Dakotas Big Dogs of the Week: Week 3, Part I

<strong>DAKOTAS- </strong>As we move into Week 3’s Big Dogs of the Week, we want to give the subscribers of Prep Redzone Dakotas more depth as we break down our Big Dogs of the Week each week. Thru the end of the season, look for us to cover more prospects per week than anyone else across the Dakotas with a more in-depth analysis per player coming in as well than we have in recent weeks. This will not only give you more analysis per day throughout North Dakota and South Dakota, but it will give the players, coaches, and others more time to send us film, stats, etc. as we plan to evaluate game tape, stat sheets, etc. thru Thursday from the following week’s games. Once Thursday rolls in, we will flip our calendars to the next week’s game analysis, games to watch in each state, and much more! We start off with six prospects from each of the Dakotas that had a massive Week 3 and were deserving of our first batch (part one) "Big Dogs of the Week" in the Dakotas! I hope you enjoy it as much as I put it together. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="160905" first="Jed" last="Jenson"] | Quarterback | Rapid City Stevens (SD) | 2023</strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>9-17, 294 yards, three touchdowns. Jenson’s tape from the Raider’s first victory in two seasons has posted yet, but I can tell you what we know about this young man. His tape shows a QB prospect that just needed time, whether with his development or from what we saw on tape as Jenson was running for his life in the 2020 season on some of his reps. He got that time he needed on Friday night against #3 Sioux Falls Roosevelt at home. He showed a solid amount of poise, reviving his offense even in later down situations. He also showed the more reps you get with your wideouts the better connections that will come as the Raiders had two wide receivers with over 100 receiving yards in <strong>Alex Trohkimoinen</strong> and <strong>Easton Ogle </strong>to account for all three of Jenson’s touchdowns. I said it on Twitter this weekend, this was the game that will get the Raiders over the hump in the West River vs. East River debate in 11AAA as the Raiders have been extremely competitive in their first two weeks against Brandon Valley and now Sioux Falls Roosevelt, who were programs they have struggled in the years past. <strong>Owen Wiersma | Running Back | Central Cass (ND) | 2023</strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>17 carries, 156 rushing yards, two touchdowns. Wiersma logged just inside a first down per carry in the Squirrels win over Sargent County on Friday night. When I watched his game tape, I saw an RB prospect that was locked in at reading the inside of the defense and padded that inside lane nicely with his quick reflexes in his hips that released his speed to get to the outside to get the bulk of his yards on each carry.  He also showed a solid amount of patience in taking what his offensive line gave him and capitalizing on the gaps they created. In his later carries, he showed durability as one of his skillsets, as he showed a solid ability to cash in on extra yards thru decent contact by the defense to push his way to nearly an extra 10 yards on one particular play. Wiersma is a 2023 prospect to watch just west of the Fargo metro. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Fj2zf">Game Tape vs. Sargent County</a> <strong>Tucker Schneider | Quarterback | Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter (ND) | 2022</strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>352 passing yards, five touchdowns. Schneider is another prospect we are waiting for the game tape to come out from the Napoleon-Gackle-Streeter’s 36-6 win over Kidder County but watching other game tapes, it’s no surprise why Schneider had such a strong outing. His film sells him as more of a run option quarterback, but he shows some solid ability throwing the football. There is a lot to like about his precision with his wide receivers as he allows them to make a play on the run &amp; allows them to show off their playmaking abilities to a great extent. Although his tape shows a little more arch on the football than some QBs I have watched, he does have solid touch and his ball placement is right in the breadbasket. Schneider shows off what a strong athlete he is with his legs, as athletically he looks more like a running back than a quarterback when he leaves the pocket. His footwork is what sold that theory for me, as he’s got a strong shift in his feet when changing directions. Schneider runs with strong confidence when the ball is in his hands. Another very under-the-radar prospect I look forward to watching in his senior season out of south-central North Dakota. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11705675/612da2c49a9c5a066806a2a2">Game Tape vs. Richardton-Taylor</a> <strong>Trey Smith | Linebacker/Running Back | Madison (SD) </strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>14 total tackles (2 for a loss), one sack. Smith was a middle linebacker prospect I got to hear about several times during our Prep Redzone Dakotas Game of the Week this week between Madison and Dakota Valley, in which Smith and the Bulldogs won handly against the Panthers 46-13. Smith is under the radar when it comes to his film, but he shows a lot with a little of it. Smith has a go-getter mentality when it comes to attacking the football. He gets off of his blocks quickly and has a bully mentality when he does get thru the offensive line and beyond. Every tackle he made on the ball is shown at a high physicality level. It’s easy to see on tape that this young man’s heart on the field is excellent. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2EcFs3">Game Tape vs. Canton</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101170" first="Mehki" last="Keller"] | Athlete | Florence-Henry (SD) | 2023</strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>4 rushes, 192 total yards (106 rush, 86 receiving) three total touchdowns (2 rush, 1 receiving) So far from what I have seen from this list, [player_tooltip player_id="101170" first="Mehki" last="Keller"] takes my nod for the biggest playmaker on tape from Week 3. This young man has a strong burst off the line and shows solid athleticism on the jump on his routes. Keller is one of those players as an opposing defense you need to zoom in on where he is on the football field as his play in motion was excellent in the Falcons 44-0 win over Leola Frederick Area last week. Keller shows some really loose hips when he flips in the other direction. There is also something to be said about his range of motion as he showed that skillset on some of his reps of that in Week 3. He also has solid stamina and will be a tough prospect to run down once he outruns the secondary. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FicHa">Game Tape vs. Leola-Frederick Area</a> <strong>Dylan Feldner | Running Back | Fargo Davies (ND) | 2022</strong> <strong>Stat Line: </strong>142 rushing yards, two touchdowns. Feldner shows a strong burst on his game tape against Minot when he is crushing the run on the outside lanes. He is another matchup made on the dark side of the defense as he will line up anywhere on the field to give the Eagles an athletic advantage. He has a solid pass-catching ability and is a key playmaker to watch on short-yardage passes. With his athleticism, you will also see him lineup in the wildcat where he shows his solid footwork to turn from point a to point b and get upfield. High academic prospect with a 35 ACT with no offers yet. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FisLw">Game Tape vs. Minot</a> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;