Baller Candidates Pre-Season Review: Five From All Classes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming down the homestretch to pre-season practice, I wanted to highlight five guys from the top three classes who caught my eye recently, as I take a final look into players getting prepared for the 2024 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting Monday, I am shifting gears to conducting as many <em>"Team"</em> reports as possible before the season gets started. These team reports will enable me to cover considerably more players. The individual reports will be comprised of weekly snapshots into <em>Game Preview, Top Performing QB's &amp; RB's, </em>and then the actual<em> "Game of the Week" </em>review. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These <em>"in-season"</em> reports will not be as detailed as the <em>off-season reports</em>, but packed with enough info to keep fans and coaches apprised of progress.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many thanks to <strong><em>Coach Wehrman, Cheney; Coach Tuttle, Andover Central; Coach Racette, Halstead; Coach Meeks, Wellington; </em></strong>and<strong><em> Coach Fisher, Eisenhower</em></strong>, who all responded lightening fast to my requests for player/team information.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getting back to the players in this report. We will be peeling back the many workout layers from the past summer for a couple of up-and-coming gunslingers and then three brawling, mauling trench destroyers who are primed and ready to go scorched earth on the competition this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, without further adieu, I bring you, the&nbsp;<strong><em>"The Final Pre-Season Five":</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115927' first='Gunner' last='Goalden']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/gunner-goalden/"></a>&nbsp;</strong>, 6'0, 260, DL,&nbsp;<strong>Hesston</strong>, 2027, is ranked #30. After coming off a standout freshman season when he played significant time piling up 61 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks, he has been busy in the off-season. He has willed himself into becoming one of the top linemen in the state and is developing a reputation as a powerful mauler in the trenches who is a difficult assignment. Although he can play anywhere along the offensive and defensive lines, he is very effective as a defensive tackle or nose guard where he blows up the running game between the tackles. He has been super busy this summer hitting camps at <em>Nebraska, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State</em>, and showing well. He has also been working with <em>Coach Daniels</em> on speed, agilities and perfecting footwork and is rolling into the season in the best shape of his life. He is getting ready to go off this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='291673' first='William' last='Owens']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/william-owens/"></a> </strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/william-owens/"></a> </strong>, 6'2, 230, TE/ATH, <strong>Wichita East</strong>. 2026, is ranked #43. Another guy I wrote about earlier, covering his solid start as a sophomore last year at <em>Newton</em>. He has since transferred to <em>Wichita East</em> as an athletic, two-way, multi-positional player, who can play all over the field but where he really shines is as a hammering defensive end/linebacker and an explosive tight end on offense. He has good size, with a powerful base and is strong enough to stuff the run game between the tackles, but also quick enough to chase down running backs on the perimeter. He has been hard at it in the <em>Wichita East</em> off-season program getting to know his new teammates. He has already scheduled visits with <em>K-State</em> and <em>Oklahoma State Universities</em> this fall. Get out and see a stud in the making rise to the occasion this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1236067' first='Owen' last='Kaiser']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/owen-kaiser/"></a> </strong>, 6'4, 270, RT/DE, <strong>Great Bend</strong>, 2025, is ranked #190. Another standout performer on a loaded <em>Great Bend</em> team, he is coming off a good junior year and has been working hard to have the kind of breakout senior season that catches the collective eye of college coaches. Although he can play anywhere along the line, he lined up last year as a right tackle in the <em>Great Bend </em>offense and also terrorized the trenches from his d-end position. He has good size and reach and is light on his feet. He has been crushing his PR's in the weight room and has spent a lot of time this summer working on footwork, speed and agilities and developing a set of weaponized hands. The team just finished a team camp at <em>Washburn</em> and he is getting ready for his final lifts before the seasons starts. Get this guy on your watchlist, he is getting ready to make some noise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1333007' first='Jace' last='Jefferson']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jace-jefferson/"></a> </strong>, 6'0, 180, QB, <strong>Andover Central</strong>, 2025, is on the <em>"Watch List (W/L)"</em>. I wrote about him earlier and mentioned that if there is a definition of a kid flying under the radar it is him. He has probably received more attention on the diamond, as he is a standout baseball player, but he is also a rising star quarterback who is surrounded by weapons. He is coming off a great junior season when he completed 165 out of 295 passes for 2,214 and a 56% completion percentage. He also fired 24 touchdown passes for the year. Unfortunately, he has yet to be ranked which is an oversight on our part. He has been very busy playing baseball in the off-season and this summer, but has been active in the <em>Andover Central </em>summer lifting and speedwork program and in throwing passes with his top-end receivers. Get out and see a playmaker in action this fall, he is going to put on a show.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='780340' first='Eli' last='Ribaudo']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/eli-ribaudo/"></a> </strong>, 6'3, 190, QB, <strong>Maize</strong>, 2026, is ranked #32. He is coming off a solid sophomore season when he started turning heads as an athletic, dual-threat quarterback who has the ideal size and all-around arm that you can build an offense around. He has good mechanics in the pocket, standing tall in the face of pressure, delivering surgical strikes in the short-to-medium passing game and feathering in touch passes on the long ball. He has been busy this summer, hitting camps at <em>Oklahoma University, Pitt State and OCU</em> among others. He has been focusing on improving his intangibles and the mental aspects of the position and has been doing a lot of film review. He has also put on 10 pounds of muscle in the weight room without losing speed and has grown an inch since last year This kid is getting ready to light it up this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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&nbsp;<strong><em>CoolDaddyO</em></strong>&nbsp;via&nbsp;<strong><em>DM</em></strong>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<strong><em>X</em></strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->