Success in the fall and the spring

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the winter sports heading into the postseason, I am shifting my mult-sport athlete stories to the spring sports season. Check out some of the top football players who also excel in baseball and lacrosse.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["234837"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Johnson was a touchdown-maker for the Panthers. He caught just 41 balls last season, but nine of the catches found paydirt. The junior has excellent hands. Many of his grabs required either a one-handed catch or great concentration, making grabs on the sidelines. He has good length on the outside and is a solid blocker on the outside. A solid route runner, Johnson seems to be most effective going deep – not surprising considering his catch-to-touchdown ratio – and crossing routes. Last season, Johnson was the third leading goal scorer on the Panthers' state championship lacrosse team in goals (46).","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["945922"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Although the Huskies' lacrosse team struggled in 2023, Weikel was a constant for the team. He led the team in both goals (33) and total points (41) despite missing two games. His physical style in football undoubtedly helped him battle in front of the Huskies' opponents' net. As one of the top returning tacklers, I wrote about Weikel in December. Check out my observations u003ca href=u0022https://prepredzone.com/2023/12/stat-stuffers-back-for-more-tackles/u0022u003ehereu003c/au003e.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["362310"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I couldn't find any football footage for Bankston, but he still deserves to be on this list. On the football field this fall, although the Knights struggled through a one-win season, Bankston led the team in rushing with nearly 80 yards per game with two touchdowns. He also hauled in 14 passes, finding the endzone three times. Last spring, Bankston averaged over a goal per game and nearly an assist per game, which was good for third on the team in both categories.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["605980"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"On the mound, Tietz can whip it up there at 90 miles per hour. He uses that arm to throw a great deep ball in football. Not only can he throw it for distance, but he also throws an accurate deep ball that his receivers can make plays on. He is an athletic quarterback as well. He doesn't need to step into his throws to push the ball downfield. Tietz is creative in the pocket and makes accurate throws from strange arm angles and when being hit. He is unafraid to pull the ball down and take yardage with his feet when the defense dictates it. When he does get in the open field, he has good speed to get up the field.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["234841"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"As a wide receiver in South's offense, Smith lines up anywhere from wide to almost a stand-up tight end position. He saw limited time as a receiver last fall but does a solid job sealing the edge in the running game. As a catcher for the Cougars, Smith was named All-Conference's honorable mention and was selected for the all-section team. He hit nearly .390 at the plate.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["348787"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Ryerse has committed to Alabama as a two-sport athlete. On the football field, he connected on four of six field goals (one was blocked) with a long of 41 yards. He had an 83 percent touchback rate on his kickoffs. As a punter, the junior averaged 41 yards a punt. Only six of his 27 punts were returned, with eight fair catches and nine punts inside the twenty-yard line. As a pitcher, he can go over 90 miles per hour on the radar gun and has four pitches in his arsenal. During the Raptors' state championship run, he pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs while striking out seven in their semi-final victory.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65d553a7848a2"} /-->