Best Athletic Weapons in the Frontier League for 2023
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In regards to 4A football, the Frontier League hosts some of the best teams in the state. Hosting several teams across the KC area, they have been able to bring many athletes to the spotlight and allow KC to prove…
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Continue ReadingIn regards to 4A football, the Frontier League hosts some of the best teams in the state. Hosting several teams across the KC area, they have been able to bring many athletes to the spotlight and allow KC to prove why they have the best athletes in the state. Specifically looking at the eight teams within the Frontier, below are five of my top picks to be the best weapons for their teams in the 2023 season.
Battle is an athlete that seems to be equipped to handle any situation a QB needs to take care of. If you are need short yardage, he can take off and run option. If you need medium gains, he will stand in the pocket and deliver a dart across the middle or to the sideline. Distance, he is great at improvising with his feet and an arm that can throw about 40 yards down field. He is most comfortable with the ball low near his belly and bootlegging out to his left. Although he has a pocket presence, Battle is at his best when he has an open field to take off to if the situation calls for it. When running, Declan shows that he can at least keep up with the best, and will get the yards he needs. Showing off some pretty shifty moves sometimes while on the run, Battle is expecting to lead the Wildcats to another league title and playoff run for 2023.
Braylen Hoobler Braylen Hoobler 5’11” | 195 lbs | LB Eudora | 2024 State KS plays the game of football the way a pit bull would. Flying to ball carriers and making plays every chance he can. He is excellent in run coverage and mirrors running backs. He may not run through the soul of a ball carrier, but he will make the tackle and will not let them get away. On offense, although he seems more comfortable on the defensive side, he still knows how to fly as a back. In motion most of the time, Hoobler has killed defenses time and time again with a deadly wheel route/option combo. He will try to juke sometimes, but most of his broken tackles come from his power and ability to break out of piles and arm tackles. Hoobler is an excellent player in the box, and will look to pop off come August.
Brusven is an excellent one-cut back. Running a pistol offense, Brusven will take the hand-off, make one adjustment at the line, then bolt to pay dirt. Although he is not a big guy, he is great at running between the tackles. He has good speed that will sustain a gap between defenders for about 40 yards until they start to creep back in. His shiftiness is not elite by any means, but he is still able to pull out of misdirection steps and slight hesitation moves to get defenders off balance. On defense, Colton fires off the edge like a shot from a gun and shows out getting running backs and punt blocks. He may get lost on pass coverage, but his game is between the tackles, hard-nosed football.
Colton McKanna
Colton McKanna
McKanna was electric for the Broncos last fall. He is a player on the brink of scoring no matter where he is at on the field. Time and time again, McKanna showed himself to be the fastest player on the field through the separation he would create between himself and the defense before he scored. Not much to say about elusiveness, but elusiveness is not necessary when you can just run away form the defense before they can touch you or get any decent contact. Colton and the Broncos had a decent run last fall, capping off with a playoff win and going .500 on the season. McKanna is set to do great things this year, and should have the tools to run all over the Frontier League.
Jace Kerley
Jace Kerley
If you are looking for a wide out to get you a first down, Kerley is your guy. Lining up on the outside, Jace thrives in the short to medium passing attack. He loves to stop and sit on curl routes or any hanging routes that allow him to sit within the gaps of the defense. His concentration is also elite as he is able to run slants across the middle and hold on to the ball as he is taking shot after shot. He has good height and size, but does not use it to the best of his ability. He has not shown off any ability to high point passes or use his long arms in a press coverage. He sneaks behind defenses well, but has not done so with his speed. Coming off of a great sophomore season, Kerley is looking to fully grow into his shoes and emerge in even better form than last season.