Wichita/Western KS Under the Radar Summer Preview

After an excellent get together with my scouting colleagues last week we got organized for the 2024 season and are ready to go!   As a reminder, Jeremy Deckard, is the Lead Kansas Scout who resides in Topeka and will be covering the Northeast, with his primary coverage area west of Lawrence and north of McPherson to the Colorado and Nebraska state lines. He will also be our 8-Man Focal Point and handle players in the trenches and linebackers in terms of mid-week reports from all schools in the state.   Santino Bernal is our Kansas City and surrounding area expert and will focus on defensive backs, wide receivers and specialty players on mid-week reports.   Last, and certainly least in this context, I reside in the Wichita area and will be covering the Wichita and extended area, which includes schools as far north as McPherson, south to the Ark City/Oklahoma border and everything west of I-35.   There will be some crossover between schools and positions, but our current plan will allow us to cover more teams and players than ever before as we have focused on geographic areas and positions to hone in on. We also communicate regularly so the game plan is get as many ballers covered as humanly possible.   Now that we have the prelims out of the way, let's get to the players!   In this report, I take a look at five guys coming off excellent seasons a year ago who have been laser-focused in the off-season getting ready for this fall. The first two are QB's, one from 2025 and one from 2026. The next three are rising star athletes from each class who are getting ready to turn heads in 2024.   So, without further adieu, I bring you the “Under-the-Radar Five”:   [player_tooltip player_id='1112380' first='Corey' last='Crumrine']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/corey-crumrine/"></a> , 5'10, 155, QB/P, Sedgwick. 2025. He is coming off one of the best junior seasons in the state when he passed for over 3,000+ yards, and added 34 touchdown passes with only two interceptions for a sparkling QBR of 131.0. He led the state (all classes) in passing yards per game at 315.0 yards per contest and also had one of the best TD-to-interception ratios in the state (34-2) . He is also a superb baseball player, making first-team all state and was Pitcher of the Year in class 2-1A. He has kept his arm in shape with plenty of baseball this summer and has been working on timing with standout receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1115726' first='Dallas' last='Lagree'], as the two prepare for another air attack this fall. Get out and see this guy wing it, you won't be disappointed.   [player_tooltip player_id='904442' first='Robert' last='Hunter']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/robert-hunter/"></a><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/robert-hunter/"></a> , 6'0, 170, QB/DB/WR, Wichita East. 2026. A multi-positional athlete who transferred from Hutchinson to Wichita East in the off-season, he ran and passed for over a thousand yards a year ago. To prep for the season he mapped out his summer to make sure he spent time developing chemistry with his new teammates and hitting the Wichita East off-season program hard, but also fit in a couple of camps to continue to fine-tune his skills. He went to the Peyton Manning Camp in Louisiana and also went to the Kansas State Mega Camp, where he also played some CB and WR. Word is getting out that this guy is for real. He has put on muscle and is up to 170 pounds. He also ripped off a blazing 4.4 hand-timed 40 this summer. Get your popcorn ready, this guy is going to put on a show.   [player_tooltip player_id='1171024' first='Jayden' last='Amaro']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jayden-amaro/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jayden-amaro/"></a> , 6'2”, 195, WR, Dodge City, 2025. He is coming off an excellent start to his high school career, hauling in 31 receptions for 469 yards as a junior for the Demons. He is a big, fast, physical wide receiver with a nose for the football who has been busy in the off-season getting ready for a monster year this fall. He got on the road and went to camps at TCU, Colorado, Nebraska and K-State. He also took part in the Six Star and You Are Athlete Camps to keep from having too much down time. When he wasn't on the road, he has kept busy playing 7v7 and working through the Demon Strong off-season workout program. He has also been focused on precise route running and speed work and hit just under 21 mph the last time tested. This guy is getting ready to get a lot of attention this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='283951' first='Kamarion' last='Bodney']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/kamarion-bodney/"></a> , 6'4, 200, WR, Wichita East, 2026. He is coming off a breakthrough season a year ago as a long, athletic playmaker of a wide receiver. Although he lines up in tight on occasion he is used more on the flank to overwhelm corners with his physicality. He is a big, physical receiver with a large catch radius who runs good routes underneath setting up the long ball. He has been working hard in the off-season, staying in shape playing hoops, dominating in 7v7 and hitting the Wichita East off-season weight and speed work program. He has started to generate a lot of interest from scouts and coaches once they see him in action. He may be flying under the radar for now but this fall he is getting ready to plaster his name all over the place. Get out and see a rising star in the making.   [player_tooltip player_id='1362958' first='Levi' last='McLaughlin'], 6'3, 185, DB/WR, Rose Hill, 2027. One of the rising star young guns in the Wichita area, he has been busy in the off-season getting ready to make a name for himself this fall. In the off-season he got on the road early and often, hitting camps at Pitt State, Missouri Western, Kansas and Kansas State. He also competed in 7v7 and has been training with brother Luke McLaughlin, a former all-state performer who is with the Pittsburg State Gorilla's. He has also been training with legendary Coach James Tabor of @PIAthletes. When not on the road he has been working out 6 days a week and the results are impressive. His 40 time is down to 4.5 with a vertical of 35" and a broad jump just under 10 feet. The future is bright in Rose Hill with this kid, he is going to be a dominating force for years to come.   In conclusion, get these guys on your watchlist and get out and see them if at all possible. And, as always, if you know of anyone “flying under the radar” feel free to reach out to @CoolDaddyO via DM on X.

After an excellent get together with my scouting colleagues last week we got organized for the 2024 season and are ready to go!