Nate's Big Dogs of the Week: Week 2-3

DAKOTAS-- After a short hiatus, we kick it back into our season content with our Big Dogs of the Week from Week 2 and 3 throughout the Dakotas. We found six prospects from each state (12 total) that rocked the socks off their competition last weekend from the 9-man ranks to 11AAA. Several of these prospects are either 2025s waiting on their deserving first offer and a great pack of 2026s that you will see in the coming years playing on Saturdays. Let's meet the crew.   SOUTH DAKOTA:   [player_tooltip player_id='1370672' first='Louison' last='Akossi'], WR, Sioux Falls Lincoln 2026 <a href="https://x.com/Louison_Akossi">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/IMG_6052.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1334350" style="width:308px;height:auto" /></figure>   I had a gut feeling at various college camps I watched Louison at this summer that he was going to be a new stud in the Patriots receiving core and he certainly proved me right last week in his 10 reception, 183 receiving yards, and three touchdown against Sioux Falls O'Gorman. His patience as a route-runner intrigues me as this kid never just sits and waits for the ball to come his way he works his tail off to get ample seperation especially as a deep ball threat. He also appeared to be longer with his arms than I expected at 6'0 195 pounds as his catch radius popped out on numerous clips I got to watch. His versatile route-tree is going to be something to watch over the next several months as he is another Patriots prospect that was very impressive with his testing numbers over the summer.   Colton Brady, RB Stanley County 2025 <a href="https://x.com/ColtonBrady_22">Twitter</a>   Colton intrigued me last week with his elusive change of direction getting out of high traffic areas and getting north and east with sound instincts getting constantly a few more yards after contact. He has a reactive trigger with his burst too and shows off as a persistent one-cut back to get upfield. Especially liked his tape deep in the redzone out of the wildcat that forces him to go 1v1 against the entire inside box and certainly shows out his full base of agility at his disposal. A 2025 sleeper out of Stanley County that I am surprised doesn'y have his first offer yet.   [player_tooltip player_id='670035' first='Ryan' last='Neugebauer'], WR/DB, Rapid City St. Thomas More 2026 <a href="https://x.com/RyanNeugebauer7">Twitter</a>   Ryan is a 2026 wide receiver that showed off some good fluidity with his cuts on his routes last weekend against Chamberlain. You can tell that this young man has a sound football IQ with his routes, as he consistently got wide separation last week on his short/intermediate routes he showed off. Defensively, he shows off that same efficency with his football IQ with his read steps to the ball as his pursuit angles on tape with getting downhill on tackles struck a chord on tape. With development with his agility and speed, I believe this junior has a good shot at playing on Saturdays but also should be a good baseball prospect too in the Dakotas.   [player_tooltip player_id='321184' first='Cole' last='Knudtson'], DB, Sioux Falls Lincoln 2025 <a href="https://x.com/cole57k">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/Cole-Knudtson-crop-1536x1009-1726108083-crop-640x421-1726108105.jpeg?w=639" alt="" class="wp-image-1432127" style="width:335px;height:auto" /></figure>   Although he has a Division II offer in the NSIC, I certainly still feel Cole is a sleeper in this 2025 South Dakota class at cornerback.I enjoyed watching Cole's vision stand out big last week against Rapid City Stevens as not only is his short field vision great, he packs the downhill punch I always want to see on tape with a next-level cornerback from a physicality standpoint and popped out a big fumble last week for the Patriots. He also shows off that same physicality with his hands getting off blocks to slow down the outside run as Cole has sneaky athleticism that still surprises me he hasn't gotten more action in the NSIC. He constantly is always in the mesh of the tackle box that is off to great start in his senior season and has all the fitting testing numbers you want in a scholarship level corner. I would have certainly offered Cole yesterday if I was recruiting in the conference.   [player_tooltip player_id='1004217' first='Lincoln' last='Prins'], QB, Sioux Falls Christian 2025 <a href="https://x.com/Lincolnprins_1">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/Lincoln-Prins-crop-320x211-1695419803.jpg?w=320" alt="" class="wp-image-1008447" style="width:331px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Dordt quarterback commit exploded on the road at Rapid City Christian last weekend with four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to his resume in just ONE half. The tape certainly shows great development since I last watched Lincoln on tape especially with the precision he shows off on all three levels of the field and I feel his arm strength has deepened since the 2023 season too. Watching a bunch of quarterback tape in recent weeks, Lincoln might be my favorite gunslinger on his touch throws in the state as the Defenders got a good one coming in next year coming from the heavyweight Chargers in 11A.   [player_tooltip player_id='848982' first='Sully' last='Jost'], RB, Sturgis Brown 2026 <a href="https://x.com/SullyJost">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/45-Sully-Jost-e1716317927110-crop-3778x2481-1716345580-crop-640x421-1724789371-crop-512x336-1726107962.jpg?w=511" alt="" class="wp-image-1432121" style="width:336px;height:auto" /></figure>   A standout performance I feel got overlooked by South Dakota sports media in Week 2 came from Sturgis Brown 2026 running back [player_tooltip player_id='848982' first='Sully' last='Jost']. Sully's stat line was 16 carries, 216 yards and two touchdowns and shows plenty of growth from the 2023 so far this fall. Durability was the first skillset I saw grow on tape for Sully, as you can tell he has grown in the weight room to rip off more hard-earned yard after contact than what I saw last season. His burst also accelerates faster at the first level of the field as I was impressed with the suddeness he has developed from first level into second. The athletic movement Sully possesses also appears to have really grown instinctively getting from inside to outside with sound change of direction. I believe this is another young man from the Scoopers you will be seeing on Saturdays and has an ideal build even as just a junior for it at 5'9 180 pounds. My gut tells me by season's end, this kid is no doubt a first team All-State running back after the season in which he landed on second team in preseason.   NORTH DAKOTA:   [player_tooltip player_id='929959' first='Colton' last='Cruchet'], RB/LB, Central Cass 2026 <a href="https://x.com/coltoncruchet">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/18-Colton-Cruchet-crop-4378x2875-1703035310.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1121560" style="width:322px;height:auto" /></figure>   Colton tied a Squirrels school record with five touchdowns in Week 3 with 126 rushing yards. Talk about showing some durability on his first clip, as multiple times on that one play alone Colton was able to get free from contact and still showed off great stamina finishing his run. He also has developed nicely with his bouncy change of direction on every rep I got to watch on tape from last week. What makes it more impressive, is Colton operated out of the wildcat for most of what I saw and even being the center target of the defense he was one heck of a tough cookie that just couldn't be stopped. Even as a 2026 prospect, I got a great feeling about this young man's future at the next-level as he really has put in the work heavily this offseason.   [player_tooltip player_id='951995' first='Logan' last='Thompson'], ATH, Lewis and Clark-Berthold 2025 <a href="https://x.com/LTommy23">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/3-Logan-Thompson-crop-4378x2875-1703124344-crop-640x421-1721705340.jpg?w=639" alt="" class="wp-image-1345264" style="width:318px;height:auto" /></figure>   Probably my favorite stat line I tracked in all of the Dakotas this week came from Lewis and Clark-Berthold 2025 athlete [player_tooltip player_id='951995' first='Logan' last='Thompson']. What did it look like? Simply put, Logan was extremely efficent on all three levels of the field. 13 carries, two receptions, five total touchdowns and 316 all purpose yards in Week 3. His elusiveness on the outside edge was barely even touched on the first handful of clips I watched from last week. His constant first cut early in the first level persistently set the tone and I of course have to show love to his hog mollies upfront for giving him such a huge cushion to run in. This also was too the case for Logan as a pass-catcher as his all-around deep field vision paved off nicely. Defensively, I also was very impressived with Logan's poise and range for his size at safety as he has great sudden movement tracking the ball. Logan is certainly one you go outside the measurables threshold for as an athlete as I would expect his stock to rise this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='1113068' first='Aiden' last='Samek'], RB/DB, West Fargo 2026 <a href="https://x.com/AidenSamek">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/42-Aiden-Samek-crop-4378x2875-1726107874.