Wichita/Western Kansas Players Ready for the Spotlight

The clock continues to tick as we accelerate toward pre-season practice starting in August. Between now and then my teammates and I at PRZ are ready to burn the midnight oil so we can cover as many standout and potential stars as possible.   We will continue coverage during the season, but will be focusing more on teams and games as opposed to focusing on individual players. The player content will continue as before, it will just be framed a little differently than what we have done in the off-season.   In this report I wanted to get back to the guys floating in the top-end of the middle-of-the-pack range of the rankings to make sure they are not getting overlooked. The guys selected below are all coming off standout junior seasons and have been working hard in the off-season to be even better in 2024.   So, without further adieu, I bring you, the “End-of-the-Week Five” – the 2025 Wichita and Western Kansas guys getting ready to make some noise this fall:     [player_tooltip player_id='1115502' first='Wyatt' last='Kirkpatrick']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/wyatt-kirkpatrick/"></a> , 6'2, 225, LB, Hays, is ranked #37. '25. He is the highest ranked player in this report and is coming off a dominant junior season when he piled up 104 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, picked off a couple of passes and scored a pair of defensive touchdowns along the way. He has next-level linebacker size and athleticism and plays with a headhunter mentality. He can play any of the linebacker positions and also storms the gate coming off the edge, but where he really shines is shutting down the run game between the tackles as a jackhammer of a middle linebacker. He has excellent football instincts, with great read and react skills and closing speed. He has powerful hands that he uses to chop up blockers and work through traffic to get to the ball carrier. His size and speed enable him to shoot gaps and track down backs in the backfield before the play can get going. He may not be getting as much attention out in western Kansas, but this kid is the real deal.   [player_tooltip player_id='1213987' first='Garren' last='Campbell']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/garren-campbell/"></a> , 6'4, 265, OT/C, Cheney, is ranked #63. '25. He is coming off as good a season as a player could hope for, going 13-0 and helping Cheney win the state championship a year ago. He was a big part of the undefeated run as a versatile lineman who can play either tackle, guard or line up at center as needed. He is a skilled warrior in the trenches, with great reach and trained feet that enable him to gain position and leverage. When the ball snaps he is a powerful mauler of a blocker who dominates the line of scrimmage wherever he is lined up. He is quick for his size, agile, moves well laterally and drives from snap to whistle, often resulting in pounding the defender into the turf. He has a good kick out step and moves well in pass pro and in the run game he steamrolls defenders on down blocks and chipping off to cut off linebackers. This kid has been hitting it hard in the off-season and is getting ready to dominate this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='716730' first='Austin' last='Howard']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/austin-howard-3/"></a> , 6'1, 200, LB, Kapaun, is ranked #89. '25. He is coming off a solid junior season and has been training hard in the off season to grab some of the spotlight this fall. An aggressive inside linebacker, coming hard off the edge or even as a hybrid strong safety, he is a versatile playmaker who makes things happen all over the field. As an inside linebacker he is a gap destroyer who times the blitz with uncanny accuracy, blowing through double teams to stack up plays at the line of scrimmage. Off the edge he is a heat-seeking missile coming in low and hard with great body lean off the edge. He gets into the backfield in a hurry and is a strong run stopper on the perimeter. In coverage he can effectively take out the tight ends and track backs on the edge but also has good instincts in zone with a feel for the receivers in the area. Pre-snap he has good knee bend and body lean, ready to diagnose the play as soon as the ball is snapped. This kid is getting ready to shine in 2024.   [player_tooltip player_id='1186650' first='Gavin' last='Pfannenstiel']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/gavin-pfannenstiel/"></a> , 5'11, 195, DB, Derby, is ranked #113. '25. He is coming off an superb season as a defensive leader who helped Derby to a state-runner up finish. He is also a headhunter of a defender who loaded up on 91 tackles for the season and an interception. He is an athletic, versatile, multi-positional defender, excelling at any of the linebacker positions, but can also play strong safety or even move down to the edge and cause disruption blowing up perimeter players in the backfield. He has outstanding instincts in the pass game, reading the quarterback and play schemes to close on the ball exceptionally fast. He has next-level cover skills, whether it is manning up backs out of the backfield or playing read and react in zone. He is also a hitter who comes in hard and fast and also tackles consistently in space. He definitely gave Derby fans and opponents a glimpse of what he can do and what to expect in 2024.   [player_tooltip player_id='858149' first='Tanner' last='Woolston']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tanner-woolston-2/"></a> , 5'11, 170, RB/ATH, Andover, is ranked #126. '25. He is another versatile performer from the Andover area who can play any of the skill positions on offense, all of the defensive back spots as needed and is dominant on special teams. He is one of those rare all-around athletes who is capable of making things happen at any time on the field. On offense he is an electric playmaker who lines up all over the formation and gets the ball in his hands in a number of creative ways. He will play tailback one play, split out wide the next and go deep, then take it on a jet sweep and burn the defense on the perimeter. He also lines up in a single-back set where he throws enough accurate passes to keep defenses from teeing off on the run. Once he has the ball in his hands he is an elusive runner who uses the entire field with good lateral quickness and speed, which he displays as a dangerous return man or breaking away on offense or defense. Get your popcorn out for this guy, he won't disappoint.   In conclusion, get these guys on your watchlist. They are getting ready to make some serious noise this fall. And, as always, if anyone knows of players flying under the radar feel free to reach out to CoolDaddyO via DM on X.

The clock continues to tick as we accelerate toward pre-season practice starting in August. Between now and then my teammates and I at PRZ are ready to burn the midnight oil so we can cover as many standout and potential stars as possible.