SW Minnesota Round-Up (2024)

With National Signing Day 2023 coming up, here is the SW Round-Up of the Class of 2024! A lot of hidden talent in the Southwest corner of the state that will be in the recruiting pool very soon! Various small schools with good athletes as well as some bigger schools. The main focus of this article is to get kids in these schools to get their film uploaded to help themselves get recruited. There is plenty of opportunity out there to play football at the next level. Here are the kids I think could have a shot to make a difference at the next level like they already have in high school, Take a look!   Canby   Dylan Houseman (RB/DB), <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14747630/6357581f066af404fc7b5216">Highlights</a>   Houseman seemed to carry a workload for the Lancer offense this season. I tuned in to one live stream late and he seemed to touch the ball about every other play. He has good vision with good agility to find the open space. He accelerates extremely quick to explode through the gap and make a big play. I like how he was a North-and-South runner, making one cut and getting up to full speed quickly. He also had a good deal of strength and balance to fight through arm tackles and keep the wheels turning forward. Lastly, I liked how versatile he was out of the backfield, becoming a reliable target for positive gains.   Fairmont   [player_tooltip player_id='528777' first='Levi' last='Pooley'] (WR/DB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Jx4pD">Highlights</a>   Pooley is a speedster that knows how to play football. I like how crisp his routes are with a lot of speed to maximize the space between him and the defender. He seemed to be the target that was basically, 'throw it around that guy and he'll catch it.' The speed after the catch was incredible too, if you didn't have multiple guys around to corral him, he was going to gouge you for a big gain. Don't let all this speed talk fool you, he is very physical too. He does a good job positioning himself to box out defenders and make catches. Lastly, I like his ball sense on both sides of the ball. Knowing when to jump routes and finding the soft spots in the defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='285057' first='Jake' last='Singleton'] (OL), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/16139637/638ba4506e8b7b0b881edc1c">Highlights</a>   Singleton has the technique I like to see in a big Lineman. He has pretty good footwork to get himself in good position to make the big blocks. I like how he gets his hands in the strike zone of the defenders breast plate and gets his full extension after contact. His foot drive after extension leads to his many pancakes on plays. Another underrated quality for him is his angles and vision when pulling. I like how he doesn't outrun the defenders and sets them up perfectly to drill them when he pulls. Lastly, I like his kick steps on his pass blocking. He gets good depth on a very quick first step on the snap.   [player_tooltip player_id='551441' first='Tyson' last='Thate'] (DL), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/16955326/637d63f25b473a0ba05d05f5">Highlights</a>   Thate is a pest for the interior offense. I like his pad level and quickness off the snap. Next thing is his awareness firing off the ball and not flying up field if he gets through the line untouched. I also like his lateral movement down the line of scrimmage while keeping good pad level to make tackles. His hand technique works great when shedding that first block quickly and getting in the backfield to make tackles for loss. The last thing I like to see on his tape is his tackling. He does an excellent job getting to the ballcarrier and wrapping him up to keep him from gaining extra yards.   Hills- Beaver Creak   Justin Roelfs (ATH),<a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JCZJW"> Highlights</a>   Roelfs seemed to be the playmaker for the Patriots this season. Offensively, he jumped around the scheme at RB and WR. When taking snaps in the backfield, he was patient to let blocks develop and then attacking the gap. Splitting out wide, he seemed to be the favorite target when they needed plays. His route-running was pretty precise and quick, making himself a good target for the QB. His hands and jumping ability played big for him on both sides of the ball, high-pointing the jump balls. Also on the defensive side, he had the speed to run with his WR, then playing the ball perfectly each time it was in the air.   Jackson County Central   [player_tooltip player_id='627969' first='Seth' last='Stai'] (RB/LB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/18672677/638445db0c539b0ce4b74551">Highlights</a>   Stai turned out to be the wildcard that was the difference maker for the Husky offense and defense. On the defensive side, he played his position fundamentally sound. I like the way he filled his position responsibility quick after his reads. On pass plays he got to his zone and found the WR in it and blanketed him, also plugging the passing lanes. In the run game, he filled his gap immediately after the read and laid a big hit on the ballcarrier. Offensively, he brought both power and sneaky speed to the scheme giving the offense a good mix. He runs the ball hard, but will break a big gain with speed if he gets loose.   