Who are the best players in the South Central region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
In a region with some pretty well established programs, it’s easy for some really solid players to slip through the cracks. And one player who has certainly been slipping through cracks is Levi Tapper from Mamabird. he’s lighting fast deep receiver with a wide range of throws and a solid defender. But beyond the measurables he has some great intangibles. He has a great nose for the end zone, often being the one to finish plays. He’s one of the sneakiest players in the division; his shifty eyes make it impossible to read him . he’s also extremely stingy, unlikely to give anything for opponents to capitalize on. couple these with a borderline obnoxiously loud sideline presence and you have the type of player who can nosh on apposing d lines
1 Like
Colorado State player here.
From Colorado: Calvin Stoughton, Nathan Buchholz, Zeke Thoreson Freshman: Tobias Brook
From Texas: John Clyde, Jake Worthington
From WashU: Noah Stovitz, #3 on their team (Cameron Freeman?)
From Colorado State: More biased on this part but I must shoutout my boys!
Rory Lenny has been a key part to our offense for the last three years. You’ll rarely see him make a mistake in the cutting stack and has developed into an elite thrower over the last year. He’s a key part to our offense. Keep an eye out for an insane performance at regionals.
Drew Grant has been a stalwart for us this year. He was not playing freshman and sophomore year but has taken his game to the next level. Arguably one of the most athletic players in the region, he’ll dunk on anyone and has the speed to keep get nasty layouts on unders. Furthermore, he is the backbone to our D-offense with his good decision making and throwing abilities. Also has the scariest pulls to field.
Linus Mallett is the center handler for our O-line and one of the most crafty throwers I’ve played with. His elite throws mixed with agile footwork makes him a nuisance to guard in the reset space. Push him downfield and he’ll still be able to get the under. I haven’t met a mark that he can’t break around.
Lastly, Linus and Drew were captains for us this year and have done an amazing job forming a culture around growth and fun.
CSU player’s perspective: This region has the obvious top end talent on nearly every team and the top players on the top teams will get their love, so here are some players I’ve watched this year on the mid-seeded teams that I feel deserve some recognition:
Christian Holzl, Missouri: A tall, smooth hybrid that looked just as comfortable behind the ball as he did in the stack. Normally, a taller player would struggle against the shorter, quicker handler defenders, but his first step was lightning quick and his ability to get the ball back into his hands is excellent. A key piece for an underrated Missouri side.
Mark Henke, Texas A&M: The flashy, emotional centerpiece of an improving A&M side that really showed out against BYU, despite that game not finishing in Dozen’s favor. The kid has the ability to make jaw-dropping, game breaking plays and his game sense is fairly strong. He has a high ceiling and if he’s anything like his brothers, he’s going to be a problem in the SC for a while.
Noah Stovitz, WashU: He’s been the thorn in the side of every SC team during his time at WashU and for good reason. No player can match his play in the air and it forces teams to game plan around him. Always dangerous, always cutting deep, and now guarding your reset handler with his massive wingspan. A true pest in the SC that deserves more recognition.
Linus Mallett, CSU: The squirrely, yet calculating o-line center handler for us has been what makes the gears on the o-line turn. Every cut is viable when he has the disc as he turns marks into swiss cheese. This year, he unlocked his deep game turning him into an even more serious threat whenever he has the ball.
Dexter Shafer-White, CSU: The sophomore hybrid plays with the poise and throwing ability of a 5th year and he is only going to get better. The do-it-all player on both o and d, he can launch flick hucks the length of the field, lockdown your center handler, initiate from the stack, or anchor a dominator center that carves up the breakside. There’s little the kid can’t do.
2 Likes
Dylan Schearf has been an incredible freshman addition for Mizzou and should surely be in the all-freshman conversation. Schearf plays like an experienced upperclassman, consistently leading Missouri’s d-line before and after the turn. He is an incredibly crafty thrower with quick feet, huge hops, and immense knowledge of the game at his age. He will consistently take teams hardest matchups and has been super impressive as a freshman this year. This guy is a monster and will only continue to grow during his time at Mizzou.
#88 Christian Holzl - Mizzou - I’ve had the pleasure of watching this dude get buckets at a couple tournaments. Being a lefty is already cheating, having a frame to throw around any mark is nasty, and having all this while maintaining shiftiness paralleled only by the feline persuasion makes this guy one of the best pure hybrids in the NATION. This man makes defenses look goofy while wearing Mickey Mouse cleats. Give this man his flowers.
I think that Arkansas was an underrated team this year. They had a lot of development especially through the spring semester and it showed in playing Contra quite close in the third place semifinals but unfortunately falling short. They also started off the tournament hot by upsetting Colorado State to get second in the pool. Their real difference maker was #25 Nathan Reynolds who had some great pulls and was able to shake any defender to allow for an open pass on almost every possession.