Five Athletes Ready to Climb the Ranks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My first report of May will follow the theme I've had in my previous ones. I've been doing some more digging around the rankings and stumbled across more prospects that haven't been featured nearly enough.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This time around though, my report will be more position specific. We'll be breaking down five lower ranked athletes from the upcoming junior and senior classes. There's still quite a bit of time between now and the ‘25 campaign, but these prospects are ready to climb to new heights.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class of ‘26</span></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1229105' first='Cashton' last='Young'] - Wichita County, 5'8”, 175</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kicking off this report is the lone Eight-Man prospect of the group. Young was added to the rankings exactly a year ago, and this is his first appearance in a Prep Redzone Kansas report. He was a big reason why Wichita County went 8-2 and averaged around 52 points per game in 2024. During his junior season, Young nearly eclipsed 2,000 yards of total offense and accounted for 37 total touchdowns. He's likely to replicate those numbers as a senior.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1228893' first='Deitric' last='McDaniel'] - Cheney, 6'0”, 160</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cheney Cardinals are developing a reputation for producing diamonds in the rough. It's unfortunate their players often get overlooked, because folks are missing out on prospects like McDaniel. He was one of Cheney's top offensive weapons last season and was a key piece during their deep postseason run. The six-foot tall wideout went on to receive<em> All-League</em> honors for his play at receiver. McDaniel also ended his junior campaign with multiple interceptions on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='611171' first='Jordy' last='Heim'] - Washburn Rural, 6'1”, 215</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heim was one of the first prospects to grace the Class of ‘26 rankings, and he's been a prospect constantly improving his game since then. The Washburn Rural prospect really came into his own last fall, as he received <em>2nd Team All-League</em> honors for his play at linebacker. Heim recorded 84 total tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, and one safety. Rural also likes to play Heim at tight end on occasion. He's received a few offers so far, but he's likely to see more come his way with another solid season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='586962' first='Cameron' last='Brian'] - Seaman, 6'0”, 200</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brian is another linebacker/athlete that put together a breakout junior season in 2024. He makes his presence felt in every game and is virtually involved on every play. Brian is a disrupter and can play sideline-to-sideline, which explains how he recorded over 100 total tackles. His play earned him <em>All-State</em> and<em> All-League</em> recognition, and he has the potential to receive those honors once again as a senior. Look for him to be one of the top backers from <em>Class 5A</em> in the fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class of ‘27</span></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='944897' first='Eli' last='Ables'] - Olathe West, 5'10”, 160</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a few months, but Ables of Olathe West was one of the newest members to the Class of ‘27 rankings in the February update. Ables made his debut as the 10th ranked athlete in the class and the 142nd ranked prospect overall. He proved to be a dynamic dual-threat running back for the Owls as a sophomore. Despite splitting time in the backfield, Ables accumulated over 500 all-purpose yards and hit pay dirt four times. The Owls will likely try to get him the ball in a variety of ways during his junior campaign.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->