Five Wichita-area football players to watch
July 2, 2008 @ 12:51 p.m. by Joannaby joanna
I thought I’d start a conversation about some of the area’s top football players. I’m not going to name every one; I’m only naming five. I will comment on each one, and then it’s your job to add to the list, while also feeling free to comment on those already mentioned.
The City League has already had two recent top-flight athletes graduate in Chris Harper from Northwest, who’s now at Oregon.
Arthur Brown from East, a Top 11 player, made his mark with the Aces and proved himself in the spring game at Miami (Fla.).
The easy start for this season’s players is with two-time Top 11 pick Bryce Brown:
Bryce Brown has committed to Miami, as well.
The East senior has already set and broken the City League single-season rushing record. He is No. 1 at 1,825 (2007), No. 2 at 1,773 (2006) and No.
15 at 1,338 (2005). He’s already the career rusher in the City League with 4,936 yards. How can you not say he’s the best back the City League has ever had?
I’m not saying he’s Barry Sanders — we all know what Barry did, but Barry only has yards for his senior season (1,417 in 1985 and No. 13). Barry is one of the best backs ever in the NFL. Southeast’s Leon Edwards had 4,171 career yards, and is No. 6 (1,602 in 1988) and No. 7 (1,502 in 1989). You can say what you want about the careers of backs who went on and did well in college and the pros, but I’m talking specifically City League.
If Bryce Brown has a knock on him, it’s his penchant for fumbling. He had five fumbles in East’s loss to Kapaun last September. I have a feeling that will be a focus for him.
But this is a guy who is so fast, can make such quick cuts and he’s big, so he can bounce off defenders. He’s so fun to watch. It won’t be any different this year.
He’s certainly dealt with plenty of rumors, though. The rumor mill went crazy, wondering if he’d transfer from East to another area school or if he’d go to Miami where Arthur is or even if he’d sit out. There are those who still wonder if he’ll be in an Aces uniform this fall. I expect he will.
Another top player is Conway Springs’ Jaydan Bird.
Bird, who has committed to Oklahoma, transferred to Conway for this season from Andover Central. He had suffered a leg injury during the 2007 season and missed the final five games, plus the postseason.
Bird is quick and he’s big and strong. He can bull over defenders when he’s carrying the ball. He’s a monster linebacker, who can make the big hit, while using his speed to reach the ball carrier.
Then there’s Joseph Randle, a junior at Southeast. He ran for 1,460 yards during the regular season last year, scoring 16 touchdowns. He’s not as big as Bryce or as Northwest’s Demarcus Robinson, but he’s elusive.
I spoke with Southeast coach Gary Guzman this morning, and he said:
“Joseph has his own running style. It’s different than any I’ve ever seen _ he has an ability to shed tacklers. He’s broken so many tackles. If you watch his highlights, he just sheds people. He’s also a slasher. He’ll be running in one direction, and all of a sudden, he’s going the other way. It’s not a lot of jukes, he just has the ability to make lateral moves.”
Northwest’s Demarcus Robinson
He’ll be a force in the City League. Soon to be a junior, he had 1,017 yards last season with nine touchdowns. I remember him well as a running back last season, but what is embedded in my mind right now is seeing him racing down the track. He’s a pretty big boy, but this kid is so fast. He finished second in the 6A 100 in 10.88.
He will be so dangerous on the football field with that unbelievable speed combined with his power.
I’m combining Derby quarterback Jake Snodgrass and Maize quarterback Garrett Gould. Why? Because I want to.
Gould led AV-CTL Division I in passing with 1,772 yards, completing 120 of 259. Snodgrass competed 126 of 254 and had 1,610 passing yards.
They both had outstanding seasons and I don’t know why they couldn’t repeat them. Derby returns running back Aaron Wilson, while Maize returns Brett Soft, who had a record, 1,258 receiving yards.
OK, there are a few of my top players. Who else is out there? What do you think about the four I mentioned?
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
While guys like Deveon Dinwiddie and Josh Smith are going to be the guys piling up the offensive stats for Hutch, there isn’t a better high school defensive player in the state of Kansas than Forrest Stucky, a defensive lineman for Hutch.
He was the AVCTL Division 1 defensive MVP last season as a junior and a top-11 player by the Wichita Eagle, but maybe more impressive is Randy Dreiling saying he’s the best defensive player they’ve ever had at HHS.
I don’t know how he translates at the next level…he’s plenty strong (6A state powerlifting champ) and put up outstanding numbers at the SPARQ combine, but being 6′1″ as a defensive lineman makes some recruiters turn away.
