SD Elite 7v7 Tryout: High School Standouts, Part I

SIOUX FALLS, SD-- After cracking out our list of Middle School standouts from last Saturday in Sioux Falls at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout, we move onto this multi-part series at the high school level. College coaches tell me this all the time about how intrigued they are with all the talent in the Dakotas as a newer recruiting area for them, and based on my evaluations of the future of South Dakota talent I saw on Saturday, that is not going to change and, in fact, will likely improve when this group of prospects graduates in the next 2-3 years. What can I say about this group? Well, even though these are 2026 and 2025 prospects, I still think ALL of them will play at the next level after their football careers are up, which certainly says something about this list if I am willing to make that call this early in their HS careers. Let us not waste any more time before the holidays; take a look at the six standouts from Part I of the HS standouts at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout last Saturday!   Kamden Schimmel, QB, Harrisburg (SD) 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Kamden-Schmmiel-rotated-crop-456x300-1671768034.jpg?w=455" alt="" class="wp-image-563983" width="369" height="243" /></figure>   The Harrisburg Tigers QB factory reloads year after year, even into their freshman class with 2026 quarterback Kamden Schimmel. Kamden carried excellent poise for his age from what I watched out of him in 1v1 reps. I also thought his mechanics were in a solid tune for being a freshman, as his throwing motion went through on every rep quite smoothly. There also was something to be said about Kamden's precision, as he hit his marks at a significant level rep every rep he was given. Jacob Knuth (2022), [player_tooltip player_id='287085' first='Dylan' last='Elrod'] (2023), [player_tooltip player_id='205260' first='Sam' last='Knuth'] (2025), and Kamden Schimmel (2026) make the Harrisburg quarterback tree in years past, and looking into the future, and you can't tell me that isn't one of the deepest QB trees of next-level talent in the Dakotas, as I believe with fluid development going forward Kamden will be a QB prospect playing on Saturdays in the future although it's early to evaluate that far out, I like his chances for sure based on last Saturdays "first look" evaluation.   Jhace Woods, ATH, Sioux Falls Washington (SD) 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Woods-rotated-crop-456x300-1671767507.jpg?w=455" alt="" class="wp-image-563973" width="368" height="242" /></figure>   Jhace was the winner of the fastest man competition amongst the high school group at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout last Saturday in Sioux Falls. Jhace shows off quite a long frame that lays a solid ground for his lower body to churn out plenty of long strides that we saw show out on Saturday afternoon. Jhace also shows some athleticism in 1v1s with his pass coverage, as this young man was not afraid to use his physicality to pin the potential pass-catcher against him with his elite ball-tracking skills. I would put Jhace in my athlete category at this time, as I feel he could be a productive slotback offensively; as his speed around the edge could be deadly if it keeps developing in the coming years, and Jhace could provide a ton of size with all that length at cornerback. We will have to see where he gets utilized in his future at Sioux Falls Washington. I am becoming a big fan of their Class of 2026, in which I saw a handful of Warriors prospects on Saturday in Sioux Falls.   Weston Pechous, WR, Sioux Falls Jefferson (SD) 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Weston-P-rotated-crop-456x300-1671767628.jpg?w=455" alt="" class="wp-image-563975" width="358" height="235" /></figure>   Sometimes at tryouts, showcases, etc., you have that one prospect that you are just wondering, "who the heck is that?" and on Saturday afternoon, that was Weston Pechous of Sioux Falls Jefferson. Weston impressed me most with his agility on every route he ran on Saturday, as he ran thru every single one with the physicality I love watching in a younger wide receiver. Weston also showed off a longer reach with his hands on his routes than you would expect with his measurables. With Weston, it was easy to tell how strong this young man's work ethic is and that will pay off extreme dividends in the coming years for the Cavaliers for Weston on and off the gridiron. Despite being extremely quick on the turns of his routes, Weston showed off great body control, which was certainly intriguing to take note of as I have scouted plenty of underclassmen thru the years that have all the jets in the world, but they lack the body control like Weston. Bright future for this young man in my eyes, with the upside to be another prospect on this list that should be playing on Saturdays. <a href="https://twitter.com/PechousWeston">Twitter</a>   Tayvin Laddusaw, WR/DB Sioux Falls Washington (SD) 