legs as Landon was aware that Sterling had a second chance to put together a big gain which he did for a 51-yard run that put the Tornadoes in the redzone. It wasn’t your stereotypical play that passes the eye test, but rewatching it a couple of times shows Landon’s ability to be a team player and if the shoe doesn’t fit, have someone else try it on for size, which is what he did on that exact play. Landon and the Cavalier Tornadoes are another favorites of mine on this list to get back to the FargoDome, to hopefully end up on the winning side of the coin in 2022.
Armani Smith Armani Smith 6'1" | 230 lbs | DL Beulah | 2023 State , DL, Beulah (2023)
Stat Line: 11 total tackles (4 solos) 2 tackles for a loss.
Armani is another 2023-ranked DL prospect that I had been hoping to catch a big game out of early for the Beulah Miners, in which he showed off against Hazen in Week 3. Armani starts off his tape against Hazen by playing the leverage game with the strength in his hips and hands by knocking the offensive linemen back and out of his stance with very noticeable physicality and then moves to the left to find the ball carrier right in his arms on his attack into the Hazen backfield. Play number #2 shows Armani getting low and under the pads of that same offensive linemen and quickly shifting his hips into the backfield, and although did not get a sack on the play, he unleashed a major QB hurry that messed with the QB’s ball placement way out of the way of the WR just based on how physical this 6’1 230 pounder really is. Play #3 shows Armani doing something consistent with what he did on play #1, which, as I will always say as a football scout, is key and makes a football player into a college football prospect. This time Armani had a wide open hole to operate in, and yet again, the physicality of his contact ability shined out to make a strengthening tackle for a loss against Hazen. If I am one of those several NAIA schools in North Dakota, I would recommend giving this kid a call this football season or making a visit to Beulah, ND, on a Friday night because this kid is worth the price of admission and puts together the skillsets that I would love to see at the next level. I
One Unit of Mention from Week 3:
The Mandan Braves Offensive Line Unit
Stat Line: 448 total yards (248 passing, 200 rush), just one sack allowed
This is the first time I have gotten a whole unit called out for our Big Dogs of the Week, and being that I love scouting the offensive line, I love to see it coming from the Mandan Braves. Nearly 450 yards of offense is no small task, and against a team like Bismarck Century who has won several state championships over the last several years and is dominant year by year, you have to give the love to the Mandan Braves Hog Mollies this week! Well done, fellas.