Battle of the Borders: HS Standouts, Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CROOKS, SD--</strong> We open the book of our in-person evaluations at the Battle of the Borders 7v7 tournament hosted by South Dakota Elite, which took place two Sundays ago in little Crooks, South Dakota. I have to say, seeing the turnout at Battle of the Borders was extremely impressive to see in small town South Dakota, as a state we are finally seeing turn the corner with getting several teams of 7v7 football together to better their football prospects that the state has to offer in the Spring months. We start with Part I of the HS standouts and then by the end of the week will dig deeper into the Prep Redzone NEXT prospects that made their early spark of exposure throughout Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Let's dive into Part I!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='321184' first='Cole' last='Knudtson'], DB, Sioux Falls Lincoln/Midwest Miners (SD) 2025</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/cole57k">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848428,"width":349,"height":229,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IDF_1948-crop-4480x2942-1685578157.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-848428" width="349" height="229" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cole continued his impressive spring season in my eyes by being one of my favorite defensive backs I got to watch at Battle at the Borders last Sunday. The 1st Team All-Camp Team defensive back from our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase showed off some excellent on-ball physicality with his stock-rising ball-tracing ability. He was able to utilize his length to his full advantage in the reps I watched to cause a plethora of chaos for the wide receiving core he went up against and also showed instinctive vision washing out one passing lane and then quickly escaping to defend the other. Cole is having himself an excellent Spring, and college coaches should certainly add him to their 2025 recruiting board when he rolls into college camps in the coming weeks. I think with development of his timing, he could become one of the top defensive backs in South Dakota's 2025 class in my eyes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Quinton Hall, DB, Brandon Valley/Midwest Miners (SD) 2026</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/Quinton_Hall23">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848642,"width":356,"height":233,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_8141-crop-513x337-1685584633-crop-410x269-1685584648.jpg?w=409" alt="" class="wp-image-848642" width="356" height="233" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quinton did an excellent job two weekends ago making a plethora of splash plays for the Midwest Miners secondary. I also liked what I saw out of his vertical on multiple occasions which outplayed the measurables he showed off as this young man just had a great feel for the ball with his vision and utilizing his football IQ to be in the right spot in the right time. He also showed off some good balance with his footwork and showed off some efficent steps to engage himself to getting to the ball one step ahead of some of the wide receivers he went up against. You can expect to see Quinton on our 2026 rankings coming out in the coming weeks for sure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='487566' first='Grant' last='Beckenhauer'], ATH, Papio South/Spirit 7 Even (NE) 2026</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantBeck07">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848644,"width":355,"height":233,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_8129-rotated-crop-480x316-1685584696.jpg?w=479" alt="" class="wp-image-848644" width="355" height="233" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I recall scouting Grant from the Back 2 Ballin 7v7 tournament over a month ago, and the consistent skills this young man showed off on all levels of the football continued to blossom in front of my eyes. Grant certainly has develop his skillsets at the quarterback position this Spring, as he showed off some great uses of touch on multiple levels of the field and has grown significantly with his precison since I watched him in March. He didn't just fill up my note at the QB position either, as Grant showed off long strides with his route-running as well as using his length and radius to make some catchy interceptions and pass break ups in pass-coverage that certainly played with huge amounts of instinct. This young man is certainly a HIGH stockriser from this spring season, and should see quite the rise from our Nebraska team in the 2026 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='825416' first='Owen' last='Warne'], WR, Sioux Falls Washington/SD Elite (SD) 2025</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/warneowen1">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848647,"width":357,"height":234,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_8128-crop-513x337-1685584741-crop-410x269-1685584750.jpg?w=409" alt="" class="wp-image-848647" width="357" height="234" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase alumni that balled out at Battle of the Borders was Sioux Falls Washington wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='825416' first='Owen' last='Warne']. Owen has grown a ton with his hands this Spring and even from our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase one week prior to Battle of the Borders, he was so efficient on every level of the field as a pass-catcher. He also showed off some elusive mobility within the open field as he showed great bases of agility to get out of a traffic jam with ease. As long as this young man continues to develop his route-running and that agility I mentioned, I think Owen will become an ongoing force to know in the Warriors receiving core in the 2023 season as a prospect that I believe with his size too (6'0) has a high ceiling for the next-level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533118' first='Dominic' last='Kalacinski'], WR/DB, Harrisburg/SD Elite (SD) 2025</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/kalacinskidk">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848653,"width":363,"height":238,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_8127-1-crop-513x337-1685584821-crop-410x269-1685584837.jpg?w=409" alt="" class="wp-image-848653" width="363" height="238" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dominic has grown significantly since I first watched him in December with his developing hands he has grown and we saw that again full circle at Battle of the Borders in Crooks a couple weekends ago. I have also noticed with Dominic that the game has certainly slowed down for him with the balance I have started to see within his game as he has certainly turned it up a notch with his awareness and growing football IQ even on both sides of the ball, as he showed off a plethora of rangy instincts in SD Elite's secondary. He has also developed with his initial speed off the top of his routes as well in my eyes which at 6'4 190 pounds, should be eye-catching to see how much more Dominic can grow that speed between now and the 2023 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402519' first='Karsten' last='Sissoko'], WR/DB, Brandon Valley/Midwest Miners (SD) 2026</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/KarstenSissoko">Twitter</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":848659,"width":342,"height":275,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_8142-crop-513x337-1685584912-e1685584955134.jpg?w=418" alt="" class="wp-image-848659" width="342" height="275" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about a prospect that has made significant gains in the weight room since I watched him in-person a little under a year ago, as Karsten Sissko looked like a man amongst boys playing 15U a couple Sundays ago. He showed off an outstanding vertical on multiple receptions he made as he was able to high-top the football over several members of the secondary in the handful of games I watched that Sunday. He showed off huge amounts of athleticism in the Miners secondary as well as you could put Karsten on an island with just about any line of coverage and he showed off the consistent range to get just about anywhere on the field as a free safety that was extremely versatile on all fronts. If I had to give out an MVP amongst South Dakota's 2026 class at Battle of the Borders, my vote would certainly go to Karsten as he is setting himself up for a big sophomore season and beyond for the Lynx.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->