While it was not the result that St. Laurence wanted, their star tailback gave it his all in a loss to Rochester. Ball, a 6’0 205 lbs running back, rushed for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 4A State Championship game. Ball has been one of the best backs in the state this season, willing the Vikings to an improbable state title run week-in and week-out. The big back runs smoothly in the open field and possesses breakaway speed that makes him a home-run threat every time he touches the ball. Ball gave his commitment to Illinois a week before the game kicked off.

Aaron Ball Aaron Ball 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB St. Laurence | 2024 State IL was able to punch in a late touchdown last week to help his team upset IC Catholic in the quarterfinals. Ball is a special back with great size and elite speed. Over the summer he had gained a lot of FCS and division 2 offers. As St Laurence looks to keep the run going, there is no doubt they will lean on Ball for big plays. St. Laurence will have another tough match-up this week taking on Wheaton Academy.

Aaron has an exciting, well rounded game. The senior RB has been proving it in the playoffs. He can attack a defense with speed, stretch the field horizontally, break contain, and beat pursuit angles downfield. Then the senior will attack between the tackles and win with agility/jukes. Ball can also win with power and contact balance where he will rip through arm tackles. The senior and Top 10 RB in the Class has been a big play waiting to happen all season. Keep an eye on him this week!

Aaron looks like he is on his way towards building a frame that could carry a good sized workload at the next level. After watching the film, I came away impressed with how explosive the senior RB is. He is decisive, accelerates through the hole, and is able to juke or hit a cut while maintaining an high level of speed. Ball has strong instincts, and looks at home while picking through the front seven. No question, the senior has the speed to break off the big play when he gets outside the tackles and into space. Aaron plays at a speed different than the rest of the field. I’m looking for a big postseason from Aaron.

Ball went off for St. Laurence in their win over Leo last weekend as the Vikings improved to 4-1 . Ball found the end zone 4 times, as he raced for 140 yards on the night. Ball is an explosive tailback, as he hits the hole quicker than most and has the elusiveness to make defenders miss in tight windows. He also possesses elite speed, as Ball can out run nearly any defender to the edge to break off chunk yardage runs. He is extremely difficult to bottle up and has the skills to make defenders miss in a variety of ways. His speed stands out every Friday night, so keep an eye out for ball to continue flying the rest of the season.

If you are looking for a hard running back who can set the tone with physicality and also has the athleticism to create the big plays then you need to check out the St. Laurence RB. Aaron checks in at a well put together 6′ 200 lbs. He has a very well developed low center of gravity that allows him to easily power through tackle attempts and force tackle attempts to bounce off him. Aaron’s leg drive allows him to run through contact and then instantly flip on the speed when he breaks free. Aaron also has the speed and agility to win with his quick twitch instead of power. Ball is a well rounded back and looks like he could be a featured ball carrier at the next level.

St. Laurence has plenty of prospects littered all over the PRzIL 2026, 2025, and 2024 rankings, and has one of their standouts in our ’24 Top-100, who is part of a talented Vikings backfield that will hopefully run wild in 2023. 6′, 200 lber. Aaron Ball Aaron Ball 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB St. Laurence | 2024 State IL is one of the best RBs in Illinois and remains uncommitted going into August with offers from South Dakota, Upper Iowa, MSU-Mankato, and Southwest MN State. An exciting North/South, between-the-tackles type ball carrier with an effective one-cut ability in the open field, Ball has a strong lower body that helps his contact balance power through tackle attempts and visible dog piles and makes him very hard for a single tackler to bring him down. He does show some elusiveness laterally and does a good job of finding and utilizing space once he gets through the LOS and into the second level of the defense, as well as behind the LOS when his blocking breaks down but the best part of his game is his fun-to-watch and successful ability to absorb, dish out, and power through contact while staying upright and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. He’ll grind out a defense over four quarters and is going to be even more of a beast with another offseason of work under his belt.

Mr. Ball is a hard runner that fights through contact and has foot quicks through the hole. There were a few chances where this young man almost broke a long run against the Wolf Pack’s defense after bursting through the line of scrimmage. For the rest of this season, keep an eye on his trait there as his ability to outrun 2nd level defenders once in open space is what gives him the edge. I’m also interested to see how he fairs in the air attack over the rest of this season. Twitter