Valley City State LOS Camp: Nate's Day 1 Bests

We start our camp content from the Valley City State Line of Scrimmage Camp with the best we saw prospects wise that made their way to the City of Bridges on Wednesday and Thursday. There were over 220 offensive and defensive linemen in attendance in Valley City which was excellent for us to evaluate a ton of kids in one place where it matters most, inside the trenches. Out of day one, we found our 2030 MVP, 2029 MVP, favorite team duo and more in what took nearly 2500 words to log as our notebook was surely on fire in these two days!    2030 MVP   One of the most eye-catching 2030 prospects in attendance from my eyes was Fargo Davies's Preston DuBord. The 6'3 195 pounder showed off from a technique perspective, more like an upperclassmen. His get off showed off great twitch for his age as the more reps I got to watch out of Preston I could see the quick growth with his hands, which seemed to get off quicker and quicker off blockers the more reps he got. He also had tireless physicality with getting those hands and a sudden presence into the backfield. He's one that 's going to be a big name to know once our class of 2030 rankings come out in North Dakota.     The reigning 2025 11AA state champions return most of their linemen from last year's team and another one that could add to the mix in the offensive trenches is 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2243979' first='Karter' last='Winnegge']. The 6'2 250 pounder, showed off a well-versed stance for his age and the area where he intrigued me most was with his hand-placement with his base blocks that got into the second level. Also for his size, he was more fluid than you might have expected coming out of the younger offensive linemen group at the VCSU LOS Camp. He's one to keep an early eye on in what is looking like a good linemen class in the trenches for Devils Lake in 2029.     2029 MVP, Best School Duo   My selection for MVP out of the 2029 class at the VCSU LOS Camp went to Esko's [player_tooltip player_id='1703844' first='Jaster' last='Johnson'], as Jaster seperated himself early from the group. Some of the most violent and physical hands I saw in Valley City rep after rep mostly came from Jaster as this young man was locked in on every rep I got to watch too from a pad-level perspective. Even for a 2029 prospect, Jaster showed off the grit you want to see on both sides of trenches that loved to compete, as he was constantly getting more and more reps than some of the rest in the group. Jaster also during the defensive practice, showed off elusiveness with his hands and could get off fluidity showing the college caoches in attenndance and myself that Jaster's skills translate to both ends of the trenches. Still has plenty of time to grow, but surely was a favorite of the college coaches in Valley City from various levels. Excellent character that college coaches should note as well.     A 2029 name that sits on our North Dakota watchlist right now from his performance at the Jamestown Prospect Camp last year is Jamestown defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='1745564' first='Hunter' last='Challeen']. Hunter stood out from my eyes in the live eval with the aggression he showed off with his hands for his size as he surely has taken a step forward from last summer as far as his size and frame off the eye test. He was also sudden with his get off when it came down to his foot speed in the Indy reps I was able to watch on Tuesday at the VCSU LOS Camp in Valley City. He's got some upside when it comes to gaining more control with his footwork based off the reps I watched, but the athletic ability that is there is surely something to keep an eye on as this young man still has three years left in the Blue Jays program.     A new name for our Minnesota radar in the 2028 class and the first prospect to hit my notebook was Perham's [player_tooltip player_id='2243960' first='Jaden' last='Gorentz']. Jaden got the juices flowing in the first group I watched with an overwhelming drive blocking ability that led the OL group in a handful of reps I watched despite not being the biggest OL out there. The 5'10 280 pounded showed off his efficency with his pad-level in the reps I watched and is a great example why sometimes the best prospects in the offensive trenches are not always in the ideal size profile. No tape or Twitter yet, but the live eval was a solid one this morning at the VCSU LOS Camp on day one.     We go back to back with Minnesotans leading the pack to start the stock-pile of my notebook from the VCSU LOS Camp with Parkers Prairie 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2212917' first='Kyan' last='Abernathy'] coming thru next. Again, the 6'0 225 pounder is was not the biggest kid from a measurables standpoint, but I was impressed with this young man's low center of gravity in watching his leverage drive into the second level. He also showed off good fluidity with his footwork coming off his lower body. Another hidden gem out of the 2028 class in Minnesota that caught my attention more than a few times from start to end of the morning session in Valley City.     