A big-time prospect out of Centennial High School, Edwin Ekah Edwin Ekah 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB/DB Centennial | 2028 State MN has had himself a heckuva sophomore year. A standout triple-option RB with the Cougars‘ varsity last fall, Ekah posted 66 rushes for 549 yards (8.3 YPC) and 4 TDs, and in electric fashion I may add. He’s also been going off on the track this outdoor season, PRing with 21’4″ long jump and an 11.62 100M, but reports some 11.4 times in practice with the Cougars‘ varsity. Ekah was also potentially the best 7v7 player I saw in Minnesota this offseason, having a very good year with Next Level Athletes out of Blaine, and he was so good as a safety in fact that I’m not quite sure where he best projects to just yet into the college level.

Ekah displays a ton of power, physicality, and contact balance in his game, particularly in the open field, as well as burst & vision, and he was producing against one of the tougher schedules MN Big School football has to offer. The sophomore broke and ran around some very athletic 6A LBs and SAFs in 2025, and he’s comfortable, intentional, experienced in the open field, with a deep bag of tools to break tackles and power written all over his game. Ekah tracks the ball well in the air and is an asset as a pass catcher out of the backfield and when split out to the slot, and he displays some impressive displays of body control and fearlessness when spinning, stepping, and working through tackle attempts in the open field. The 190 lber. also flashes some twitch as well.

Next Level Athletes. FS/WR.

The Top Underclassmen Performer from the NYE 7v7 Open Run, Centennial and Next Level Athletes 2028er also earns our selection for MVP of the entire event, regardless of grad class, age, or position. Ekah, the starting RB for Centennial’s 9-2 2025 squad and campaign, is a brick of a sophomore with a ton of versatility and varsity experience for an underclassman, and he more than proved himself against unpadded 7v7 competition at the National Sports Center. The middle became a 100% No Fly Zone when Ekah was lined up as NLA’s free safety, where his excellent instincts, ball skills, closing speed, range, and physicality were on full display. Playing up against 18U competition, Ekah was maybe the most physical 7v7 defensive back in a while, and no, I don’t mean cheap, unnecessary hits or collision, I mean, when the ball got put on a wide receiver, Ekah was so strong, physical, and technically-sound that he was jarring the ball loose rep after rep after rep against helpless WRs. I think I counted 7-8 PBUs from the games I watched alone, as well as a TD and INT from the first game that I missed while parking, he was making some especially beautiful breaks on the rock from his FS spot and MOF defender. Ekah was coming out of nowhere and closing on the rock like he was shot out of a cannon, and these PBUs came on a variety of different routes, from deep posts, to fades, to digs, and even a couple of slants. Ekah was everywhere and all over the field, personally halting 5-6 drives himself from momentum-killing PBUs and picks. Line this kid up anywhere and he’s going to make plays. Get on the hype train now!

Edwin Ekah Edwin Ekah 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB/DB Centennial | 2028 State MN proved to be a huge playmaker for Centennial’s JV offense last season, and with an outstanding showcase performance back in January that earned him MVP honors for the event, Ekah is building a strong case to contend for a major role on the varsity lineup next season. Ekah didn’t take many snaps as a natural tailback, rather being lined up as a TE before being motioned into the backfield pre-snap and taking a pitch. This method worked as he was able to use his great vision, speed, and cutback ability to maneuver effortlessly through the defense, finding the endzone quite often on JV. With a flashy 34″ vertical, 405 lb max squat, and 4.7 40 yard time, Ekah possesses plenty of athleticism, and combined with his playing-style should continue to make him a dangerous force in the backfield. Ekah should see a bump into the varsity lineup heading into 2025.

Thanks to the PrepRedzoneNEXT Showcase stop in Minnesota last spring, we’ve had our eyes on now-Centennial Cougars 6′, 180 lb. RB/OLB Edwin Ekah Edwin Ekah 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB/DB Centennial | 2028 State MN far before the 2024 season kicked off. Representing the defending 6A state champs, Ekah is making some noise behind the scenes while playing 9A and JV ball, catching the eyes of varsity coaches in his program. Ekah, who popped off a 9’3 broad jump at last April’s PRzNEXT Showcase, showed that explosiveness and big-play ability against non-varsity opponents in 2024. Possessing game-breaking speed and good contact balance that can bounce tackle attempts off his lower body once as he cuts and changes direction, Ekah had seemingly dozens of TD runs and missed tackles this fall. Ekah sees and uses the field well, has some shake and can make that free defender miss at the third level of the field, and consistently bounces tackle attempts off his lower body. Ekah forces safeties to make business decisions and noticeably hesitate coming into a tackle, and is the epitome of big, strong, fast in his freshman tape. Hope to see this kid on the varsity scene too.