Level Up 7v7 Tryouts: 12U (2029) Standouts from Sunday Afternoon
WEST DES MOINES, IA-– We stayed the course through all the indoor and outdoor conditions at all of the Level Up 7v7 tryouts from 10U all the way to 18U at the Mid-American RecPlex in West Des Moines. What did…
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Continue ReadingWEST DES MOINES, IA-– We stayed the course through all the indoor and outdoor conditions at all of the Level Up 7v7 tryouts from 10U all the way to 18U at the Mid-American RecPlex in West Des Moines. What did we learn further from what we already know coming from this group? The state of Iowa WILL stay loaded with talent for the near future, that is for sure, as it is one of my favorite states to evaluate in the Midwest, and that remained true on Sunday afternoon. This was my third year in attendance for the Level Up 7v7 tryout, and I continue to love the growing culture of making sure Iowa prospects get exposure with Prep Redzone Iowa and Flynn Heald and his team at Level Up 7v7 have created with all the talent in the state of Iowa that they have shown out in my last few years of scouting 7on7 throughout the Midwest.
We start out our Sunday by evaluating the young bucks, the 12U standouts from the Class of 2029. Although this group has a ton of growth to be seen over the next several years, these were the ones that caught my eye on Sunday in West Des Moines.
Trace Hansen, DB/LB, Adell, Iowa (2029)
Trace was a favorite young prospect of mine on the defensive side of the ball during the Level Up 7v7 tryout. You could quickly gauge the football IQ this young man already has built, and he has a high ceiling only to keep developing over several more years. His footwork was excellent for his age, whether it was in early drills or 1v1s, and he shows a “close the ball” mentality with his ball-tracking ability with his angles to get to the football quickly. Trace seems like a high-character kid as well, in my eyes, as his potential grows in the coming years.
Mario Sciorrotta, WR/DB, West Des Moines, Iowa (2029)
I remember watching this young man at the Back 2 Ballin 7v7 tournament in Cedar Falls last Spring, and I remember a little bit about his playmaking ability back then. Mario showed a high fluidity level with his change of direction in the early drills of the tryouts and into 1v1s. I was very impressed with his great hands on Sunday at the Level Up 7v7 tryout, as I thought he had the best hands to offer among all WR attending the tryout. His ability to shake up the defensive back’s footwork early on his routes showed a lot of potential the deeper he got into his route. Expect to see Mario’s high-flying vertical this Spring with Level Up, as this young man is one you should certainly see on our 2029 Prep Redzone NEXT Watchlist in the near future.
Jaxson Lawrence, ATH, Camanche, Iowa (2029)
Jaxson was the runner-up in the Fastest Man competition for the 12U division; however, that is certainly not the only skillsets this young man possesses, as he was all over my notepad from Sunday at the Level Up 7v7 tryout in West Des Moines. Jaxson also had the best efforts from a work-ethic perspective of every kid I saw at the tryout, as he did not let his undersized frame go unnoticed. Another young prospect in 2029 that had excellent instincts on BOTH sides of the football as his change of direction wherever he lined up painted a high level of potential of what is to come with his game in the near future. Jackson’s vision with and without the football also struck a chord with me as a PRZ NEXT scout as his attention to detail on the smaller items with his skillsets show off. With hopefully a growth spurt coming soon, Jaxson will only enhance to get his game to an even higher level as a probable Prep Redzone NEXT 2029 Watchlist prospect.
Ty Turner, WR, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2029)
Ty won the Fastest Man MVP in competition at the Level Up 7v7 tryout and showed me some excellent potential to watch for over the next several years out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ty is a long-striding wide receiver, and I was very intrigued with his finished effort when watching him burst in full circle as we got to 1v1s in West Des Moines on Sunday. He also showed off great instincts as I liked his football IQ knowledge and knew where to fit in his football moves into his route-running ability. He also competed with the 14U group later in the day, and I saw his vertical as well come out against some much bigger competition. This kid is a gamer that wants to keep getting better and was always in the front of the line waiting to get his reps in with solid focus in the attention-to-detail category from coaching. Big catch radius for his age too. Another prospect should be a part of our 2029 Prep Redzone NEXT Watchlist.
Elijah Peterson, ATH, Norwalk, Iowa (2029)
Elijah was another young buck on both sides of the ball that showed already-developed size for his age. Another 2029 prospect on my list from Sunday at the Level Up 7v7 tryout that showed a high level of work ethic with all the skillsets he put together. Elijah is another prospect with a very high ceiling, that I believe his locked-in work ethic will paint him as a solid prospect once he gets older and grows with that frame of his.
Another Prospect to Know:
Jahaii Willis, ATH, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2030)
Jahaii was another Fastest Man MVP, winning the competition in the 11U division, but likely will likely play up for 12U for Level Up 7v7. I loved the elusiveness Jahaii brought it with his change of direction in the early drills. He is another young prospect on this list with the drive to keep competing despite not being the biggest kid in West Des Moines.