That's A Wrap: Standout Ballers From the '25 Season

With the 2025 season wrapped up I am going to continue to do weekly recaps of this past season to recognize as many ballers as possible between now and the end of the year.   This article will be the fifth in a series of reports and updates highlighting players I have had on my watchlist and have been closely following since early in the year.   In this report we will take a look at 11 players from all three classes (excluding seniors obviously), starting with the 2027 guys, then 2028 next and wrapping up with a couple of '29 rising stars.   So without further adieu, let's check these guys out:     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2027 BALLERS</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='415448' first='Kayden' last='Augustus'], 5'11, 180, RB/LB, Blue Valley North, '27, he is coming off a strong junior campaign when he was used primarily at running back, after a sophomore season when he played more defense than offense. As demonstrated, he is an athletic two-way baller and this past fall gave us a glimpse of great things to come when he ran and caught passes for 800+ yards and averaged over five yards a carry. He is developing into an all-purpose back who besides running and catching can also make pile-driving blocks coming out of the backfield. With his quickness, burst and track speed, he can light up defenders on the perimeter but also run through arm tackles and deliver the tough yards up the middle. This guy's time in the spotlight is coming up in '26.   [player_tooltip player_id='1615986' first='Rendor' last='Hada']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/rendor-hada/"></a> , 6'1, 220, DE/RB, Maize, '27, coming off an outstanding season when they were the #1 team in the state for most of the year, it was their defense that consistently stood out and this guy was one of the defenders helping stone-wall the opposition. He can play both ways, but has really solidified himself as a powerful, violent edge rusher who dismantles blockers and destroys plays in the backfield. He stepped up when it counted most and had some of his best games when he hammered future D1 talent trying to block him, and ended the season with 70 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and three fumble recoveries. He started the year as an unknown but flipped the script and will go into his senior season as one of the top edge rushers in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1343607' first='Tyler' last='Brown']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tyler-brown-3/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tyler-brown-3/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tyler-brown-3/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tyler-brown-3/"></a> , 6'4, 255, TE/DL, Oxford, '27, he is a versatile two-way dominator who can play multiple positions and along with his teammates delivered a 7-2 season and made the playoffs for the first time. With his size and athleticism, he can be used in a variety of ways, and on offense is starting to show significant potential as a tight end who is a brutal blocker, has good hands and a great catch radius, averaged 27 yards a catch and scored a touchdown. On the other side of the ball he really shined in the trenches as a ball-buster of a defensive tackle who can also shift down and disrupt offenses at the nose. On the year he rolled up 64 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, and an interception. On offense he added 25 pancake blocks from his TE position. Get this guy on your watch list.   [player_tooltip player_id='2063081' first='Cale' last='Ketter'], 6'2, 180, QB, Topeka Seaman, '27, he is one of those junior gunslingers who caught my eye earlier in the year. Although the team struggled through a 3-5 regular season, he is a rising star who is just getting warmed up. On the year he completed 136 of 231 passes for 2,013 yards, completing 60%, and rifled 23 TD passes to only six picks and had an impressive 110 passer rating. He showed his potential in a big way in a heartbreaking 47-40 loss to state runner-up Basehor-Linwood, when he was 25 of 44 for 390 yards and fired five TD's. As a passer he has a strong arm with solid mechanics and is particularly accurate throwing the ball on the move. He throws well off platform, from different launch angles and under duress. This guy is going to be en fuego in '26.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2028 BALLERS</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='1629811' first='Taylen' last='Washington']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/taylen-washington/"></a> , 6'3, 215, OLB/Edge, Derby, '28, first out of the chute for the 2028 ballers is an up-and-coming multi-positional player who is quickly establishing himself as a top defender. He is an athletic playmaker who has the size and strength to jack blockers in the jaw coming off the edge, but with the speed to play linebacker or even as a hybrid strong safety or nickel back if needed. He started the season at outside linebacker but shifted to the Edge for the rest of the year in game two. With his prototype size, an 80+ wing span and explosiveness coming off the ball he is a wrecking ball in action. On the season he piled up 43 tackles, five tackles for loss and five sacks. It was a good season but this guy is just getting warmed up, expect to see him as one of the top defensive players in the state in '26.   [player_tooltip player_id='205592' first='Cameron' last='Akins']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/cameron-akins/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/cameron-akins/"></a> , 6'0, 180, RB/DB, Wichita East, '28, he is another standout baller who has not wasted any time making a name for himself and showing off his rising-star game. He caught my eye as a blazing-fast freshman with a ton of potential on both sides of the ball and as a return man. Where he has really stood out, however, has been in the secondary as a suffocating ball hawk who can play as a lock-down cornerback or play over the top at either safety. He is one of those fast-twitch athletes with next-level instincts who can bust the receivers chops at the line, turn and flip hips at the snap and shadow him throughout the route. For the year he didn't allow any TD's, only had three receptions against him and broke up 21 passes. Get your popcorn handy, he's going to put on a show in '26.   [player_tooltip player_id='1641844' first='Tayden' last='Neloms']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tayden-neloms/"></a>  , 5'10”, 165, WR/DB, Wichita East, '28, he is another sophomore two-way baller for the Blue Aces who stepped up his game this year. He had a strong off season playing 7-on-7 as both a receiver and as a defensive back and also was busy training daily and hit a number of camps. The work paid off as he is quickly establishing himself as a talented receiver who creates separation quickly, runs good routes, has soft hands and can make the tough, contested catch going over the middle or along the sideline. Once he catches the ball he has the burst and straight-line speed to take it to the house on any play. On defense he can play corner or safety and plays an aggressive game collapsing down on the ball to spearhead open-field tackles. This guy is getting ready for a breakout year in '26.   Andre Lovett, 5'11, 205, LB/TE, Wichita South, '28, he is a sophomore baller who caught my eye when I was checking out other players in an earlier viewing session this year and his play leaped off the tape . He is an explosive edge rusher with a nasty, aggressive streak that he takes out on blockers and ball carriers on the offensive side of the ball. With his powerful frame, strong hands and great feet, he uses good body lean sliding around would-be blockers or just bull rushes right over the top to torch plays in the backfield. He has excellent lateral quickness and closing speed and when he arrives brings the sledgehammer. On the year he had 22 tackles, and eight tackles for a loss. This guy is a rising star defender who is just getting warmed up, get out and see him while you still can.   Jaydence Martinez, 5'9, 175, RB, SMNW, '28, he started the season as a relative unknown as a sophomore running back, but it didn't take long for him to start getting attention with his explosive running. With a low center of gravity and strong legs he blows through arm tackles and makes quick, decisive cuts working through traffic. He is effective running up the middle or on the perimeter and once he sees daylight turns on the afterburners and takes it to the house. He showed a glimpse of great things to come in a big win over Lawrence in October when he stacked up three touchdown runs and 100+ yards rushing. Coach Cook at NW gave me a head's up on this guy and he was spot on as usual. He is baller who is on the verge of a huge season in 2026.     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>2029 BALLERS</li> </ul>   [player_tooltip player_id='1649519' first='Mason' last='Arndt'], 5'10, 180, Aquinas, DB/RB, '29, he is the younger brother of all-world running back Calin who finished his high school career as one of the most prolific backs in the state. Little bro has not wasted any time establishing himself as a baller ready to star in the varsity game and by post season was one of the rare freshman starters on the powerful Aquinas defense. He has quickly established himself as a playmaker who checks all the boxes, with quickness, speed, and explosiveness (38" vertical already). He hit the ground hard and fast on the freshman team, picking up 10 tackles and an interception on defense and scored four touchdowns on offense in his first game. Every week it seemed like he had an interception or a pick-6 or multiple TD's. This guy is a stud who is already getting next-level attention. Get out and see a star in the making.   Chase Cain, 6'0, 170, QB, Olathe North, '29, he is a young gunslinger who caught my eye earlier in the year and then when I saw him in action this fall he really impressed me. I have a discerning eye for QB's and he checked all the boxes as a high-ceiling, dual-threat quarterback who is going to air it out as a starter. In freshman ball this year he was dominating with 1,380 passing yards and 17 TD passes, 442 rushing yards and seven TD's for 1,822 total yards and 24 touchdowns. He even saw action in the post season on varsity later in the season. As a passer he has smooth mechanics and a strong arm that can dissect defenses at all three levels. He throws quick surgical strikes in the short game and has excellent ball placement on the long ball. He is also athletic enough to run the RPO to perfection as needed. This guy is getting ready to take off in '26.     In conclusion, keep an eye on these guys as they come into their own.   Note: if your stats referenced above are inaccurate let me know - my stat source is usually MAXPREPS and lately have caught numerous errors in their numbers.   And, most importantly...   Keep Grindin'

With the 2025 season wrapped up I am going to continue to do weekly recaps of this past season to recognize as many ballers as possible between now and the end of the year.