Midwest Battle of the Borders: Junior High Top Performers, Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CROOKS, SD--</strong> We dive into Part 2 of our list of junior high top performers from SD Elite's Battle of the Borders held in Sunset Park in Crooks, South Dakota a couple Sundays back. The athletic ability some of these youngsters have on this list, probably in my eyes makes this the deepest list we have built content for out of this junior high group of prospects. Let's meet the athletes!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>James Terry Jr, WR/DB Sioux Falls, SD/Midwest Miners 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":852465,"width":308,"height":202,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/IMG_8156-rotated-crop-435x286-1685986048.jpg?w=434" alt="" class="wp-image-852465" width="308" height="202" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James is a physical specimen that is developing his football instincts of how to utilize his size on both sides of the ball, as there is plenty of it to go around with his length he adds on both sides of the ball. I thought he showed off some intriguing change of direction on both sides of the ball, and showed off a massive catch radius as a pass-catcher that had the size of a man amongst boys from the reps I caught on Sunday in Crooks. He will certainly develop his twitch in the coming years, as I love the high ceiling this young man possesses as he enters the high school ranks in Sioux Falls this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Emanuel Yonly, LB/RB, Fargo, ND/North Dakota Grind 2029</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":852467,"width":364,"height":239,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/IMG_8154-rotated-crop-435x286-1685986087.jpg?w=434" alt="" class="wp-image-852467" width="364" height="239" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't all pretty for North Dakota Grind at Battle of the Borders, but they did have bright spot I watched with some of his defensive reps particularly in Fargo linebacker Emanuel Yonly in the 2029 class. Emanuel intrigued me with his instinct with his first step to the ball on every rep I caught on Sunday in Crooks, as he was reactive and showed off locked in positioning especially on short yard plays in the inside box, that he could be the stuffing to the ball on those reps he caught inside and knew how to position his body pre-snap to get an edge on the pass-catcher or ball carrier. As a 2029 linebacker prospect, in my eyes he can grow with expanding his coverage areas with more twitch in his footwork to cover the edges of the field smoother. He is still very young, but I like the ceiling this kid has to grow over the next several years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Beckett Rehorst, ATH, Brandon, SD/SD Elite 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":852477,"width":362,"height":238,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/IMG_8138-rotated-crop-435x286-1685986166.jpg?w=434" alt="" class="wp-image-852477" width="362" height="238" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No matter what level of the field, which side of the field I got to watch Beckett on Sunday at Battle of the Borders he showed off highly consistent playmaking ability as an athlete on both sides of the ball. He showed off smooth physicality with his ball-tracking ability and had his hands in the cookie jar time after time in pass coverage. I also liked the range Beckett brought defensively, as he has a great-sized island he can operate in with his athletic ability which is was surprising to me with his size as he also had good extension with his reach for the ball especially as a pass-catcher offensively. I also loved this kid's work ethic on both sides of the ball, as he sprung highly on both sides of the ball to make a play for his South Dakota Elite squad and worked his tail off in my eyes. I don't usually have too much commentary on character with 2027 prospects at this age, but I also thought Beckett showed excellent character from our interaction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Braylon Treasure, RB, Sioux Falls, SD/Midwest Miners 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":852482,"width":357,"height":275,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/IMG_8161-crop-512x337-1685986297-e1685986311397.jpg?w=436" alt="" class="wp-image-852482" width="357" height="275" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braylon showed off to me as one of the most reliable pass-catching running backs I got to watch amongst the junior high group at Battle of the Borders a couple Sundays ago. He also showed off some sudden flashes with his instincts as a pass-catcher especially when he was able to reel-in some highly contest balls coming his way in the later rounds of the 7v7 tournament. I liked his improvising he had with his vision in the open field, as he showed a plethora of agility with his change of direction. He's not the biggest running back I saw in the groups, but did show off some shades of what his length has with growth in the coming years as he had some good vision with his reach around the edges of the football field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Cooper Nielsen, WR/DB, Colton, SD/Midwest Miners 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":852479,"width":348,"height":245,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/IMG_8140-crop-512x337-1685986208-e1685986229939.jpg?w=477" alt="" class="wp-image-852479" width="348" height="245" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper in my eyes looks like the best athlete I saw out of South Dakota's upcoming 2027 class, not just from passing the eye test on Sunday, but from the skillsets he showed off in his plethora at Battle of the Borders. He struck a chord for me most with his route-running ability as he was extremely efficient with his routes and got ample separation with the length from the bottom to the top of his body he showed off en-route. He also demonstrated excellent hands in my eyes for his age. The best fit for Cooper positionally certainly stood out at wide receiver, however he also made some key plays for the Midwest Miners in their secondary showing how well he was able to utilize his sizeable in pass coverage as safety looks like his best fit defensively. I said it on Sunday, Cooper is likely one of South Dakota's best athletes I have seen this spring out of this upcoming freshmen class out of Tri-Valley. He is certainly a prospect I will be watching heavily over the coming years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->