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
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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.
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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.
@mmarkie01 Cannot agree more. Arkansas had multiple amazing throwers that really kept them alive in the game against WashU. I believe it was #9 from Arkansas that also had a great game in that third place semifinal. I really hope this is a young team. I am excited to see what they can accomplish next year.
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Colorado: Nate Buchholz is such an underrated (relatively, at least) centerpiece of the Mamabird offense. You can tell he’s a veteran and a leader just from the way he carries himself on the field. One of the most fundamentally sound players I’ve ever guarded and plays with a seriously admirable level of intensity. On the other side of the disc, Calvin Stoughton is just so so so fast and good. Not really a surprise that he’s on this list, but still, watching him run O-lines into the ground after the turn is so demoralizing.
Texas: Xavier Fuzat has somehow improved from last year when he was already amazing, so that was a scary realization to come to mid-semifinals on Sunday. Cutting or handling, it doesn’t matter, you just don’t want him near the disc. Also it’s just fun to watch a guy who clearly loves playing this sport, which he is a prime example of. Gavin Babbit is an all-motor D Line guy who can also completely slice an O-line up after the turn. One of those guys you hate to see lining up across the field before the pull.
WashU: Gotta shout out my guys. Cam Freeman would be the biggest snub in the country if he doesn’t get All-Region honors this year. He crosses over to D when we need to make a play, he regularly skies literal piles of 3+ defenders in the deep space, he’s got one of the most reliable backhand arounds on our team plus a bomb of a flick huck, and he’s unguardable in the small space despite his huge frame. No team had an answer for him this past weekend, much less all season. Noah Stovitz is another guy who you just have to hope has an off day when you’re guarding him. Can outjump literally anyone in the college division and it’s not close. He had one of the best single-game performances I have ever seen in our G2G vs A&M. Nic Sprague is a dog and a block getter and a leader who switched over to D-line this spring after a year on O and instantly transformed our ability to get the ball from any O-line. See our game vs Oregon for proof.
Mizzou: John Marsh and Landon Evans run Mizzou’s O Line, and for good reason. They’re both complete players who draw tough matchups and still put up great stat lines. Mizzou is going to have a big gap to fill when they’ve graduated.
Rookies: Tobias Brooks looks great on the field. He’s super intelligent and athletic. If this is him now, I don’t wanna see him in four years. Mark Henke another guy who is gonna be a big problem for the next few years. Got a layout D on Stovitz in the game-to-go that left me pretty baffled. He can throw and he can cut, and he’s already the guy for a team that made the game-to-go. Both of these guys clearly figured out some stuff about playing this sport that most guys take another few years to get. Dylan Schearf (Mizzou) should get some recognition, too. He hits the ground, is comfortable leading their D line after the turn, and has some bomb pulls.
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Colorado: Calvin Stoughton stood out to me. Great pulls and ran our (Texas A&M Dozen) O line into the ground off a turn. Carter Halstrom was also solid defensively. Offensively, Seth Wells and Nate Buckholz commanded the backfield, moving the ball effortlessly and efficiently from sideline to sideline.
Texas: So balanced across the board, but Xavier Fuzat and John Clyde stood out to me. Fuzat could get open whenever he wanted and Clyde was able to throw it to any spot on the field. Defensiely, Alex Janelle had some of the best pulls I saw, played great handler defense, and was solid after the turn.
WashU: Cam Freeman stood out last year to me, but has taken it to a new level this year. And obviously, Noah Stovitz delivered one of the best individual performances that I have ever seen. Defensively, Seth Fisher-Olvera and Nic Sprague were in our pockets the whole game. Special shoutout to Elie Weitzman and Nicholas Jeschke, clear onfield leaders for this squad.
Mizzou: John Marsh was carving us up and Landon Evans was a formidable deep threat.
Colorado State: Linus Mallett, center handler and clear leader, was also impressed with his defense.
Texas State: Erik Atwell’s throws and Noah Powell’s versatility definitely gave us some problems.
Texas A&M: Biased opinion, but Mark Henke should without a doubt be the Rookie of the Year. The only argument you can make that he isn’t is that he isn’t a freshman. Frankly, this guy should be getting a look at Defensive Player of the Year. He is a block getter, and does it at all 3 levels: on the mark, blowing up unders, and roofing you deep. He is also an impressive receiver with improving throws, but what stood out to me most was his leadership. Mark was the guy setting up fields, leading warmups, and being the calming presence in the huddle.
Other guys on Dozen that should deserve a mention: Tyler Reinhardt. Dude’s battled injuries all year and was the reason we never forced backhands at practice. Timothy Mosher, took on a new role as our D line QB and excelled in it. Most consistent pulls I saw all weekend, can hit all the tight break throws, and was a much improved defender. Trace Cabaniss and Ethan Niedzwiedz were carving up the lanes all weekend. A guy to watch out for next year is Maren Monsivais. If this guy learns how to throw a backhand, he’s going to be a nightmare to mark.
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As a WashU player
Colorado: Zeke Thorson needs some more respect. Maybe the second-best athlete on that team, huge defensive presence and the ability to be the center of their offense.
Arkansas: #25, I don’t know who he is but wow, he’s real good. We were putting our best couple of matchup defenders on him and could not stop him for a chunk of the game.
Mizzou: John Marsh. He will slice up your defense, it doesn’t matter who you are.
Texas: Xavier Fuzat stepped up his game this year. Texas threw a no-hitter versus us and he was probably the biggest part of it.
ROTY: It’s Mark Henke for me.