Kirkwood vs Ft. Zumwalt West Impact Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 football season kicked off last night in some limited action in the St. Louis area, and I attended the Kirkwood at Ft. Zumwalt West match-up. Here are some of the impact players of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1130114' first='Jacob' last='Eberhart'], Kirkwood WR/S 2026<br>- The 6'3" 210 Illinois commit did not disappoint and was clearly the best player on the field with a performance to prove it. Eberhart is an elite caliber athlete with his speed, power and explosive leaping ability and quick twitch mobility. He made a highlight reel one-handed touchdown catch for the first score and only touchdown of the game. He finished with 11 grabs for 156 yards to go with his score. He also contributed 5 tackles and a sack on defense for good measure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1128413' first='Garrick' last='Dixon'], Ft. Zumwalt West CB/WR 2026<br>- The Jaguars D1 player also showed why he was highly coveted and commitment to Kansas State as his talent and athleticism also jumps out at you. At 6'2" (maybe closer to 6'3") Dixon is a double duty player who makes an impact on both sides of the ball using his speed and physically along with great ball and cover skills. He does a nice job getting open and can be a big play receiver. Defensively he is a lockdown corner who also plays tough against the run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1608574' first='Cooper' last='Owens'], Kirkwood QB 2026<br>- Owens did a nice job in his first start for Pioneers after transferring to Kirkwood from Ft. Zumwalt South. He showed nice composure under pressure most of the night as the new Pioneers O-Line was finding it's footing in the season opener. Cooper is a primarily a pocket passer but showed good wheels and mobility to keep plays alive and the field vision to find open receivers during the game. He has a nice arm and threw for 280 yards in his debut, along with the touchdown and a pick. Overall he did a good job with his new team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1160675' first='Chase' last='Dixon'], Ft. Zumwalt West NG/OL 2027<br>- The little brother of Garrick is not so little at 6'3" 300. Chase is a very athletic big, who besides starting on both sides of the line, sees a little time in the Jaguars backfield in short yardage and goal line situations. It's something he has done since middle school, and with his quickness and explosive get off makes sense. As a NG he takes up space using his size and strength, but has the explosive ability and speed of a three tech DT. He's also a talented OL who is a powerful run blocker and has nice ability to play center. Definitely a college prospect flying under the radar at the moment. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cole Johnson, Kirkwood, CB 2026<br>- The senior defensive back stepped up filling in for an injured starter and probably made the play of the game with a key interception in the end zone of a FZW drive that kept them off the board and prevented them from tying the game. It was a huge momentum changer. The 5'8" 150 DB had good coverage and timing along with strong hands to keep the ball away from Dixon, who was the the targeted receiver. Johnson did a good job the whole game with a performance that deserves recognition. He finished with two tackles to go with his pick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->