Game Balls From Around the State: WR’s Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The vibes for Week 1 of the 2024 season were immaculate. A nice fall breeze filled the air on the first Friday of the season, which made for perfect football weather. Student sections were rocking across the state, parents were cheering on their kids, and the players were ready to hit the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As part of Prep Redzone Kansas' weekly content for this season, our staff will be splitting up coverage by position groups to truly highlight the top performers from around the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The wide receiver group is one that I will follow closely throughout this fall, and I'm very excited to discuss some performances that caught my eye during Week 1. Take a look at five of the top receiving performances from the first week of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1115464' first='Jace' last='Midgett'] - Columbus, 6'2”, 170, Class of ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's up for discussion, but [player_tooltip player_id='1115464' first='Jace' last='Midgett'] of Columbus had arguably the top receiving performance from the opening week. Midgett absolutely scorched Independence's secondary in Columbus' 45-28 win over the Bulldogs. He finished the night with five catches for 179 yards and four touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429036' first='Parker' last='Chase']</strong> - St. James Academy, 6'1”, 185, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the more notable wins during Week 1 came from St. James Academy. The Thunder upset a highly ranked Bishop Miege squad in a 44-28 victory, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429036' first='Parker' last='Chase']</strong> played a huge role in the big-time win. Chase caught six passes for 170 yards and hit pay dirt three times. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["442660"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66df1b7235d3f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top ranked wideouts in this senior class had himself a night during Week 1. North Dakota commit, [player_tooltip player_id='442660' first='Carter' last='Pabst'], helped Eisenhower take down Valley Center in a 28-17 victory. Pabst had six receptions for 175 yards and one touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429042' first='Dayton' last='Stephen']</strong> - Hill City, 6'0”, 180, Class of ‘25, Unranked</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1429042' first='Dayton' last='Stephen']</strong> of Hill City put together one of the top overall performances during Week 1. The 8-Man prospect dominated on both sides of the ball, but his receiving numbers are what caught my attention. Stephen snagged 11 passes for 167 yards and two scores. He's an unranked athlete that will be on our radar moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1343587' first='Jaylen' last='Parks'] - Lawrence, 6'0”, 185, Class of ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final Game Ball of this group goes to [player_tooltip player_id='1343587' first='Jaylen' last='Parks'] of Lawrence. We mentioned before the season started how Parks was primed for a bounce back year, and his Week 1 performance was a step in the right direction. Parks only caught four balls in Lawrence's blowout victory, but he was electric when his number was called. He averaged 28 yards per catch as he went on to rack up 113 yards and one touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->