Brian's Best - Regular season Part I

Before we get too deep into the offseason, I am going to look back at the 2023 high school football season. I went back over all the games I watched in the regular season and picked out the performances that stood out to me most. In addition to how well each athlete I selected played during the game, I tried to pick guys that stood out – not just because of how they played – but also how much they were not the surefire Division I or Division II prospects that I expected to show out.   [player_tooltip player_id='348728' first='Jerrod' last='Jones'] Simley RB   What I said then:   The breakout star of the game was the junior Spartans' running back. Every time he touched the ball, it seemed like he was a threat to make a big play. He made a bunch of them. His touchdowns were from 50, 29, 76, and 30 yards out. He is shifty and has excellent footwork, but his speed separates Jones. Once he got some space, he had another gear and made everyone in a white road jersey look at least a half-step slow. With three rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown, he is also a threat in the passing game. He is not going to bowl anyone over, but his low center of gravity makes him a hard target to hit and allows him to bounce off shoulder tackles.   Filling current Minnesota Gophers wrestler Gavin Nelson's shoes (and his 2000 yards rushing) would not be easy. Although Jones only found the end zone three more times the rest of the season, the junior finished the season with over 800 yards rushing while averaging over six yards per carry. He should give the Spartans' offense even more juice in his senior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='348771' first='Leyton' last='Patzer'] Forest Lake RB   What I said then:   The biggest benefactor of the dominating offensive line was Patzer, but he did plenty on his own, too. He showed good speed around the corner with a nice stiff arm early in the game. He made an excellent cut at the line of scrimmage to pick up a first down. He showed his speed again around the corner for an 18-yard touchdown run. He showed great footwork on the boundary to pick up a first down. He got in behind Stebleton and Huston for another long run. He made a quick cut and then used some physical running for six yards when he should have had one yard. After he showed some power on a touchdown run up the middle, he showed off his speed again and found the corner for twenty yards. Patzer made a great cutback for a first down. Late in the game, facing a second and 20, Patzer ripped off a game-sealing 30-yard run up the middle – breaking multiple tackles.   Patzer was the Rangers' most productive offensive threat. He led the team in rushing with over 1300 rushing yards and found the end zone thirteen times. I have not seen any recruiting updates for Patzer, but I find it hard to believe – if he wants to – that he won't have some DIII and maybe DII opportunities in the offseason.   [player_tooltip player_id='348705' first='Jaylen' last='Gayles'] Cretin-Derham Hall WR   What I said then:   Gayles was the most impressive player for the Raiders. He was Bollinger's go-to receiver. He showed great concentration when he caught a short pass. It stood out because it was a contested catch with the defender all over him. Later, he caught a slant for a first down. Then, on a third and five, he grabbed a short pass and dragged tacklers for almost ten more yards before he was stopped. Not just a pass catcher, he took a reverse, got the corner, and scored on a 20-yard run. He made another short catch, made more difficult because he was hit as he caught the ball.   Gayles was one of those guys who stood out before he even made a play. He is one of those athletes that looks and moves like an athlete – even without making a football play. The senior averaged 62 yards receiving per game and scored three touchdowns – two through the air.   [player_tooltip player_id='1146296' first='Cole' last='Saenger'] Mahtomedi ATH   What I said then:   Saenger was a problem on both sides of the ball. He punished the middle of the Raiders' defense. He is a tough inside runner with a low center of gravity and quick feet. Offensively, his most impressive plays included a powerful inside run for twenty yards. Then he had another physical run between the tackles for a first down. Later, he showed good feet when he bounced a run to the outside and made two or three cuts in the open field for 30 yards. Late in the game, a 51-yard touchdown run showed his speed once he was in the clear. As an outside linebacker, he came flying around the corner and put a highlight reel hit on the runner for a short gain. The senior stopped a runner for a loss of two with another big hit. Then, he shot a gap and hit the ball carrier in the backfield. He didn't make the tackle, but he set up his teammates to make a tackle for loss.   I could not find any defensive stats for Saenger, but based on his play on this night, I assume he was involved more on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side. This would end up being Saenger's best offensive game of the year as fellow running back Alec Mahoney – who would also top 100 yards this game – was the Zeyphers' bell-cow running back throughout the year. For one night – however – Saenger was the most effective offensive player. Although Saenger would average over eight yards a carry, he didn't get much of a workload outside of his stellar performance against Hastings.   [player_tooltip player_id='348781' first='Mitch' last='Rateliff'] DL Lakeville South   What I said then:   Rateliff was a problem for the Panthers' offensive line all night. He got off a block early and made a tackle for a short gain. He repeated the feat later with another tackle for a short gain. Against the pass, he got into the air and deflected a pass. Late in the game, he showed good range, making a tackle on the outside for a big loss.   By the end of the season, Rateliff had 51 tackles, two quarterback sacks, and eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In his best statistical game, the senior totaled eight tackles and two tackles for loss in the Cougars' one-point loss to fellow state tournament entrant Rosemount.   [player_tooltip player_id='1146315' first='Maki' last='Whelan'] ATH Rosemount   What I said then:   Early, Whelan used his speed to get the corner for a pair of nine-yard runs behind Brody Webster and Jacob Kanta. He picked up another first down off the left side. Late in the first half, Whelan caught a ball in the flat, got up-field, and got out of bounds to stop the clock. On defense, against the pass, he read a screen and made a tackle for a short gain. Later, he deflected a pass and then broke up a crossing pattern. Against the run, he shot a gap and ran down a sweep from behind.   Throughout the season, Whelan was a bit of a Swiss Army knife. He lined up in the backfield, at tight end, and outside linebacker. Some of his splash plays included a 42-yard touchdown catch from the tight end position and a 50-yard touchdown run. Whelan saved his signature moment for the first round of the playoffs. The Irish were already in control of the game against Blaine, but Whelan almost singlehandedly put the game out of reach. He scored three touchdowns in 25 seconds – a 21-yard touchdown catch, a 45-yard touchdown catch, and then at outside linebacker, he scooped a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.   [player_tooltip player_id='224835' first='Cooper' last='Desutter'] ATH Eastview   What I said then:   Early, DeSutter threw a great block on the outside to spring Bartosh. Then, he made a catch in the flat and quickly turned up-field for twenty yards. On defense, he had great coverage and deflected a short out route. He showed excellent hand-eye coordination when he got his feet in bounds and made a one-handed catch on the sidelines to convert on a fourth and three. On a third and long, the senior made a catch on a deep post route while being double-covered. Late in the game, he caught a short pass on the outside and trucked a possible tackler, knocking the defender to the ground.   Speaking of a Swiss Army knife, Desutter filled the stat sheet for the Lightning all season. He accounted for more than 600 yards of offense - scoring six touchdowns with an impressive three coming by way of pick-sixes. He lined up all over the field, running back, receiver, outside linebacker, and an edge rusher out of a three-point stance.

Before we get too deep into the offseason, I am going to look back at the 2023 high school football season. I went back over all the games I watched in the regular season and picked out the performances that stood out to me most. In addition to how well each athlete I selected played during the game, I tried to pick guys that stood out – not just because of how they played – but also how much they were not the surefire Division I or Division II prospects that I expected to show out.