Week 3 Southern Minnesota Outstate Standouts

With Week 3 in the books, I wanted to highlight some athletes from smaller schools who typically don't get the attention they deserve. Dozens of prospects stood out from Friday night, and it took a lot of narrowing down to get to the 13 prospects ahead of you today, each of whom deserves a big shoutout for their performance.    Another one of the top DBs in the state, Peterson-Gordon is a true do-it-all athlete that gives coaches headaches. Defensively, he brought down one of the most impressive interceptions I've ever seen. A pass was thrown considerably over the receiver's head and Peterson-Gordon jumped up and mossed the receiver to bring down a pic. Offensively, he only got two rushes, but one was a giant gash that he took over 50 yards to the house.     Heimer has been on a tear throughout his junior year so far, and Week 3 was no different. He tallied not one, not two, but three TDs on Friday. Two of them came from within the red zone, while the third was slightly outside of it. The #3 RB in the class of 2026 has his recruiting stock skyrocketing, and I'm excited to see how he manages the rest of his 2024 season.     Sophomore standout Jordan Heimer has been on breakout watch throughout the season, and I dare say he's on that cusp after a phenomenal performance against Winona during Week 3. Heimer scored twice in key short-yardage situations, and figures to be an important piece of that Bears offense for the next several years.     Bungum had a fantastic game kicking for the Komets on Friday night. He went 4/5 on PATs, but more impressively went 2/2 on FGs, from 22 and 34 yards out. It was by far his best kicking game of the season, and I wanted to show some love to the small-town kicker.     Returners don't always get the love they deserve, and Thome as an elite athlete falls into that category. Although he only played the first quarter he made his impact felt very quickly. Thome recorded over a 50-yard punt return, a filthy PBU on an out route, and a hard-headed tackle that stopped the receiver in his tracks. This dude is legit and easily among the top DBs in the state.     The big man tore up the trenches during a Week 3 win and is one of my favorite outstate offensive linemen. Wermerskirchen is a menace playing at center, often using fantastic pad level to generate a ton of leverage to drive a poor defensive lineman 20 yards downfield. He mauls defensive linemen and provides offensive coordinators a key piece to run behind.       Schulz had an incredible 237 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns en route to a 28-7 win over Concordia Academy. He had several jaw-dropping runs where he would break a handful of tackles on a dive, and take the ball 40 yards to the house. Schulz has an uncanny knack for turning congested running lanes into giant chunk plays for the offense and would be a welcome addition to many collegiate locker rooms.     Hart had a phenomenal game carrying the rock during Faribault's Week 3 battle with Concordia Academy. With the ball in his hands, he is insanely quick and able to cook defenders on the outside or between the tackles. Hart was also able to break tackles time and time again by constantly moving his feet and fighting for every yard. Even when he doesn't get the ball, Hart is a pitbull blocking his tail off for his fellow ball carriers. Schools need to get at him quickly.     Although Garcia has typically been listed as an edge rusher, his Week 3 tape showcased solid defensive line play with his hand in the dirt. His first step off the line of scrimmage is exceptionally quick and he was able to reliably find himself in the backfield racking up TFLs. When collisioned by a fullback, or any kind of lead blocker, Garcia was able to blow them up or create leverage to displace them for him to bring down a tackle. Keep an eye out for this rising Faribault athlete.     If you want to talk about positional versatility, look no further than New Ulm stud Sam Ibberson. During a 21-7 win over Tri-City United, Ibberson recorded 8 total tackles, 2 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and he went 3/3 on PATs. He's incredibly quick for 225 lbs and would be a steal for any MIAC school.     Blanck has been lighting up the gridiron during his senior year, and he continued that trend in Week 3. Against a tough Byron squad where he was given 12 touches, he managed to rush for 150 yards and a TD. This means he averaged an incredible 12.5 yards per carry. He also caught a ball for 16 yards. Blanck has been playing as if he's one of the top RBs in AAAA, and I'd love to see him build on that trend.     Sophomore Schuett has been making an instant impact in the Willmar Cardinals secondary, and he capped off his Week 3 with a season-high 10 tackles as well as his first career forced fumble. I've long known Schuett as a QB prospect, so it's cool to see him show off these other aspects of his game.     Pearce was doing it all for Hutchinson last week, as he tore up both sides of the ball in a hard-fought loss to Totino-Grace. He carried the rock a TON, getting 25 carries on which he racked up 113 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught 2 passes for 14 yards. Defensively he brought down 6 tackles for the Tiger's secondary.

With Week 3 in the books, I wanted to highlight some athletes from smaller schools who typically don't get the attention they deserve. Dozens of prospects stood out from Friday night, and it took a lot of narrowing down to get to the 13 prospects ahead of you today, each of whom deserves a big shoutout for their performance.