Game Balls From Around the State: DB‘s Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some of the top receiving performances from Week 1 were highlighted yesterday, and now we take a look at their counterparts. Points were hard to come by in quite a few matchups across the state. A number of pass rushers played a role in those results, but prospects from the secondary came up with some huge plays as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The secondary is another position group I will be providing weekly content on this season. It'll be an entertaining group to cover considering the amount of underrated defensive backs the state has to offer. These prospects featured are a prime example of that. Here are five of the top performances from the secondary during Week 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430401' first='Asher' last='Hart']</strong> - Humboldt, 6'1”, 175, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first Game Ball of this group goes to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430401' first='Asher' last='Hart']</strong> of Humboldt. Caney Valley would test the 6-foot-1 corner a few times, but that'd backfire for them. Hart helped Humboldt limit Caney Valley to just 12 points, as he came away with two interceptions and one pass deflection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1115470' first='Kyle' last='Burnett'] - Basehor-Linwood, 5'9”, 145, Class of ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1115470' first='Kyle' last='Burnett'] proved why he's a Top 100 prospect in our rankings during Week 1. Burnett was instrumental in Basehor-Linwood's big win over Leavenworth, as the Bobcats kept the Pioneers off the scoreboard in their season opener. The senior finished the game with one solo tackle and two interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430405' first='Landon' last='Simpson']</strong> - Ellinwood, 6'0”, 155, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our third Game Ball recipient from this group is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430405' first='Landon' last='Simpson']</strong> of Ellinwood. The senior had a strong all-around performance in Ellinwood's 32-0 win over Syracuse. Simpson ended the night with a pair of tackles and interceptions; one resulting in a touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430410' first='Walker' last='Henry']</strong> - Clay Center, 5'9”, 145, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430410' first='Walker' last='Henry']</strong> made an impact in Clay Center's Week 1 win over Abilene. Henry is the fourth defensive back from this group that put together a multi-interception game, as he also picked off two passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430412' first='Kaden' last='Whitehurst']</strong> - Seaman, 5'10”, 160, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last but not least is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430412' first='Kaden' last='Whitehurst']</strong> of Seaman. He racked up seven total tackles in the Vikings' 35-18 victory over Piper. Not only was he one of the leading tacklers for Seaman in this game, but he also returned an interception for a touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->