Preseason Preview: Rock Bridge

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I continue the preseason previews with a look at the Columbia (MO) Rock Bridge Bruins, who finished 8-3 overall, 5-0 and first in their district. The Bruins return a lot of top talent on both offense and defense, including two future D1 quarterback prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'6" 220lb senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335510' first='Sam' last='Kaiser']</strong>, who recently committed to<strong> Harvard</strong>, is back to lead the Bruins offense again after throwing for over 1,600 yards nd 21 touchdowns last year. The strong armed QB is also athletic enough to pick up much needed yards on the ground and ran for another 183 as a junior. He's fast enough to make big plays downfield and strong enough to move the pile in short yardage situations. <br>If having one D1 QB prospect was not enough, Rock Bridge has the luxury of two D1 QB prospects with 2025 talent <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='669411' first='Brady' last='Davidson']</strong> (6'5" 205), who saw a fair amount of action in a back-up role and completed 61% of his passes for 299 yards and 5 touchdowns. The super-athletic Davidson was impressive enough to pick up D1 offers from Miami (OH) and Ohio University. Look for more schools to come calling over the next year for the signal-caller with the accurate big arm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 Slot/RB talent <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326733' first='Drevyn' last='Seamon']</strong> is back after leading the Bruins in total offense with 942 yards rushing and receiving. Dre also had 9 scores on the season despite missing some time with a minor injury. The speedy athlete is an elusive playmaker with the ball in his hands and a reliable target who does a nice job finding space and getting behind defenders. Senior <strong>Cooper Myers </strong>returns after leading the team in touchdowns with 12 and rushing for 298 yards. The hardnosed back runs hard between the tackles and has enough speed to be able to break a big run. <br>Hickman transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326731' first='Devin' last='Holt']</strong> (6'2" 185) brings impressive speed and is a deep threat for Kaiser to unleash his cannon of an arm to. Holt was one of the fastest players in his class at both the Elite Combine and Lindenwood University football camps this spring. Look for a breakout year from him. Sophomore <strong>Riley Rowling </strong>is another receiver with good speed expected to contribute. 6'5" sophomore TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1270488' first='Garrett' last='Essner']</strong> is another newcomer mentioned as a player to watch for on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior college prospect<strong> Carter DeVore</strong> (6'5" 280) is back to lead the offensive line this year. Carter is a great run blocker and has worked hard to impress his pass pro skills. Another college prospect that returns along the O-line is 2025 (6'4" 300) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='392782' first='Jaxon' last='Kindle']</strong>, who shows a lot of promise. He's an athletic 300-pounder who missed some time with a minor injury, but has had a great offseason and looks ready to garner the attention of schools in 2023. Fellow linemen<strong> Lars Perkins</strong> is another returner, and newcomers <strong>Lucas Roberds</strong>, <strong>JR Littell</strong> and <strong>Noah Schondelmeyer</strong> have also been mentioned among the offensive linemen to watch for. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along the defensive line, a pair of 2025 players return in DT <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1118470' first='Dain' last='Almquist'] </strong>(6'3" 260) and DE <strong>Crew Norden</strong> (6'0" 200). Almquist impressed me as I watched him from the sideline last year, and had 37 tackles and 5 tackles for loss. He's quick, explosive and strong. Look for him as a name to watch for among rising prospects. <strong>Jeremy Woods</strong> is another player mentioned to me as a newcomer to watch for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior LB talent and D1 recruit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112445' first='Grayson' last='Cutchlow']</strong> (6'3" 220) returns to lead the defense as a captain and with his outstanding play. Cutchlow recorded 116 tackles as a junior. Leading tackler <strong>Spencer Irvin</strong> ( 5'11" 190) returns to after leading the Bruins with 134 tackles. Hickman transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='385094' first='Elijah' last='Morton']</strong> (6'2" 225) is another one of the top linebackers in the state and a college prospect. He and fellow newcomer <strong>Ross Taylor</strong> will help form one of the top linebacking corps in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive backfield returns junior <strong>Ben Boehmer </strong>(47 tackles in 2022) and senior Cullen Snow (17 tackles last year), and they will be joined by Hickman junior transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='326628' first='Donivan' last='Taylor']</strong> (5'9" 175), who is one of the top overall athletes in the state regardless of class, and fellow newcomer DBs in senior <strong>Kenyon Minnis </strong>and junior <strong>Mason Snider</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->