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Tayvin-Luddashaw-rotated-crop-456x300-1671767935.jpg?w=455" alt="" class="wp-image-563981" width="374" height="246" /></figure>   The first adjective to describe Tayvin at Saturday's SD Elite 7v7 tryout would be smooth as that is how I described his pass-catching ability. Tayvin also showed flexible versatility on both sides of the ball in Sioux Falls, as although he's tuned in as a wide receiver; he also shows off a competitive instinct on the defensive side of the ball. When you roll his freshmen tape that was posted recently, the first thing you see is that ball-hawk instinct comes out as Tayvin is a destined flyer to the football coming from the safety spot for the Warriors. I also like Tayvin's physicality when he climbs up into the first level to make initial contact, as there is certainly some upside for him to be a future two-way starter for the Warriors in the coming years. Tayvin is another prospect on this list I would love to see on Saturdays. <a href="https://twitter.com/TayvinLaddusaw1">Twitter</a> & <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2K5qyk">Tape</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='394730' first='Owen' last='Brandt'], WR/DB, Harrisburg (SD) 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/23-Owen-Brandt-crop-3235x2124-1670560861.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-541239" width="364" height="239" /></figure>   I swear Owen gets better each time I watch him, even though I just watched him two weeks before the tryout on Saturday at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in Aberdeen. Owen showed off one of the fastest shuttles I saw at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout in person, as I love how this kid finishes with his speed every chance he gets. He also showed a high explosion level with his broad jump, which I watched again in Sioux Falls. Despite his younger age, I can already gauge that Owen has that A-level character that will empower that Harrisburg locker room for years to come. One big thing I caught on Owen's freshmen tape that I haven't seen before is just how sneaky that finished burst is when he comes out of the slot. You might lose Owen in a race if you are not careful, as this kid's game speed is going to continue to get even better over the years. Looks like a college football future in my eyes from Harrisburg's [player_tooltip player_id='394730' first='Owen' last='Brandt']. <a href="https://twitter.com/OwenBrandt26">Twitter</a> & <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RTfOVmhNqc">Tape</a>   [player_tooltip player_id='402518' first='Jase' last='Thiesse'], ATH, Sioux Falls O'Gorman (SD) 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/Jase-Thiesse-rotated-crop-456x300-1671767776.jpg?w=455" alt="" class="wp-image-563979" width="348" height="229" /></figure>   Jase showed off some monstrous change of direction consistently at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout, especially in the early drills, which had me intrigued to watch this kid more in-depth during the 1v1 session later in the day. The one word I used to describe Jase later in the day in 1v1 drills was instinctive. No matter where this kid lined up on either side of the ball, you could dive in quickly into how high his football IQ was as Jase had the gamechanger mindset and knew exactly where he needed to line up to get the best angle ball-tracking the football on defense or running extremely crisp and highly creative routes and finishing them with his locked-in vision with solid hands. It may sound repetitive, but Jase is another one on this list that should have a strong HS football career and tune his game into a solid college football prospect in the future. Want more intel on Jase? I scouted him last season at the MN/SD Border Battle game for the Midwest Miners, as he was one of my <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/mn-sd-border-battle-showcase-top-performers/">top performers</a> then, too, as a junior high prospect.

SIOUX FALLS, SD-- After cracking out our list of Middle School standouts from last Saturday in Sioux Falls at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout, we move onto this multi-part series at the high school level. College coaches tell me this all the time about how intrigued they are with all the talent in the Dakotas as a newer recruiting area for them, and based on my evaluations of the future of South Dakota talent I saw on Saturday, that is not going to change and, in fact, will likely improve when this group of prospects graduates in the next 2-3 years. What can I say about this group? Well, even though these are 2026 and 2025 prospects, I still think ALL of them will play at the next level after their football careers are up, which certainly says something about this list if I am willing to make that call this early in their HS careers. Let us not waste any more time before the holidays; take a look at the six standouts from Part I of the HS standouts at the SD Elite 7v7 tryout last Saturday!