Braydan Winter (OL), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2K0B9G">Highlights</a>   Winter is the type of offensive lineman that I think defenses would fear. He is so quick off the ball and very strong. His pad level makes him very hard to bullrush when adding his strength. What scares defenses the most is when he's the lead blocker on outside pulls. I like his speed and his angles to get in prime position to make a big block on the perimeter. When he got his few snaps on defense, he wrecked any offensive scheme by plugging his gap and making it hard to run the ball. Lastly, his 'it' factor is his ferocity when blocking anyone. No matter the size of the guy across from him, he was going to put him in the turf.   Lakeview   Tucker Fiene (OL/LB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2K10X6">Highlights</a>   Fiene anchored down the middle of the Laker defense. He read flow well and scraped his way into the play. His angles were good when attacking the ballcarrier and kept a good pad level to make plays. I liked his patience when scraping from the backside, not outrunning the ballcarrier and staying in prime position to make tackles. On the offensive side, he kept the interior run game an option by keeping the opposing nose tackle in check. He always got off a good snap, and then moved quick enough to keep defenders out of the backfield. Either side of the ball, he wasn't flashy, just got the job done.   Luverne   [player_tooltip player_id='105413' first='Conner' last='Connell'] (ATH), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JqGct">Highlights</a>   Connell was tough to scheme against, because the kid could literally go anywhere on the field. Playing most of the season at QB because of his arm and mobility. He was able to make a lot of plays with his legs from that position. Splitting snaps at TE and WR otherwise, he was tough to cover because of his frame and athleticism. His route running was exceptional, along with his speed made him even more difficult to cover. Defensively, he was a good run stopper from the LB position. Once he got his read, he attacked the gap and made tackles around the line of scrimmage.   MACCRAY   Brady Heiling (RB/LB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JeHke">Highlights</a>   Heiling's tape tells me that he is a man amongst boys. His huge frame makes him stick out, his play makes him stand out. When he gets a run read he flies downhill and makes a big play. I love the physicality he displays when the ball is snapped. He runs through everyone until he gets to the ballcarrier, then runs through him too. The strength he shows is impressive taking down ballcarriers from behind by their jerseys. The same goes for offense as well. He takes the handoff and hits the gap hard and shows some pretty good speed. He will also run through defenders with the ball in his hands.   Marshall   Ethan Hess (K), <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/16753090/636c308bbd74b208d0f67c66">Highlights</a>   Hess has a rocket for a leg. Nearly all of his kickoffs are touchbacks. There is plenty of hang-time on his kicks to give the unit time to get down the field. His PAT's are much of the same, nearly impossible to block with the height he gets off the kick. He hit a 33 yard FG this year.   Martin County West   [player_tooltip player_id='242406' first='Riley' last='Allen'] (DL), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Jqx4H">Highlights</a>   Allen plays extremely well blitzing off the edge. I like how he holds contain while taking the blocker with him. He keeps a good pad level off the snap and uses that leverage to get a good pass rush. If he's not rushing and just playing screens, he does a good job keeping the blockers off him and he runs down the ball. When the play goes away from him, he shows a good motor and takes good angles to the football to make the tackle. His hand technique does great shaking the blocks and getting in the backfield.   Pipestone Area   Rysley Borman (WR/DB)   Coaching Borman in his first year of varsity football, he has a lot of raw talent to work into a nice football player. He stepped into our WR position and we moved him around the defensive secondary. His body control is impressive, adding his vertical and he is a pretty good red zone target. Defensively, he did a good job roaming the defensive backfield and making plays in the passing game. At the end of the season, we moved him out to CB to cover other teams' favorite targets, also doing a good job there too. Lastly, he has some decent speed that will shock a defender for a big play.   Jackson Melcher (OL/DL)   Melcher was also in his first year of varsity football after missing last year with an injury. He filled in at the DE position perfectly. Tying for team lead in tackles through the first three weeks. His wrestling background played huge in gaining his leverage on the edge, and in his tackling. I liked how he had the football sense that can't be taught. If something felt off in a play, he was right in the mix to make the play. Late in the season, he also filled in on the offensive line and did a great job blocking. His strength played big again and he picked up on the playbook quickly.   