Class A & 8 Man Underclassman Stats and Analysis: Pass Catcher’s

The Iowa High School season is underway and a majority of teams are four weeks in, whereas some teams have had to take a week or two off because of COVID-19 concerns. I am taking a look at the statistics provided by ia.varsitybound.com and watched film on the highest producing underclassman signal callers, running backs, and receivers and broken them down. Here are the Pass Catcher’s that have impressed so far this season: &nbsp; <strong>Sophomore WR, Lane Kenny, Akron-Westfield High School (A) - 6'3, 190 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 26 receptions, 315 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD's, 16.9 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Though the team as a whole is strugging, the passing game keeps the offense going. Lane Kenny is a young, promising receiver for the Westerners. Kenny is a volume receiver, but a reliable receiver. He has good concentration in the way he catches the ball in traffic and with his hands away from his body. His routes are pretty crisp, and is good about using directional fakes to get open. He has good high point skills that allow him to make good plays on the ball. With time, this passing attack could be very good over the next two years and Kenny will be a prime prospect in that. <strong>Junior WR, Brad Bellis, West Monona High School (A) - 6'1, 175 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 18 receptions, 395 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD's, 21.9 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Brad Belis is another small school receiver with good size who has been productive so far this season. Bellis is a fast, possession receiver who is good at adjusting to the ball. He knows when to come back to the ball, and knows how to go down and catch the ball on a lowly thrown ball. He normally runs short to intermediate routes to get open and makes plays after the catch with his speed and ability in the open field. West Monona will need to get more production out of their offense to go deeper into the postseason and Bellis will need to be a main point. <strong>Junior WR, Tyson Fairbanks, Akron-Westfield High School (A) - 6'1, 190 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 23 receptions, 271 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 11.8 yards per catch, 1 rushing attempt, 18 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 18 yards per carry</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>The second receiver from Akron-Westfield on this list is Tyson Fairbanks. He's good in possession and looks to make plays after the catch or in the run game when he is called up on tote the rock. He is good as a receiver in the way he runs his routes to create separation. He has nice catch radius where he can grab balls that may not always be thrown accurately. When he has the ball he is a patient runner who looks to see where he can exploit the defense at. With the combination of Kenny and Fairbanks, the Westerners could have something cooking. <strong>Junior WR, Raydden Grobe, AHSTW High School (A) - 6'2, 162 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 21 receptions, 410 receiving yards, 4 rushing TD's, 19.5 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Sitting at .500 right now through 4 games of the season isn't a bad place to be for AHSTW, but will be looking for momentum. Rayyden Grobe has been a bright spot on offense so far with the way he runs routes and creates separation from the defense. He has good speed and can get behind the defense with or without the ball. Another thing he does well in his routes is getting the defender on his hip and being physical to shield them from the ball in order to complete the catch. Grobe will be a focal point for his offense and opposing defenses to stop, but if he can continue production then his team will be in good shape. <strong>Junior WR/RB, Caelen Devault, Nodaway Valley High School (A) - 6'1, 173 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: </em><em>25 receptions, 262 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 10.5 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown:</strong> Caelen Devault is a good possession receiver who has been a bright spot for the Nodaway Valley offense. He has good hands and catches the ball with hands away from his body. He is good about catching the ball with space to work after the catch and is good in possession. He uses quick bursts of speed to get open and to make good runs after the catch. He is willing to go across the traffic in the middle of the field and make tough catches with defenders around him. Devault has a nice frame to work with and could be a good receiver over the next two years with some development and growth. <strong>Junior WR, Jaidan TenEyck, Boyer Valley High School (8-Man) - 6'2, 175 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 23 receptions, 345 receiving yards, 5 receiving TD's, 15 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown:</strong> With good size already TenEyck is a solid possession receiver who can bring a little RB style to his game. He is able to run over defenders and will hit the defenders hard at the point of contact. TenEyck is a good returner for his team and is able to breakaway with good speed, and vision to find the way he needs to go on returns. He is good at adjusting to inaccurately thrown balls and improves his catch radius in those moments. He mostly excels at intermediate routes whether that's breaking towards the sideline or coming across the middle he is able to get himself open. TenEyck could be utilized in many ways on the field and should be put on display in Boyer Valley's offense. <strong>Junior WR, Cade Nelson, Southeast Warren High School (8-Man) - 5'10, 155 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 19 receptions, 422 receiving yards, 5 receiving TD's, 22.2 yards per catch, 10 rushing attempts, 37 rushing yards, 3.7 yards per carry</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Cade Nelson has big play ability for the Warhawks the way he gets behind the defense and uses his body well to catch the ball. He does also get used in the offense in the ground game which shows the reliability the coach has in Nelson. He proves to be the go-to receiver for his offense and doesn't disappoint in the production area. Nelson has good concentration and is able to make big catches through traffic and has a good catch radius down field. <strong>Junior TE/WR, Trevor Malone, Boyer Valley High School (8-Man) - 6'2, 175 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 21 receptions, 336 receiving yards, 6 receiving TD's, 16 yards per catch</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Big bodied receiver/tight end who can make plays in the end zone and is a prime target when his team gets into the redzone. Malone is a reliable receiver with strong hands and can catch the ball in traffic well. He is used on crossing routes over the middle and knows how to get open for his QB. He has big play ability before and after the catch and uses his body to box out defenders on high pointed balls. Malone and Boyer Valley will continue to score more TD's as he will continue to get targeted. <strong>Junior TE, Caden Smith, Glidden-Ralston High School (8-Man) - 6'2, 225 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 17 receptions, 255 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD's, 15 yards per catch, 14 rushing attempts, 37 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD's, 2.6 yards per carry</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Caden Smith is a true TE prospect who is capable of running routes across the middle of the field and is good on the play action pass. He uses the offense to get open and make good catches. Smith is a big target who is a good in-line blocker who is strong at the point of attack and uses his body and strong hands to move defenders. He has good hands that are reliable and catches the ball away from his body maximizing his length and and catch radius to be able to grab more receptions. Looking to get over the .500 hump, the Wildcats will rely heavily on Smith to be that reliable pass catcher that he is. <strong>Junior RB/WR, Rory Heer, Baxter High School (8-Man) - 5'10, 160 lbs.</strong> <em>Stat line: 22 receptions, 273 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD's, 12.4 yards per catch, 80 rushing attempts, 518 rushing yards, 5 rushing TD's, 6.5 yards per carry, 1/1, 100% completion percentage, 8 passing yards, 167.2 passer rating</em> <strong>Breakdown: </strong>Rory Heer is a do-it-all type player for the Bolts so far this season. He has lined up all over the field playing QB, RB, and WR along with returning kicks and playing defense. I like Heer as a RB/slot WR type player and that's why he's in this category. Heer is hard to bring down when he has the ball in his hands, and has good speed to pair with that good running ability. A lot of the time he lines up in the backfield and is still able to get behind the defense with his speed and ability to run good routes. He is a possession receiver as well as a deep ball threat, and excels when the ball is in his hands in the open field. Despite Heer's ultra productive year so far, Baxter is struggling to put wins in the win column so far, but with Heer on their team he will allow them to compete very well.