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1432119" style="width:335px;height:auto" /></figure>   Aiden is a 2026 prospect I have labeled as a defensive back in that 2026 class, but his skillsets he has put together at tailback for the Packers has me intrigued to move this young man into the athlete category for his recent tape. At 5'9 165 pounds, he has certainly gotten a new gear of burst on the offensive side of the ball that has blossomed these last couple weeks and impressed me with his balance and duraability around the outside edges. Especially in the game against Bismarck, you can see the full upside of the athleticism that Aiden has at his disposal and too with his change of direction with his developing footwork since my last live eval. Would love to see Aiden get more reps for the Packers in the short passing game, as I would love to see how his feel in with his hands on the offensive side of the ball as one that was one of our my favorite defensive backs at our combine in Jamestown last winter.   Teddy Kirschemann, TE/DE, Hettinger County 2025 <a href="https://x.com/Kirsch11Teddy">Twitter</a>   I will be the first to admit I am late to the radar on this young man and the upside Teddy has has a great ceiling. At 6'5 215 pounds, he has one of the most dominating pad-levels I have seen amongst North Dakota tight ends in this 2025 class as he is a man amongst boys in the trenches. He has a absolutely massive catch radius and with his basketball vertical can catch balls that most have no business being able to catch and better yet, has the quick upfield vision to turn nothing into something with his long strides. Usually our Big Dogs of the Week show you the stat line, but the fundamentals of Teddy's blocking in Week 3 is certainly worth a watch as a hidden gem out of Hettinger County.   [player_tooltip player_id='1226854' first='Easton' last='Benz'], WR, New Rockford-Sheyenne 2026 <a href="https://x.com/BenzEaston">Twitter</a>   As our Prep Redzone Dakotas subscribers know, we are all about skillsets a prospect showed off and logging two receiving touchdowns last week against powerhouse North Prairie was [player_tooltip player_id='1226854' first='Easton' last='Benz'] of New Rockford Sheyenne. Easton shows off on tape in Week 3, plenty of open field efficency and I certainly can quickly see the upside this young man has in the coming year or two growing that change of direction. He also wins a ton of reps on tape with his football IQ with his seperation ability as Easton is quick to identify quick windows especially in zone coverage. The first team All-Stater is one that I really expect a big rise from this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='356829' first='Jerys' last='Burckhard'], RB, Bismarck Century 2025 <a href="https://x.com/Jerys_Burckhard">Twitter</a>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/12/10-Jerys-Burckhard-crop-4378x2875-1703036358-crop-640x421-1726107729.jpg?w=639" alt="" class="wp-image-1432118" style="width:309px;height:auto" /></figure>   Jerys was nominated as the ND ScoreFeed player of the game for the Patriots and the tape shows off exactly why that is their blowout win over Fargo North. I like how skinny Jerys can get with his body in tight windows in the inside box as his first clip he utilizes that flexibility and then stretched to outside for a long touchdown run against the Spartans last week. His vision overall on last week's tape is what struck a chord most with me as he has quick play recogizition to quickly find the hole in a small gap yet patient to find it at the same time. He certainly has gotten more twitchy since my last live-eval which shows off a great probability as a fit at the next-level.

DAKOTAS-- After a short hiatus, we kick it back into our season content with our Big Dogs of the Week from Week 2 and 3 throughout the Dakotas. We found six prospects from each state (12 total) that rocked the socks off their competition last weekend from the 9-man ranks to 11AAA. Several of these prospects are either 2025s waiting on their deserving first offer and a great pack of 2026s that you will see in the coming years playing on Saturdays. Let's meet the crew.