Super Bowl MVP worthy - and coming back for more

Well – that is a wrap for another football season. Sorry XFL/USFL/whatever other wanna-be leagues might be trying to fill the football abyss we are about to embark on. The Kansas City Chiefs' victory and Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl MVP award got me thinking: who are the guys who put up MVP performances in the Prep Bowl and are coming back for at least one more year of high school football before moving to the next level? Unfortunately, like the Super Bowl MVP, the lack of individual stats for offensive linemen, and the fact that very few players in the history of the big game have won the MVP on the losing team, some great performances are going to be missed with these two stories. That said, here is a look back at some underclassmen who had MVP, championship-winning performances from day one of the 2022 Prep Bowl.   [player_tooltip player_id='1145278' first='Ryan' last='Meagher'] Minneota RB Sophomore   Prep Bowl 8 carries, 73 yards, 1 touchdown/1 catch, 5 yards   Meagher has a great combination of speed and strength when working both as a single back and taking handoffs from a wing/flexed tight end position. His upright running style looks like he would have trouble fighting off tacklers, but he has good vision and has the upper body strength to bounce off tacklers if they don't square him up.   [player_tooltip player_id='242470' first='Sawyer' last='DeSmet'] Minneota TE/DE Junior   Prep Bowl 4 tackles 2 sacks   DeSmet did a bit of everything for the Vikings last season. He has solid hands and good speed in the open field as a tight end. He not only catches passes but is an effective blocker and even occasionally runs the ball. On defense, he has excellent get-off coming out of his stance, and his open-field speed on offense translates to a hard-to-handle pass rusher coming off the edge.   Zach Bredman Barnesville QB Junior   Prep Bowl 4 completions 5 attempts 57 yards 3 touchdowns, 9 carries, 53 yards   Bredman is the perfect quarterback for the Trojans three back, two tight end offense. He has excellent footwork and hands to pull off the multiple fakes required in this offense. He is a solid runner with good vision and cutting ability. What separates Bredman for me is his ability to pass accurately while under extreme pressure. He is constantly under pressure when passing – because the defense is geared up to tackle him as a runner – and he gets the ball where it needs to be even when he is off balance.   [player_tooltip player_id='391542' first='Ethan' last='Larson'] Barnesville RB/LB Junior   Prep Bowl 3 carries, 24 yards, 4 tackles, 1 interception   Larson is a bruising runner who is likelier to run a defender over than around him. That mentality makes him a devastating lead blocker. That physical presence easily translates over to his linebacker play. His tackling form is great. When Larson hits a ball carrier, the runner is not going to bounce off - Larson will have him wrapped up. The most surprising set of skills Larson has, however, is his work dropping into coverage. He has solid hands and the instincts and athletic ability to stay with smaller receivers in coverage.   Danny Martin Simley LB Junior   Prep Bowl 10 tackles   Martin is a good form tackler in the open field and space. He has good quickness off the edge with solid hands and can beat blocks with speed. The best thing I saw in his film was his ability to transition from a coverage linebacker dropping back into coverage to an attacking linebacker coming downhill when the quarterback decided to run or with a pass thrown into the flat. Martin puts his foot in the ground and is near full speed quickly – closing in on the ball carrier.    Derrik Dohman Simley LB Junior   Prep Bowl 11 tackles   Dohman has the skills you want in a prototypical middle linebacker. He diagnoses runs quickly and attacks the line of scrimmage. When he is kept clean, Dohman closes on runners fast, breaks down into a football stance, and stays in a good position to make the tackle. He is not just a between-the-tackles linebacker; his lateral movement and speed make him a threat to play at the next level. He has solid range when the play is run to the outside.   Henry Stang Maple Grove DB Junior   Prep Bowl 14 tackles   Stang is a safety, according to the game program, but he plays more like a linebacker than a safety. Don't get me wrong, Stang can cover the pass, but his greatest attribute is his ability to attack the running game. He closes quickly, comes downhill, and hits ball carriers like a linebacker. In fact, he often lines up just a few yards off the line of scrimmage and can be found making tackles between the tackles like an inside linebacker.

Well – that is a wrap for another football season. Sorry XFL/USFL/whatever other wanna-be leagues might be trying to fill the football abyss we are about to embark on. The Kansas City Chiefs' victory and Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl MVP award got me thinking: who are the guys who put up MVP performances in the Prep Bowl and are coming back for at least one more year of high school football before moving to the next level? Unfortunately, like the Super Bowl MVP, the lack of individual stats for offensive linemen, and the fact that very few players in the history of the big game have won the MVP on the losing team, some great performances are going to be missed with these two stories. That said, here is a look back at some underclassmen who had MVP, championship-winning performances from day one of the 2022 Prep Bowl.