Nate's Big Dogs of the Week: South Dakota, Week 7

SOUTH DAKOTA- We shift to the Mount Rushmore state to name our nominees from the SD high school coaches for Big Dogs of the Week with prospects all the way from Spearfish to the city of Sioux Falls. I remember conversations about how deep the 2023 class was in SD, but the more I look at this 2024 class, there is a lot to love as well across South Dakota as far as next-level talent.   We give you the Big Dogs of the Week by position and tell you who our choice is for our overall Big Dog of the Week in South Dakota, which he broke state records last week by quite the margin for receiving yards in a game.   Quarterbacks:   [player_tooltip player_id='174184' first='Burk' last='Blasius'], Wall (2024)   <ul><li>South Dakota QB1 Big Dog of the Week for Week 7</li></ul>   Stat Line: 9/9 passing, 171 passing yards, four touchdowns.   Burk's tape makes the football game look too easy, especially watching his developed game by year with his throwing ability on intermediate and deep routes. He also has the athleticism to escape the pocket with his versatility and seal the edge for a long run on the ground. He has such a calming demeanor when you watch him roll thru his progressions, and that comes out a full circle on those shorter routes for sure, as there is almost no fluster in this young man's tape from Week 1-4. I also love his ball placement, as not only is Burk precise, but he can fit the ball into some tight windows, only where his WR can make a play on it with the built receiving core the Wall Eagles have continued to blossom with on their track for a trip to Vermillion hopefully coming in 2022.   [player_tooltip player_id='294150' first='Trey' last='Maaland'], QB, Deuel (2024)   Stat Line: 237 total yards (226 passing 11 rushing), two touchdowns.   Running Back:   [player_tooltip player_id='89279' first='Luke' last='Fraser'], RB, Hamlin (2024)   <ul><li>South Dakota Running Backs Big Dog of the Week for Week 7</li></ul>   Stat Line: 28 carries, 253 total yards (206 rush, 47 receiving)   When I start to lose track of how many times a prospect has been named to my Big Dogs of the Week segment, that is a sign they are having themselves a heck of a 2022 season, which fits the bill with Hamlin RB [player_tooltip player_id='89279' first='Luke' last='Fraser'], who we saw the upside in his game come thru very early in his Chargers career during the 2020 state championship game. Luke has turned into a swiss-army knife with his game and has improved significantly with his burst and agile cutting ability, even when we saw him last season at two of our Prep Redzone showcases throughout the Midwest. Another growing attribute I have seen from Luke more this season is his growth in the durability department, as it takes an army to drag this kid to the turf on first contact as his mixed skillsets paint himself a solid picture for playing on Saturdays. I saw Luke took a visit to NDSU last week, and I would not be surprised to see this kid playing in the Missouri Valley in the coming years, as he also showed out during the Bison's prospect camp I was at over the summer. High a character kid that plays with a chip on his shoulder on every rep he gets from scrimmage.   [player_tooltip player_id='101176' first='Isaac' last='Crownover'], RB/DB, Bon Homme (2023)   Stat Line: Five touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='160918' first='Owen' last='Quail'], RB, Deuel (2023)   Stat Line: 106 total yards (85 rush, 21 receiving, four touchdowns.   Canaan McCracken, RB, Canton (2024)   Stat Line: 18 carries, 96 yards, one touchdown. Defense: 8 tackles and one forced fumble.   [player_tooltip player_id='237982' first='Jack' last='Smith'], WR, Sioux Falls Lincoln (2024)   <ul><li>South Dakota Big Dog of the Week for Week 7 overall and amongst WRs</li></ul>   Stat Line: 21 receptions, 377 receiving yards, four touchdowns. 21 and 377 are an 11AAA records.   