Braxton was a new name out of the 2028 class that we gathered from the DE group at the VCSU LOS Camp out of Langdon Area that although doesn't match the size profile as some of the other defensive linemen, but the athletic traits pretty clear in the live reps I got to watch out of him. He surprised me with his strength he had against some bigger DLs in attendance as his hand placement showed off consistency and was able to store leverage to get some solid drive-blocks downhill. A two-sport athlete for the 2025 state champions of 11B, he's one that I hope to see even more growth during tomorrow's curcuit that will feature more 1v1s than we saw on day one.     This might be my first year at the VCSU LOS Camp but the amount of hidden talent in the Roughrider State has shown early, including Minot Bishop Ryan's [player_tooltip player_id='2243966' first='Cohen' last='Schneider']. The 2028 offensive tackle stands at 6'4 240 pounds and was one that probably is hard to miss from an eye-test perspective from college coaches and myself. The first note I had out of Cohen during Indy drills, is how I felt he was one of the more immovable offensive linemen during today's session as a handful of DLs had a hard time getting him off his spot even though they were responsible for the push in the double-team drills I watched. He was also one of the more sizable offensive linemen that I thought displayed balanced footwork and good foot speed for his size from start to finish in the reps I watched. He's one that I felt has a quick learning curve, as what I saw at the start of camp from a development standpoint to the end, was solid as far as growth. Another hidden gem hiding in Minot right across the street from Minot State.     Josh was just at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase in May at Augustana where we watched him make my OL list for standouts, but what we saw today in Valley City at the VCSU LOS Camp was intrigue in the defensive trenches. He was one that showed more power in his lower body than what I saw just in May, as Josh had some success this morning finding enough space to utilize those growing hands to get tighter with his flexibility thru double teams during drills as the hip flexibility intrigued me further as a better fit to be a defensive tackle at the next-level. The now 5'11 275 pounder from Fargo South in my eyes has position flexibility that college coaches should keep watching for on both sides of the trenches.     Talk about a first day of hidden gems in Valley City, as another one that hit my radar out of the 2028 group at the VCSU LOS Camp was Jamestown's [player_tooltip player_id='2243967' first='Eli' last='Sankey']. I recall his name during the Jamestown Prospect Camp last summer, but man what a difference a summer makes with his development from then to now. The 6'4 230 pounder showed off a sudden burst with his get off at that size and struck a chord quickly with his violent hands. He's got some development tools to work out as far as his hand placement to get even more violence into the second level, but off the first look Eli showed off like a 2028 that could play on Saturdays in a couple years. He needs to get some tape together and a Twitter account to move the needle for college coaches out there.     Gus has been a name that has caught my attention a couple times at camps I have been at in the last few weeks, as he was one of a couple Grygla-Gatzke defensive linemen that caught my attention at the last UND Flagship Camp and then yet again this week at the VCSU LOS Camp. The 6'0 200 pounder even in that short time was persistent with his hand-fighting and was able to fluidly get off his blockers with the agile movement you want to see. He's one that was a workhorse with his hands in the reps I watched which shows the blue-collar work ethic this young man has at his disposal. Can't find much tape out there on him, but the fact that now two camps he's showed out in recent weeks is a good sign for his progression headed into his junior season with Grygla-Gatzke.     Best School Duo   One of my favorite duos of prospects from one school in the last couple of days at the VCSU LOS Camp came out of Esko, as [player_tooltip player_id='1695498' first='Josh' last='Antonutti'] was one of the two prospects from Esko that caught my attention. Josh was one that made his presence known in both the offensive and defensive practices in Valley City on Tuesday as that quickly pointed to the position flexibility that this young man has for both sides of the trenches. The 6'2 235 pounder, brought persistency physical hands on every rep I was able to watch with the aggression that college coaches wanted to see as Josh got exposure despite being a 2028 prospect from college coaches. He also impressed me with his impressive character at came as well.     