SD West River Players to Watch Part 1

Back in South Dakota and settling the Old West! There have been a lot of names popping up from West River the past couple of seasons. After a quick sweep through rosters, the talent just keeps showing up! A lot of players from the Western side have had a lot of college interest and a few have offers. This article is to highlights those right after them! There were so many teams with tape that I chose to split it into two articles to increase the exposure. Check out my West River Players to Watch for the 2023 Season!   Gus Stout (RB/DB)- Kadoka, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JnfXw">Highlights</a>   Stout is the player you love to have when running the Double Tight, Double Wing formation. An explosive offensive player on a run-heavy offense is exactly what Kadoka brought to the table this year. Stout showed incredible patience waiting for his blocks to develop, then exploding through the gap for the big gain. Also showing great vision from behind the line of scrimmage, finding a cutback lane and showing his speed to get to the open field. Lastly, showing his motor after contact. The wheels keep turning once he's hit and he muscles his way through tackles.   Brayden Oldenkamp (WR/DB)- Lyman, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JqyVg">Highlights</a>   Odlenkamp gave the Lyman offense a good secondary target to hurt their opponents when they focus too much on the primary target. He showed good speed, route running, but also awareness to find the soft spot in the defense and set up to be a good target for the QB. A big factor in his game is his concentration. When the ball is in the air, he is locked in on it and makes sure he is the one to come down with it. Taking good pride in his blocking for the run game as well, opening up gaps for his backs. Defensively, he does an excellent job locking up his zone and taking away the opponents pass game.   [player_tooltip player_id='589226' first='Peyton' last='Hora'] (OL/DL)- Chamberlain, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Jqqp9">Highlights</a>   Hora was an absolute force on both sides of the ball this season. Size, quickness, and fundamentals is what the kid excelled at and made his tape fun to watch. Offensively, I loved watching is first step off the snap. It was very quick and got him into the best position to make the key block for the offense. He showed a lot of awareness in blocking schemes. Protecting his inside gaps on pass plays, and taking the biggest threat when climbing levels on run plays. Flip his skills over to the defensive side, he used the same tools to be effective there as well. His quickness got him of the ball and into the backfield to disrupt plays quickly.   Rylan Peck (QB/DB)- Gregory, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2K03Ly">Highlights</a>   Peck really caught my attention at the State Championship game this season. After watching his tape, it's safe to say this kid is a stud on both sides of the ball. At QB, he has all the intangibles to help him excel at the position. His height, arm strength, accuracy, and speed make him a dangerous threat out of the backfield. When he carries the football, he shows how big of a playmaker he can be, then displaying his strength and agility down the field. Defensively, he is a lockdown defender in the pass game. Doubling his speed over and playmaking ability by going up and making catches over the receiver on deep passes.   [player_tooltip player_id='105505' first='Aiden' last='Barfuss'] (RB/LB)- Winner, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14921228/Aiden-Barfuss/highlights">Highlights</a>   Barfuss is the most physical football player I have seen on tape. On offense and defense, the kid seeks out contact, and dishes it out. Solo tackles are not enough to bring this guy down. On contact, really drives his knees and keeps barreling through defenders, usually taking two defenders to slow him down. Even being physical, he is still pretty agile. He makes good, hard cuts and gets into open space after sticking his foot in the ground. On the defensive side, he will find the football. Scraping across the formation well to find his seam to the ballcarrier. If a blocker shows up, he runs right through them and makes the tackle.   [player_tooltip player_id='305548' first='Matthew' last='Coverdale'] (OL)- Pierre TF Riggs, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14882467/639bff6f7bdd500b90af700d">Highlights</a>   Coverdale is going to be my Wildcard pick. On an always loaded Pierre roster, Coverdale does a great job making himself standout on film. In an era where passing has become a must in high school football, protection is a bigger must. His pass blocking is probably the thing that makes him standout on tape. I really like his kick-step, getting perfect depth and time to take on a pass rusher. His depth also gives him time to read blitzes and take on the biggest threat in a pass rush. Once he is in position, his hands, footwork and overall strength keep defenders away from the QB. He is also a good perimeter run defender.   [player_tooltip player_id='174184' first='Burk' last='Blasius'] (QB/DB)- Wall, <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16459202/637e5b13f326f607201daff1">Highlights</a>   Blasius was the guy you want running the offense for the explosive plays you want in key moments. He seems extremely comfortable in the pocket and calm while going through reads. His accuracy and arm strength, both on the run and in the pocket, make him a complete offensive weapon in the pass game. Showing a lot of mobility under pressure, evading tacklers and giving his receivers time to get open. He shows a lot of poise and makes good decisions to find the open receiver. Lastly, he uses his legs to be a good rushing threat for the offense, showing his speed and strength to show the complete package.   [player_tooltip player_id='305545' first='Kyren' last='Nulle'] (RB/DB)- Belle Fourche,<a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JvTRB"> Highlights</a>   Nulle is a kid that puts himself in great positions to succeed on both sides of the ball. Being an explosive player in the run game for the offense, his speed is the attribute to highlight. Once he's in the open field, he is tough to corral and bring down. If the defense can slow him down, he uses his strength to muscle through tacklers and uses a good stiff-arm to go through defenders as well. Defensively, his speed works well in pass coverage to run with any vertical pass threat. He also has the physicality to take on blocks, plug gaps and make tackles in traffic.   [player_tooltip player_id='294162' first='Peyton' last='Young'] (WR/DB)- St. Thomas More, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JJBcA">Highlights</a>   Young was the kid you wanted on your team when you needed an offensive spark. Running routes really hard and with precision to create as much separation as possible. Once he got his space, he set up and moved around in the defensive soft spots. He showed his hands and concentration in traffic and reeled in a lot of tough catches. The magic really happened after the catch. After securing the catch, his vision helped him find the open space in the defense. After he got loose, his speed did the rest of the work, ripping off big chunks of yardage.   [player_tooltip player_id='233647' first='Sam' last='Kooima'] (QB/LB)- Lead-Deadwood, <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2KnkmF">Highlights</a>   Kooima showed a lot of promise in his future with the Diggers on both sides of the ball. He seemed extremely comfortable on defense at the LB position. Whether he was stacking in the box, or splitting out and taking on the slot receiver, he was making plays. His speed helped him run with the slots and awareness to find the ball and make a play on the pass. In the box, he filled his gaps and stepped up to make a hit in the gap. Offensively, he showed a lot of potential under center. I thought his mobility makes him a big threat. He shows off his accuracy and arm strength on the run, hitting his receivers deep when scrambling.

Back in South Dakota and settling the Old West! There have been a lot of names popping up from West River the past couple of seasons. After a quick sweep through rosters, the talent just keeps showing up! A lot of players from the Western side have had a lot of college interest and a few have offers. This article is to highlights those right after them! There were so many teams with tape that I chose to split it into two articles to increase the exposure. Check out my West River Players to Watch for the 2023 Season!