No, this is not the rookie mode in a game of Madden 2022 with Sioux Falls Lincoln WR [player_tooltip player_id='237982' first='Jack' last='Smith'], as those are the numbers he put up last week in a 37-34 overtime win against Rapid City Stevens last week. There is a reason why we coined Jack as WR1 in our 2024 rankings for both of the Dakotas, as his stingy pass-catching ability is electric, and his agile movement when the ball is in his hands. Not only is he very agile, but he has an accelerating football IQ with excellent vision and his ball-tracing ability to turn quickly to get his head around for the ball coming his way. Jack is as versatile as they come, whether you line him up in the slot or the outside, as his route-running ability shows a ton of smooth traits that should be seen as a Division I prospect playing on Saturdays in the coming years.   Dylan Langerock, WR, Brandon Valley (2023)   Stat Line: 9 receptions, 234 receiving yards, one touchdown.   [player_tooltip player_id='208967' first='Jaxsen' last='Grevengoed'], WR, Sioux Falls Roosevelt (2024)   Stat Line: 14 carries, 192 total yards (130 rush, 62 receiving), five total touchdowns.   Talen Diercks, WR, Lennox (2024)   Stat Line: 4 receptions, 138 receiving yards, two touchdowns.   Defense:   Myles York, DL, Great Plains Lutheran (2024)   <ul><li>South Dakota Defensive Big Dog of the Week for Week 7</li></ul>   Stat Line: 9 tackles, two sacks, one fumble forced, one pass deflection, and one blocked field goal. Now that is a versatile defensive stat line, oof.   When I got the stat line from Great Plains Lutheran HC Aaron Schleusener, I have to say I was shaken by all the trails Myles York contributed within their game against Florence-Henry last week. At 6'4 210 pounds, Myles is a handful to deal with, although he is just scratching the surface with his lack of tape. Myles has a long reach that puts his hands to good use, especially with his ability to shed off the offensive linemen he's against. Although I don't have Myle's recent tape from last week, it is easy to gauge that this kid had his hand in every cookie jar with his defensive end play and from what I saw on tape, shows an athletic base for his size that sets the tone early with his presence. With just being a junior and already having made multiple South Dakota Big Dogs of the Week teams, I cannot wait to see what this DL prospect can do with his development and skillsets over the next few weeks deep into the season and beyond this summer.   [player_tooltip player_id='89287' first='Jaxton' last='Eck'], LB, Brookings (2023)   Stat Line: 14 total tackles (9 solos), two quarterback hurries.   [player_tooltip player_id='273694' first='Caleb' last='Loehr'], DL, Brookings (2023)   Stat Line: 10 total tackles (7 solos and 4 for a loss), two sacks.   [player_tooltip player_id='423325' first='Ryan' last='Rantapaa'], Lead-Deadwood (2023)   Stat Line: 12 tackles (1 for a loss), one fumble recovery. Offense: 11 carries, 100 yards, two touchdowns.   Athletes:   Brady Hartwig, ATH, Spearfish (2023)   Stat Line: 7/10 passing, 126 total yards, one touchdown. Defense & ST: 13 tackles (4 for a loss), one fumble recovery. Three punts, 105 punt yards (35 yards per punt)   Brady is one of my first-look prospects for our Big Dogs of the Week in the Mount Rushmore State, and watching his first five weeks of tape; there is a lot to like on both sides of the ball. He has a high running motor when climbing into the next of the field, and with the momentum he has already built, it doesn't take much for him to pursue the ball carrier at hand coming in deep from the second level. He also has a missle of arm strength that he uses on short/intermediate routes that I would love to see more of on tape. I also like his agility and burst out of the option to use his feet in the run game for the Spartans. Brady's best skillset might be his crossover running ability in pass coverage, as his stout ability to hold off the pass-catcher sets a steady tone in the opponent's passing game. I certainly see a 2023 prospect that is a late-bloomer for Spearfish deep into his senior season and could be a viable small school prospect for those that recruit the West River.   [player_tooltip player_id='423291' first='Josh' last='Mussi'], TE/K, Deuel (2023)   Stat Line: 75 receiving yards, two touchdowns. Also recorded a sack on defense.

SOUTH DAKOTA- We shift to the Mount Rushmore state to name our nominees from the SD high school coaches for Big Dogs of the Week with prospects all the way from Spearfish to the city of Sioux Falls. I remember conversations about how deep the 2023 class was in SD, but the more I look at this 2024 class, there is a lot to love as well across South Dakota as far as next-level talent.