A new name that got added to my radar this morning out of Watford City at the VCSU LOS Camp is offensive guard [player_tooltip player_id='2243962' first='Sam' last='Inman']. Sam did not take long to show off the bully-type violence you wanted to see in Valley City, as his ability to pin and drive a handful of DLs into the second level was persistent throughout the live reps I watched from today. He also was balanced in his reps when it came to his pad-level and showed off more fluid downfield footwork than you might expect with his size. Sam to me seems to be the next offensive linemen up out of Watford City that I believe has a great shot to play on Saturdays based on what I saw after day one.   <a href="https://x.com/saminman79" id="https://x.com/saminman79">TWITTER</a>     Parnell is already an EDGE rusher that I have lined up to move up quiet a bit up our 2027 rankings but with the live eval this morning, his stock continues to roll forward. The verified 6'2 225 pounder was an immediate eye-test not just for me, but the college coaches in attendance athletically. He's taken a big step forward in the offseason with his foot speed and seen grown with how agile his get off has become while also adding to his frame. Parnell is surely one that I have as one of my double-digit spot movers as far as our overall 2027 rankings in North Dakota align. Parnell picked up an offer from VCSU after camp yesterday from the Vikings.     Another Minnesota sleeper alert has been engaged, as 2028 edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id='2243985' first='Darian' last='Holzer'] was a new name out of Fosston that was hard to miss at the Valley City State LOS Camp over the last couple of days. The 6'4 205 pounder is pretty light as far as tape, but he was one that progressed quickly from watching his athleticism thrive from his first rep to his last rep I watched of camp. He showed off a growing football IQ and was one that used his coachability to his advantage with the later reps I watched as far as his hands and generating more power with them the more I watched. He has freaky athleticism that on the tape he does show off shows off a lot of position flexibility as you'll TE and saftety reps too on tape. He's one that I feel trends best as an EDGE rusher at the next-level. No Twitter that I could find yet.     Another new name out of Minnesota that caught our attention from the first day of Valley City State's LOS Camp was Hancock 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2243983' first='Cruise' last='Millette']. The 6'0 210 pounder wasn't an ideal match from a measurables standpoint, but man could this kid hang with the bigger group in the reps I watched. He's got fiery hands to make up for that size and showed it on a handful of reps I watched from Cruise. Another skillset that caught my attention was his quick ability to refit his hands as Cruise was able to restore leverage to win reps especially in the defensive trenches. A very under the radar name to watch out of Hancock heading into his senior season.     Garret was a defensive linemen name that was a new one out of North Border that caught my attention quickly despite the light reps I watched out of him on Wednesday. The 6'5 195 pounder is one that surely has some frame he can add heading into his senior season but the well-rounded fluidity and burst that he showed off with his get off during Indy reps that showed off his athleticism that is there at his size. He showed off a more agile inside move than I had expected to see and appeared more smooth with his footwork and control from what I expected to see out of a prospect that I couldn't find tape on. Surely a sleeper to know that could be a progressing senior bloomer that we got on early from camp.     Best 2027 New Name   It's been no secret that 2025 11AAA state champion Fargo Davies has always been loaded it seems like year after year, but from my eyes the 2027 prospect that slipped thru their talented roster and ended up getting an offer from Valley City State, was [player_tooltip player_id='2243987' first='Treighton' last='Bartels'] who caught my attention quickly on day one of their LOS Camp. The 6'5 240 pounder from the Eagles was a menace with his hands on every rep I watched during the two days I spent in Valley City. He's one that also knew how to utilize his arm length and that progressed further with how overwhelmed Treighton had the DLs in the reps I watched out of him this week. His quick knack of being able to generate strength was sudden as Treighton was to me the biggest 2027 sleeper of this Day one group that I could see the flood gates opening for more attention around the Dakotas. This is 100% why I love live camp evals for kids like Treighton.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Treighton394436/status/2075336138206609711 </div></figure>

We start our camp content from the Valley City State Line of Scrimmage Camp with the best we saw prospects wise that made their way to the City of Bridges on Wednesday and Thursday. There were over 220 offensive and defensive linemen in attendance in Valley City which was excellent for us to evaluate a ton of kids in one place where it matters most, inside the trenches. Out of day one, we found our 2030 MVP, 2029 MVP, favorite team duo and more in what took nearly 2500 words to log as our notebook was surely on fire in these two days!