2021 Minnesota Team Preview: Sartell Sabres

SARTELL, MINN-- With practices across Minnesota rolling in full swing this week, you should look to see plenty of team previews across the state get turned into PrepRedzone.com/Minnesota over the next coming days as we logged plenty of miles to give you a variety of teams to take a look at as we start the 2021 season on Friday, August 27th. One of the programs in the 320 area code playing next Friday in Week 0 is the Sartell Sabres, who after my visit to practice last year, has gone in a different direction offensively wihich I think will really open the door for more success in 2021. Without further ado, I go over all of the top prospects I got some notes from practice on Tuesday from the Class of 2022 thru the Class of 2024 from the Sartell Sabres. The Prospect List 2022 Prospects [caption id="attachment_187760" align="alignleft" width="184"]<img class="wp-image-187760" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3296-1-1-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="184" height="245" /> OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id="116192" first="Blake" last="Haus"][/caption]The Class of 2022 from the Sartell Sabres is led by PRZ Minnesota Top 20 prospect OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id="116192" first="Blake" last="Haus"] who has a massive motor and from what my eyes could see on Tuesday, that motor has gotten even stronger from last season into this season. Haus shows some highly strong power moves and is a bully on both sides of the ball, especially on the defensive line where he was a menace on the inside gaps in 2020 and it looks like that will certainly continue in 2021. Haus isthe #1 prospect in the St. Cloud Area & for Sabres and one that I believe is deserving of that Power 5 offer as I am shocked he went thru the summer without getting that opportunity. With a full season ahead, I look for him to get that opportunity as his 6’5 265-pound frame is hard to look past if I am a D1 college recruiter.     [caption id="attachment_187753" align="alignleft" width="183"]<img class="wp-image-187753" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3295-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="183" height="244" /> Sartell RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id="18523" first="Steven" last="Brinkerhoff"][/caption]At running back, the Sabres will have to replace Winona State signee [player_tooltip player_id="18088" first="Ethan" last="Torgrimson"] with RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id="18523" first="Steven" last="Brinkerhoff"], who is another prospect I have seen improvement in from last year to this year especially with his improved hip drive which will help him as the Sabres RB1 in the 2021 season. At linebacker, Steven shows a consistent pad level and is one of the hardest-hitting linebackers on the Sabres defense. I also came away impressed at practice with his launching ability when he’s going for a tackle. Brinkerhoff in my eyes is a D2 level prospect that has slipped thru the cracks this summer but a big senior season may give him that opportunity.     [caption id="attachment_187752" align="alignleft" width="185"]<img class="wp-image-187752" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3292-1-rotated-crop-480x316-1629430357-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="185" height="185" /> Sartell WR Austin Henrichs[/caption] In the receiving core, my biggest player to watch for is Austin Henrichs in the slot. Henrichs already holds one D3 offer and looked to have some of the best footwork out of the receiving core for Sartell. Somehow we missed him on the last 2023 rankings, but he will for sure crack our list in the coming months. The other strong senior contributor out the Class of 2022 in the receiving core is Carsen Gross, who is a prospect that does not have any junior film to evaluate but look for him to be a sleeper to watch from Sartell as he looks to be flying under the radar-based on what I saw from practice on Tuesday.     2023 Prospects They always say it all starts with the hog mollies on the offensive line and that is where the Sabres are three deep in the Class of 2023. [player_tooltip player_id="112100" first="Kade" last="Lewis"] and [player_tooltip player_id="112108" first="Will" last="Mahowald"] were both members of the second team on my All-St. Cloud Team I posted here recently. When I watched the film on both of these young men, I certainly saw plenty of potentials and although they are not the biggest linemen you will ever see, they have a lot of athleticism as a unit. Lewis showed he’s a lineman that can multi-engage with multiple defenders on any given play and I really enjoyed the loose hips Mahowald showed in his stance throughout the day in Sartell. Both will be in their second years as varsity starters, so look for both to be much improved in 2021. Another asset on the offensive line that made my prospect list from Tuesday was Andrew Muzik. Muzik will be the biggest linemen on the Sartell offensive line at 300 pounds and from what I witnessed at practice, was a kid that was getting some stellar leverage in the reps I watched. I also loved Muzik’s contact level which he struck a chord on a consistent basis all day. I will be excited to get some film on this young man this year.   [caption id="attachment_187763" align="alignleft" width="158"]<img class="wp-image-187763 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3300-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="158" height="211" /> Sartell QB [player_tooltip player_id="19010" first="Cole" last="Hentges"][/caption]We move onto Sartell's three-year starter as QB1 in [player_tooltip player_id="19010" first="Cole" last="Hentges"]. A side being an excellent leader, Hentges showed improved mobility and stronger arm strength from what I witnessed a year ago. When he operated out of play-action, you really could see a much improved quick release as he was able to quickly find a plethora of pass catchers. I believe the Sabres move into more of a shotgun offense will open up plenty of windows of opportunity for success especially for Cole. I am very curious which programs will be reaching out to Cole when college programs can start to contact 2023 prospects on September 1st as I think he will have a herd of suitors when it's all said and done in Sartell.     [caption id="attachment_187766" align="alignleft" width="182"]<img class="wp-image-187766" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3299-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="243" /> RB/DB [player_tooltip player_id="112062" first="Parker" last="Knutson"][/caption]Another solid prospect on both sides of the ball in the 2023 Class is RB/DB [player_tooltip player_id="112062" first="Parker" last="Knutson"]. Knutson showed off some shifty feet at practice on Tuesday and when he got reps at running back he looked to be a solid north/south runner and showed a ton of patience on those runs I watched. With all those skill sets aside, Knutson also showedhe is a strong team-wide communicator and is certainly a plaer that will hold his Sabres teammates accountable when they are not giving 100% effort. Watching his film, I think Knutson will be a strong pass-catcher out of the backfield for the Sabres in the 2021 season and defensively makes a firm contact level that plays a lot bigger than the measurables will show.     Another off-the-radar prospect that was fun to watch was ATH Dylan Simones. I could not find any tape on Dylan, but I was a big fan of his attack level at the defensive back and offensively showed a high vertical and long catch radius that exceeded expectations based on his measurables. Another RB prospect for Sartell is [player_tooltip player_id="112191" first="Gavan" last="Schulte"]. I could not locate film on Gavan, however, Gavan was listed in my colleague Oliver West’s <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/11/36-minnesota-top-unranked-2023s-you-need-to-know/">36 Top Unranked Prospects to Know</a> a little under a year ago and as a three-sport athlete for the Sabres, that he gives Sartell a large handful of options this year in different sets at the running back position. 2024 Prospects When I dove into the Class of 2024 during Tuesday’s practice I located two prospects, that still have plenty of raw talent to show off, but could see some reps this season. Those two names are LB Aidan Halvorson and ATH Ryan Quatch. Halverson impressed me with his pad level and the strength he had when making contact with the ball carriers in the early drills on Tuesday morning. I also was informed this young man put up some of the best testing numbers from the Sabres Class of 2024. Quatch was not as high on contact level as Halverson but his quick get-off on the snap is something to look at for the future of these Sartell Sabres. 2021 Schedule Friday, August 27: Away @ St. Cloud Tech Friday, September 3rd: Home vs. Sauk Rapids-Rice Friday, September 10th: Home vs. Rocori Friday, September 17th: Home vs.Brainerd Friday, September 24th: Away @ Willmar Friday, October 1st: Home vs. Moorhead Friday, October 8th: Away @ Alexandria Wednesday, October 20th: Away @ Bemidji