My7v7 Midwest Legends Classic: High School Standouts, Part I
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DUNDAS, MINN– After wrapping up the Junior High group of standouts from the My7v7 Midwest Legends Classic, it’s time to flip the script to the high school ranks. This will also be a multiple-part series. After this one, you should…
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Continue ReadingDUNDAS, MINN– After wrapping up the Junior High group of standouts from the My7v7 Midwest Legends Classic, it’s time to flip the script to the high school ranks. This will also be a multiple-part series. After this one, you should see one or two more articles raving about the skillsets of all the prospects in attendance from Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. Let’s get to it!
Eli Johnson Eli Johnson 6'3" | 210 lbs | TE Omaha Westside | 2026 State NE , WR/DB, Nebraska Elite/ Omaha Westside (NE) (2026) Twitter & Tape
- Talk about a young man that filled up the stat sheet last weekend at the Dundas Dome; Eli Johnson Eli Johnson 6'3" | 210 lbs | TE Omaha Westside | 2026 State NE likely was the most productive prospect in the 15U and 18U group for Nebraska Elite. He logged 20+ catches and, for 15U, had six of Nebraska Elite’s eight touchdowns throughout the day.
- He also made a largely key pass deflection at the goal line at defensive back for 18U in the championship game, getting them the title 18U due to his locked-in pass coverage. At 6’2 185 pounds, when I watched Eli’s freshmen tape, I loved how durable this young man was off multiple lines of contact, as he has a good hip drive in his lower body to pull himself out of contact and get to the open field. He also shows off a great-sized reach when his QB hits him on deep precision routes, as you also see calming balance around the edges on tape from Eli. Really liked this young man’s wide hands in a very deep 2026 class out of Nebraska, and is one I will be tracking over the next few years.
Reece Wheeler Reece Wheeler 5'11" | 140 lbs | QB IA , QB, Iowa Flex/Iowa City, IA (2027)
- Reece had some of the best arm talent I watched in person amongst the underclassmen of the high school group on Saturday at the Dundas Dome as he showed off how well he could spin it on all three levels of the field. He showed off some significant arm strength within those three levels as well and erupted the Dundas Dome with just how precisely he placed his ball right in the wide receiver bucket every time I watched him.
- Reece won overall MVP in the 14U Championship game to his excellent consistency throughout the tournament as this young man certainly rose the bar as far as my eye test to become a probable next-level prospect playing on Saturdays as he went from a first-look newcomer to my radar to now one we need to get on our 2026 Iowa Watchlist.
Emmanuel Gaye Emmanuel Gaye 5'9" | 160 lbs | DB Southeast Polk | 2025 IA , DB, Level Up/Southeast Polk (IA) 2025 Twitter
- There were a ton of instinctive traits with Manny, especially with his ball-tracing ability in pass coverage, as he showed off plenty of versatility in his coverage, from covering short routes to the deep routes and everywhere in between; this kid had wide receivers on lockdown in the reps I got to watch on Saturday at the Dundas Dome.
- I also loved his reactive speed in pass coverage, as he could press the gas from one spot to the next level up (no pun intended) and assist his boys in the secondary. The awareness skillset of this young man is going to be something to watch out for the state of Iowa over the next coming years out of a powerful Southeast Polk program. No tape yet!
Ian Middleton, RB/LB, Iowa Flex/Dowling Catholic (IA) 2026
- When it came down to both sides of the ball, from what I got to watch, there was not a better prospect amongst underclassmen on Saturday than Dowling Catholic’s Ian Middleton.
- This young man was everywhere. He was a solid pass-catcher, ran good routes from the running back spot, defensively showed off a high range of physicality, and made some gut-punching plays in pass coverage over the middle of the field that college coaches would have liked to see. I also love a prospect that acts like a coach on the field, and Ian certainly showed off that demeanor too. Bright future to watch and track out of Dowling Catholic.
Elijah Mitchell Elijah Mitchell 5'9" | 185 lbs | DB Millard South | 2026 State NE , ATH, Nebraska Elite/Omaha North (NE) (2026) Twitter & Tape
- Elijah was nominated by Nebraska Elite as one of our standouts from the high school division this weekend at the My 7v7 Midwest Legends Classic. What did Elijah show off in my second viewing of him this winter? He was well-versed from the wide receiver spot showing off a lot of fluid awareness in his game with his pass-catching ability, certainly was not playing like just an incoming sophomore in my eyes despite having light tape thus far in his high school career.
- His quick trigger off the snap certainly was the most eye-opening skillset from Elijah last weekend, as he gets going with his speed real quick in short spaces and has the balance in his footwork to stay the course and adjust to the ball with smooth change of direction. Love to see that our Nebraska scouts already got this young man on their 2026 radar!
Jakob Skau Jakob Skau 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR Dowling Catholic | 2025 IA , WR, Iowa Flex/Dowling Catholic (IA) (2025) Twitter & Tape
- Was there a ball within Jakob’s reach this weekend that he could not haul in? The short answer to that question is heck no, as this kid caught everything in a plethora and made key adjustments to get those throws that were slightly out of reach for most WRs. Jakob showed off some very stretchy hands that outlook his 6’0 180 pound frame in my eyes.
- Based on watching his tape from last fall, this kid has already made some HUGE strides with his route-running and footwork on stopping routes, as he looks like he’s worked his tail off since November to improve his craft. Jakob might be just an incoming junior, but I like his next-level upside to play football on Saturdays, as college coaches will want to buy stock quickly on this young man based on the quick strides he’s made and he’s still got two more years to show out at Dowling Catholic.