KYMSFA Battle of the Regions: Top Performers Region 4 c/o 2029

The Kentucky Middle School Football Association held its annual Battle of the Regions event on March 29-30, with many of the states brightest middle school stars on display. Below is a look at some of the 2029 prospects that stood out, from Region 4.    Out of all the prospects on Region 4, Wooldridge was the first one that caught my eye during warmups--even before I had a roster in my hands. Last June he was a clear standout for the Kentucky Future Stars on the defensive side of the ball, but this weekend he manned the QB duties for R4. They don't come much more dual-threat than Wooldridge. Throughout the weekend he ran over, around and through the opposing defenses all weekend with a plethora of naked boots and QB keepers. He did have a pair of TD passes as well and some other nice short throws , but his bread is buttered with his athleticism.     In a word, Risner was explosive. Any time the ball was in his hands, there was a chance Region 4 would be putting points on the board. While not the tallest kid in the world by any stretch, he sports a rock-solid build and has verified 4.8 speed in the forty. In the opening game, an impressive win over Region 2, Risner scored on a 50-yard Jet Sweep and added a 35+ yard TD reception. In addition to a two-point conversion and several rushes/receptions, he also had an incredible kick return that was unfortunately negated by a block in the back. Nonetheless, it quickly became crystal clear that Risner was not to be messed with.     Looking back at my in-game notes from the weekend, I described nearly every run Ridener made as "tough", "physical" and "earned". Like Wooldridge listed above, Ridener was a force on the defensive side of the ball for the Kentucky Future Stars and even earned the Defensive MVP as a Linebacker. This weekend he flipped sides and showed what he could do as a Running Back. Up two inches and 15 pounds since June, Ridender had countless runs up the gut, gashing the defenses with power.     Stop me if I sound like a broken record, but another prospect I saw last June with the Kentucky Future Stars who again shined this weekend, was [player_tooltip player_id='868416' first='Drew' last='Anderson']. At the Battle of the Regions, Anderson did a little bit of everything for Region 4. Another kid that is up 20 pounds since June--clearly all muscle--he had a few receptions on offense, some big hits and great coverage in the defensive secondary and even showed off some kick return skills. Versatility and ability, separated Anderson from the pack this weekend.     [player_tooltip player_id='1649955' first='Garrett' last='Sturgill'] was a new name to me coming out of this weekend. During warmups he caught my eye and would have pegged him for a Defensive Tackle, however, when he lined up as a Middle Linebacker I was surprised. He's a big, thick kid who is constantly playing down hill and makes his living stuffing the run between the tackles. He was in on a number of stops over the course of the weekend, nearly all the ones that caught my eye were inside the tackle box in obvious running situations.     On the defensive side of the ball there were a few kids that always seemed to be around the football at all times, and Perry County's [player_tooltip player_id='868415' first='Joshua' last='Miller'] was one of them. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 215-pounds, but he certainly looks bigger than that. The physical mismatch used his reach, speed and strength to keep the opposing Offensive Tackles off balance and take up residency in the backfield. Without the benefit of replay and having to watch all 22 players at the same time, I don't have official stats but Miller was a terror screaming off the edge all weekend.     Another Miller, another Perry County prospect. While [player_tooltip player_id='868415' first='Joshua' last='Miller'] was attacking from the outside-in, [player_tooltip player_id='1306575' first='Caleb' last='Miller'] was causing havoc from the inside-out for Region 4. [player_tooltip player_id='1306575' first='Caleb' last='Miller'] made it a long day at the office for the interior O-Linemen tasked with keeping him out of the backfield. Best described as a bull in a china shop, he used a rotation of quick hands, bull rush and push-pull moves to have a dominating weekend performance for the eventual BOTR Champs.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Winning The Line of Scrimmage</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/R4-Line.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1649919" /></figure>   While the playmakers with the ball in their hands get all the headlines and love, watching all of Region 4's first game and catching some highlights of the second game, it was very clear that the big guys up front handled their business throughout the weekend. The "Gimme Your Lunch Bunch" consisted of [player_tooltip player_id='1311355' first='Christian' last='Alsabrook'] at Left Tackle, [player_tooltip player_id='1311339' first='Carter' last='Lawless'] at Left Guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1649866' first='Cagan' last='Hurley'] at Center, Colyer Speaks at Right Guard and [player_tooltip player_id='1649890' first='Brennan' last='Miller'] at Right Tackle. Additionally, starting Tight End Everset Whitaker was extremely violent all weekend long, driving the opposing Edge players backwards.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Region 4 Standouts</h2>   The Region 4 squad was littered with prospects from Meece Middle School--10 of them to be exact--and Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='1264509' first='Jaron' last='Childrey'] was one of them. I didn't see much of R4's second game of the weekend, but in the first game of the weekend he served as a perfect compliment to the the rushing attack of Wooldridge and Ridener.   Another Meece Briar Jumper that Region 4 tried to get the ball in the hands of, was Wide Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='868213' first='Alex' last='Decker']. The nearly 6-footer was used on End-arounds with his long strides and speed. He was also target deep downfield a couple times during the weekened due to his size advantage. While nothing connected in the opening game that I watched, he beat his guy a few times and drew a crucial pass interference call, which led to the the final touchdown of the game.   Corbin Middle School's [player_tooltip player_id='1649948' first='Micah' last='House'] brought an energetic and quicker style up front as a Defensive Tackle. He didn't look as big as some of the other big interiors I saw throughout the weekend, but he was a step quicker than most of them. He did a nice job of getting penetration and if not making a tackle, he was able to create enough commotion to get the offense out of rhythm.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Scout's Eye</h2>   The guys below caught my eye during warmups and in game play. However, without the luxury of being able to watch the games back again, having replays or recording official stats, missing plays is inevitable. Nonetheless, these guys certainly looked the part and I hope to get another look at them in the coming months.   Chance Fisher | Meece Middle School   Reese Garrett | Wayne County   Maddox Walters | Southern Pulaski   Brady Ratliff | Pikeville   Luke Truett | Corbin   [player_tooltip player_id='1664711' first='Brennan' last='Hollin'] | Corbin   Jaxson Payne | South Laurel   Andrew Cranney | Pikeville   [player_tooltip player_id='1780796' first='Gavin' last='Coleman'] | Pikeville   Kaden Jackson | Bell County   [player_tooltip player_id='1664748' first='Caden' last='Stradley'] | Corbin   Coltun Tucker | Southern Pulaski

The Kentucky Middle School Football Association held its annual Battle of the Regions event on March 29-30, with many of the states brightest middle school stars on display. Below is a look at some of the 2029 prospects that stood out, from Region 4.