Lone Star Showdown – Top 18U Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Redzone 7v7 Circuit began this weekend in The Woodlands for our Lone Star Showdown. Just north of Houston, we got a chance to see some great players and teams compete from Louisiana and Texas. Throughout the next several days, we're going to have a ton of coverage from the event, breaking down all the top players we saw. And we'd be mistaken if we didn't take time to congratulate our champions. Bootleggers North won the 18U division while CG3-CAT Takeover took home the 15U and 14U titles. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone for more content coming out of this weekend's tournament and Oklahoma, you're on the clock! We'll see you on March 2nd and 3rd!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this post, we're taking a look at some of the top best of the best when it came to playmakers from the 18U division. Keep it locked in for more 18U coverage as well as a look at some of the top standouts from the 14U division and 15U.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Izaiah Cabrales - 2026 WR/DB - Marathoners Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Marathoners Elite squad came into the tournament as a younger team looking to gain some experience on the 7v7 circuit. They struggled as a team against more experienced squads but they weren't lacking guys that could absolutely play. 2026 wide receiver and defensive back Izaiah Cabrales was one of those players and he was making plays on both sides of the ball throughout the day on Saturday. On offense, Cabrales was a playmaker wide receiver who did a great job of always getting open with quick footwork and sure hands. On defense, he would lock down opponents from the cornerback position and made some big plays on that side of the ball as well. Cabrales is definitely a name to know moving forward as a guy who has a knack for the big play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='509564' first='Jakoby' last='Dixon'] - 2027 RB/LB - Texas TAP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We were fired up to see 2027 running back [player_tooltip player_id='509564' first='Jakoby' last='Dixon'] throughout the tournament after getting his info from the Texas TAP team. Dixon is already considered one of the top running backs in the Texas 2027 class and he's been picking up multiple offers in the last few months. Dixon had an outstanding freshman season and then we got a chance to see him in action this weekend. He immediately passes the eye test and was lining up out wide at outside wide receiver and the freshman made some plays. He helped lead Texas TAP all the way to the 18U championship game and he was consistent from start to finish. He also lined up on defense at the linebacker position. Dixon is built already, and you can see in flashes what college coaches are wanting. We can only imagine how physical he runs with the pads on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710073' first='James' last='Simon'] - 2025 RB - Bootleggers North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sticking to the running back position, 2025 running back [player_tooltip player_id='710073' first='James' last='Simon'] came over to Texas from Louisiana with the Bootleggers North squad. And just like Dixon, Simon is already considered one of the best running backs in his state's class and it was easy to see why throughout the tournament. Simon and his squad would go on to capture the 18U championship on Sunday and he made arguably the biggest catch in the championship game. It was a spectacular catch over a defender for a touchdown. His quarterback would take home championship game MVP honors but Simon probably had the play of the game for that catch. And just like with Dixon, you can see why colleges are after Simon with the way he runs and his build. He's a physical player that can get downhill fast and is tough to stop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landon Merriwether - 2024 WR - Blur Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While most standouts from these 7v7 tournaments aren't current seniors, every now and then you catch a senior prospect making plays and either still looking for an opportunity or just wanting to play the game. 2024 wide receiver Landon Merriwether suited up for Blur Black over the weekend and he had a really good tournament, especially on Saturday. We got a chance to watch them for a few games and Merriwether had a natural knack for getting open. He wasn't the biggest wide receiver in attendance but he might have been the quickest because he got so much separation from his speed alone that it felt like he was always open on every route. Merriwether had a really strong performance on both days and we're hopeful that he gets an opportunity to play at the next level because there's talent there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->