Small Town Standouts - '23 Players of Note

Most of the time the brunt of the recruiting hype goes to the bigger schools and towns. So I decided to show love to some small town prospects. This is my "Small Town Standouts" series where I highlight players in 8 and 6 man football... yea, I mean the small towns!   Here are five 8-man prospects that should be on your radar ASAP. They have the production and skill to develop and play at the next level.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>   Aiden Kuester | QB | Neligh-Oakdale | 6'0" 185 lbs   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10105797/Aiden-Kuester" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AidenKuester" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>   Can't talk about small town football without mentioning the 8-man football National All-time leader in yardage, Aiden Kuester. Kuester had an all-around outstanding season in which he passed for 2,953 yards and rushed for 2,142 yards and shattered several records. Kuester does a great job running the Warrior's offense. He reads the defense well and finds the holes in the coverage. He has a nice arm and can really put some zip into the ball. When Aiden feels the need to run, he can take off and hardly ever goes down easily. He has a wrestling background that you can see on the field through his toughness and ability to keep pushing through contact. Tough, tough player!    [player_tooltip player_id='398972' first='Zandar' last='Wolf'] | RB | Central Valley | 5'11" 185 lbs   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12868351/Zandar-Wolf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/WolfZandar17" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>   Zandar was on a mission as he erupted on the scene with a huge year. The Central Valley back helped lead his team to a berth in the Class D2 semi-finals. On the year, Zandar rushed for 1,993 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns while averaging 166 yards per game. Zandar's bread and butter are his runs to the outside where he uses his top-tier acceleration to beat defenses around the corner. He can then turn on the jets and use his straight-line speed or use a killer dead leg to cut back the other way. Wolf sees the field very well and can slip in and out of creases. He's not just an outside-the-box runner, Zandar can take it right up the middle and use his balance to fend off tackles. Strong lower body to keep him upright and falling forward at the end of every run. Overall, a high-quality prospect that is built to be productive at the next level.    [player_tooltip player_id='400105' first='Aandy' last='Dominguez'] | DL | Howells-Dodge | 5'10" 200 lbs   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12707419/Aandy-Dominguez" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Suh93dominguez" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>   One of the top 8-man DL, [player_tooltip player_id='400105' first='Aandy' last='Dominguez'], was a four-year starter for an elite Howells-Dodge team. Dominguez helped his team make it back to the state championship and came close to winning back-to-back titles. Along the way, Aandy racked up 72 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and recovered a fumble. Aandy's dominance has been going on since his freshman year with career totals of 278 tackles, 53 tackles for loss, and 27 sacks, showing he's a constant terror in the backfield. My biggest takeaway from his tape is his get-off and his insane motor. You can catch him making plays by blowing up the middle of the line, using violent hands to beat his 1v1, or coming from the backside to make a big stop. He has a slimmer frame at 200 lbs, but could definitely pack on some mass or could even fit an EDGE/OLB position with his athleticism.    Hunter Pope | WR | Palmyra | 6'2" 155 lbs   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13626426/Hunter-Pope" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/richiee_pope" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>   Postseason ineligibility for the Panthers limited their 7-1 season to only regular season play, but that didn't keep Pope from taking advantage of every opportunity. WR Hunter Pope had one of the quieter 1,000-yard receiving seasons this year. In one of the more explosive offenses in Class D1, Hunter hauled in 55 catches for 1,004 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Pope does a great job getting open quickly and then turning upfield after the catch to tack on some extra yards. He has several explosive plays where he turned a quick 10-yard curl route into a long touchdown. Hunter is a great hands receiver and uses his long arms to make catches outside of his frame. Solid overall receiver prospect.    [player_tooltip player_id='240341' first='Luke' last='Carritt'] | QB | Mead | 5'11" 170 lbs   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12654711/Luke-Carritt" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrittLuke" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>   One player that has gone under the radar is Mead QB [player_tooltip player_id='240341' first='Luke' last='Carritt']. Luke and the Raiders went through some growing pains with a young team and some key losses to graduation, however, they were able to rally and make the playoffs. Luke ended the season with 819 passing yards, 13-5 TD to INT, and was the team's leading rusher with 487 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. One thing that stands out about Luke's game is his ability to extend plays with his legs. He does a great job keeping his eyes downfield and buys time for his receivers to get open. He has nice arm strength and can push the ball downfield with decent accuracy. Carritt also has the instinct to tuck the ball and take off. A great overall athlete that also finished 2nd on the team in tackles with 64. Swoop this guy up!    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>   Make sure to follow @PrepRedzoneNE on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all your Nebraska prep recruiting news.

Most of the time the brunt of the recruiting hype goes to the bigger schools and towns. So I decided to show love to some small town prospects. This is my "Small Town Standouts" series where I highlight players in 8 and 6 man football... yea, I mean the small towns!