Springfield   [player_tooltip player_id='1149984' first='Ashton' last='Toll'] (RB/LB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2KH94d">Highlights</a>   Toll was the defensive field general for the Tigers. He does a good job being patient with reads and getting to his position in the pass or run. When he fills on run support, he quickly gets through the gap untouched and drills the ballcarrier when he gets there. If the play doesn't go to his gap, he does a good job scraping to the play and making the tackle. On pass plays, he gets good depth on his drop and takes away the middle routes. Offensively, he can be a good lead blocker at FB. He can take carries and rip of good chunks of yardage. Lastly, he can split out wide and be a reliable target in the passing attack.   [player_tooltip player_id='551333' first='Carter' last='Olson'] (WR), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2KDDXd">Highlights</a>   Olson is a dangerous threat in the slot. His route running is a very strong asset to get himself open. Mixing speed and nimble footwork he could shake himself open against any single coverage. When the offense needed a big play. the ball seemed to find him. His vertical helped him and the offense score in the red zone adding his reliable hands. The last big thing in his game was his concentration in traffic and still securing catches. He made big plays on both deep passes and screens to keep the offense moving.   Tracy-Milroy-Balaton   Brian Erbes (OL/DL), <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15213997/Brian-Erbes/highlights">Hudl</a>   Erbes seemed to be a wrecking ball on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he bounced around the offensive line and put defenders in the dirt on each play. When he pulled he zeroed in on his target and drilled him. In pass protection, he always moved quickly to get into position to make the block. On the defensive side, he did a good job sticking his blocker, shaking him, then making the tackle. He was just as ferocious on defense as on offense, when he squared up the ballcarrier, he was getting drilled too.   Windom   [player_tooltip player_id='626644' first='Karson' last='LaCanne'] (WR/DB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JF52R">Highlights</a>   LaCanne emerged as a good deep threat and big play guy for the Eagle offense. He had the speed to get himself downfield and give the QB a good target for a big play. Add his vertical and hands in traffic as well. When plays broke down, he did a great job finding the open space to be a good target for the scrambling QB. Defensively, he did an excellent job running with his WR step for step on the deep routes and making plays on the ball. His vertical again played a big role on those jump balls. I liked his awareness on defense as well to stay in position to make plays on the WR or a scrambling QB to his side.   Elias Jensen (WR), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JF1jh">Highlights</a>   Jensen was a good target in the short passing game. He ran crisp routes to get himself open for the short passes and had the reliable hands to reel in those passes. Another good target for the Eagle offense when plays broke down and they needed to improvise. He found the soft spots in the defense and made the catches for the important yards. In the red zone, he does a good job blocking, then releasing into a route, both to give the QB time, then be the favorite target in the red zone.   Tucker Renquist (WR/DB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JFHPh">Highlights</a>   Renquist was a playmaker for the Eagles as a Sophomore. His Junior year was much of the same. He was the favorite target on the fade routes where he torched a lot of defenders. If a defender could stick with him, he could leap over top of them and still make the catch. Once he had the ball, he was hard to bring down if you didn't wrap him up. Defensively, his speed played big for him in both running with his WR and coming up and making plays on screens. He did an excellent job high-pointing the jump balls and making the play. His tackling ability in the open field was also impressive.   Worthington   Mak Lia (WR/DB), <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JbZNJ">Highlights</a>   Lia stepped into a big role on the offensive scheme. His speed and hands made him a dangerous threat anywhere on the field and on any play. Add his frame and leaping ability and he was a nightmare for the secondary. He was going to be the only one making that catch. Once he made the catch, you would have to battle to bring him down, usually needing more than one defender as well. His strength helped him run through and shake out of many tackles.

With National Signing Day 2023 coming up, here is the SW Round-Up of the Class of 2024! A lot of hidden talent in the Southwest corner of the state that will be in the recruiting pool very soon! Various small schools with good athletes as well as some bigger schools. The main focus of this article is to get kids in these schools to get their film uploaded to help themselves get recruited. There is plenty of opportunity out there to play football at the next level. Here are the kids I think could have a shot to make a difference at the next level like they already have in high school, Take a look!