Class 5 Playoff Prospects To Watch – Week One

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thursday begins a new season for Missouri teams as they have a whole new opportunity to keep playing if they keep winning. Here are some of the prospects to watch in week one of the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='652849' first='Kyler' last='Kuhn'], 2027 OL St. Pius X <br>- 6'4" 285 - The #1 ranked prospect in his class in the by PRZ. Kuhn has had a dominant junior season with his athleticism, strength and finishing ability as a blocker. He is especially devastating as a run blocker and with his ability to pull and get downfield for blocks he's also a talented blocker with his pass protection. He has been making game day trips the past few months and will be one of the more heavily recruited players in in the class overall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='848166' first='Cash' last='Lewandowski'], 2027 RB/LB Rockhurst<br>- 5'9" 190 - The transfer from Kansas BVSW has been a great move for both Lewandowski and Rockhurst, as the talented athlete has made his presence felt on both offense and defense for the Hawklets with his play as well as his attitude, which the team has fed off of during the regular season. Cash plays full speed on every down at both running back and linebacker. He's a fast, quick twitch athlete with great strength and body control. As a runner his vision and quick feet add to the equation and leads to big plays. He's a all-purpose back who is equally talented catching the ball. Defensively he has racked up 92 tackles and 4 sacks to go along with his over 1,400 yards total offense and 16 touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1128410' first='Manny' last='Ellis'], 2026 RB Cardinal Ritter<br>- 5'7" 170 - This Indiana State commit is one of the fastest players in the state regardless of class and has been blowing up angles and making long touchdown runs all season while averaging 11 yards per carry for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. As fast as he is, Manny is very strong and runs like a 200-pound back between the tackles. He's fearless and is good to pick up short yardage needed. He's also a very talented receiver and returner. The very tough schedule they played should help the Lions in their district match ups. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='604213' first='Mason' last='Marden'], 2026 LB Ladue<br>- 6'3" 225 - A long time Arizona State commit, Marden is again among the top tacklers in the St. Louis area and was closing in on his team record for tackles when I saw him play earlier this season. He's big, fast and physical. He can make plays sideline to sideline, rush the quarterback, or drop in coverage with his speed and athleticism. It seem like just the other day when I told him he was a D1 prospect as a 8th grader at a Boom Football 7v7 tryout. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='926017' first='Brett' last='Ottensmeyer'], 2026 QB Parkway West <br>- 6'4" 195 - Missouri State commit is one of two current D1 quarterback commits in his class in the state. The tall, lean QB has great technique and a big arm with good touch and accuracy. His height helps him see the field to make his reads and find the open receiving target. He not a runner, but is athletic and can extend plays with his feet or pick up good chunks of yardage when needed running. This season he's thrown for over 2,200 yards with 27 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes in the regular season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->