Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase: The MVPs That Stole the Show

ABERDEEN- We spent our Sunday at the Aberdeen Dome for our bi-yearly Prep Reddzone Dakotas Showcase in which we saw 120+ athletes show us what they have to compete at the next-level in which we got plenty of live evaluations for upcoming rankings updates and more as we at Prep Redzone Dakotas, certainly value the live evaluations we get throughout the Dakotas. Out of those 120 athletes, we named one MVP for every positon on both sides of the ball to see how who was the best of the best on Sunday!   Quarterback MVP    Ryder was a contender for quarterback MVP his last time out at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase and he got his title on Sunday showing exactly why he is our QB1 in the 2028 class out of North Dakota. He showed off the strong arm talent on all three levels as every throw I watched had some heat on it no matter where on the field Ryder was throwing it in to. He also was improved with his ball placement as all the throws he completed where on the moeny to get his wide receiver upfield. Easily the highest poise level in the quarterback group as Ryder was cool, calm and collected when he was dialed in during 1v1s. He's also grown from an athletic standpoint, as took 4th on our scoreboard on our new Universal Speed in the pro shuttle with a 4.4 flat which is impressive, as Ryder was the only quartertback on any of those scoreboards from Sunday.    Running Back MVP    We wrote prior to the Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, that I felt Beckett was a frontrunner to win RB MVP and he proved us right in his showing in Aberdeen on Sunday at our showcase. Beckett showed off an even deeper football IQ in his reps yesterday, as watching his change of direction and the balance that is constantly shown during individual drills got eye-popping seperation off the linebackers. He also has gotten more juice with his accelerator as I will be intrigued to see where his testing numbers turn out to be. The first team All-State running back at Bismarck St. Mary's now has his second RB MVP at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. The NSIC offers have gotten started, but I surely have constantly had a Division I grade on Beckett from the start of his freshmen year. He also placed in all two categories with our new scoreboard with the Universal Speed Rating, as he was third in the 40-yard dash (4.59), and first in pro shuttle (4.25).    Wide Receiver MVP    Boche got onto our Prep Redzone Dakotas radar within the last couple months and based on watching the tape, I was fired up not only that he was coming to our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, but also came home with our WR MVP which was well-deserved. He had the most effective route-tree amongst wide receivers in the building and the college coaches I talked to couldn't get enough of watching this young man get air-bourne with his vertical. He also was a wide receiver that played with presence no matter what sized DB he went up against in 1v1s as Boche was a route-runner that brought that fearless demeanor against any competition. He picked up the first offer that came from his play at our showcase, as the offensive staff from Northern State were quite intrigued by what he showed off. Boche also placed second on our Universal Speed Rating scoreboard in the 40 yard dash with a 4.56.    Tight End MVP   Tight End MVP    Great skills came in pairs at the wide receiver and tight end positions as the West Central Trojans took home MVPs in both spots with Boche Knight at WR and a new name for me at tight end in [player_tooltip player_id='2054941' first='Tanner' last='Wagner']. The verified 6'6 225 pounder, knew how to utilze his 6'7 wingspan to his advantage in the bulk of the reps I was able to watch on Sunday in Aberdeen. He also was more fluid than you would expect with his change of direction on his routes and that showed to be consistent via testing. He is one that I can't wait to see what the rest of his tape looks like in the coming years as one of a handful of 2028s that made noise as an MVP on the offenisve side of the ball.    Offensive Line MVP    I got to watch Rowan get a ton of reps in the offensive line group and I was convinced that each rep he got better and better. He was really effective in pass-protection reps and I was impressed with great balance he had with his footwork when he set his base. Rowan showed off quickly that he had some of most violent hands in the OL group landing a handful of pancakes that got defensive linemen on the turf while also having sound pad-level in those reps I watched. Our offensive line MVP surely will be a watchlist to rankings target to watch for at powerhouse Sioux Falls Christian as he surely is not done developing in my eyes.    Defensive Line MVP    I had Kullen in my top-tier of defensive linemen at our last Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase and was one that I thought grew a ton since last time. The 6'2 234 pounder showed off a 6'4 wingspan and no issue using it to his advantage during the 1v1 reps I watched. I loved watching too how coachable he was with Northern State defensive line coach Jake Iery as anything new he got coached on it seemed like he was able to apply it to his reps very quickly. He also ran a 4.56 shuttle and 7.51 on the L-drill which are impressive numbers to see at his size from a testing perspective. I felt Kullen has gotten more natural with use of hands as a pass-rusher and it showed off vividly in top performer 1v1s as I can see Kullen moving up some spots in this 2027 class out of Fargo South.    Linebacker MVP    The lone 2026 propsect we had as an MVP at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, was Webster Area's [player_tooltip player_id='2073029' first='Matthew' last='Mount'] who had a strong senior season for the Bearcats. The 6'0 223 pounder, certainly passed the eye test from the jump to play linebacker at the next-level and his play backed it up too. Matthew appeared to be very instinctive during Indy drills and you could tell the fluidity and motor were wired from start to finish in the chunk of reps I was able to watch on Sunday in Aberdeen. He was a linebacker that you could tell thru coaching, relished the opportunity hitting on the small details. The All-Stater has great vision at the point of attack and surely is deserving of some offers coming his way hopefully very soon.    Defensive Back MVP    It didn't take long for me to identify the best defensive back in the building at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase, as it was [player_tooltip player_id='1080174' first='Ethan' last='Olson'] of Sioux Falls Lincoln that took home the DB MVP nod. He ran a 4.44 shuttle and 7.53 in the L-drill but what I saw during the individual drills proved quickly that his change of direction was much more twitchy in a game-type setting. I actually had Ethan graded as a QB, and then a LB, but him showing off his skillsets in the defensive back group paint a great picture at the next-level in that spot as he showed off great footwork, a quick ball-tracking ability, and great suddenness getting out of his brakes to attack the ball downhill. Surely one that I feel that could be a mover in our upcoming 2028 rankings update in South Dakota.

ABERDEEN- We spent our Sunday at the Aberdeen Dome for our bi-yearly Prep Reddzone Dakotas Showcase in which we saw 120+ athletes show us what they have to compete at the next-level in which we got plenty of live evaluations for upcoming rankings updates and more as we at Prep Redzone Dakotas, certainly value the live evaluations we get throughout the Dakotas. Out of those 120 athletes, we named one MVP for every positon on both sides of the ball to see how who was the best of the best on Sunday!