Combine him with the other D-linemen for Hutch (Waleed Shaban, Justin Goetz, and Geneo Grissom, and you’ll have another dominant unit.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
not sure what the official word is but i have heard rumors that Garrett Gould might not play football this year and focus more on his baseball career.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
You wish
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
This might be a topic for a different post, but I am curious if these and other top athletes in the city work with trainers outside the school setting. I am assuming you don’t get to their level just going to summer conditioning. I know a few who work with trainers four days a week and wonder if that is pretty much the standard. These kids work hard four days week, a couple hours at school conditioning, a couple hours with a trainer, and then throw on a couple of hours at 7 on 7 and you are looking at almost 20 hours a week.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
20 hrs a week is about right for the top players to prepare for the next level !
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Maybe im alone on this but those 2 QB,s dont belong in the conversation with the others listed.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I think snodgrass is quite a bit better than Gould. What would gould do without Soft, who I think should be mentioned above both of these qbs. Soft is the real deal.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Gould definately doesn’t belong in this list even if he does go out for football. He just happened to have a great receiver to throw to in Brett Soft.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
everybody in the wichita area needs be on the lookout for a young man named tyler dunham at WR for derby, 6′3 with deceptive speed and quickness, absolutely dominated the University of Tulsa football camp. and he also has a great QB in snodgrass to get him the ball
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July 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Brett Soft, WR at Maize.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Panther 44 has it on the money. Straight from his FB coach…he is going to focus on baseball…believes he will be drafted after high school…what loyalty.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 4:06 pm
OK, Maize folks, so who gets Brett Soft the ball this fall?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Maybe Brett Soft can figure out a way to pass the ball to himself…
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July 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 am
Snodgrass and Gould are a step, or two, below the rest of the list. I don’t believe either completed even 50 percent of their passes.
I was also told that Gould isn’t playing.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Dillon Ayres is Maize’s backup QB.
As good as Soft is you do no hear much about him on the recruiting sites. I know he has KU, KSU, O-State, Duke all inquiring. Also heard he was visiting schools in TX a few weeks ago. From what I heard he wanted to go to Duke (he is a huge BD fan) but his parents refused to let him. Now hear OSU may be the front runner. The kid can flat out play. I cannot believe he is not getting more attention.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Dillon Ayres will be the Quarterback for Maize for the 08 season. He got a good amount of playing time against North and Campus (Weak Teams, I know).
Usually, he came in on trick plays (double pass plays). His most memorable pass was a 28 yard completion to Brett Soft on 4th and 10 against Goddard in the 4th quarter when Maize was down 14-13.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
im not knocking bryce brown but the only reason he has numbers that we havent seen before is because th level of competition in the city leauge is alot weaker then when barry sanders was playin along with jeran trotter, and alot of other good backs. you know he can score every time he touches the ball on teams like west, south, and north, he and joe randle could get 1000 yards rushing on those teams alone if there coached wanted to run up the score.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Truth, You may be right that competition is weaker. But check this out:
Here are the records of the City League in 1985
1985
South 2-7
North 5-5
Southeast 9-1
Heights 2-7
West 0-9
East 3-6
Carroll 8-3
Kapaun 11-1
Northwest 6-3.
Here are the records from 2007:
South 2-7
North 2-7
Southeast 6-5
Heights 5-4
West 0-9
East 6-3
Carroll 11-2
Kapaun 6-4
Northwest 7-3
Those records are eerily similar, aren’t they? Southeast and Kapaun didn’t have as good of records and neither did North. But Heights had a better record, Carroll had a better record, East did, so did Northwest.
Now, does that mean there were a lot better athletes? Maybe not. But it’s interesting.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
ok i cant argue there i didnt know heights lost 4 games, but you have to admit alot of these teams are so little now and the brown brothers are so big. west looks like little kids out there although the record thing is a good point you always have to have winners and losers in a leauge with few teams. i remember seeing film of the old teams and alot of them back then looked like grown men compared to the teams of today. they werent going to let one man score on them every time they touched the ball like randle did to west or bryce did to them and bryce also did this to north.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I know alot of posts are here are bagging on Gould but the kid has a rocket for an arm (hence his 90 MPH fastball) and was pretty accurate on his throws he made most of which were to Soft and Marasco. You are right on Ayres…obviously teams did not scout Maize well because every time he came into the game that same play was coming.
My personal feeling on Brett is that if the kid keeps working his tail off he has the talent to play on Sundays. He needs to get into a good collge program wthat will showcase his talents.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Soft hasn’t received any D-1 offers yet. The word is that it’s because of his speed and his weight. He’s got good hands but great speed is the deal breaker. Probably should have been working on those issues this spring instead of baseball.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
All but a couple of these “players to watch” play(ed) in the City League. Did anyone pay attention to the 6A play-offs? How far did East/Southeast or Northwest go? How about Hutch, Goddard & Derby?
Harper had 17 yards rushing in a 32-14 loss to Goddard.
The competition level between the 2 leagues can not be compared.
Brett Soft may have had 3000 yards receiving if he played in the City League. I’m not trying to take away from any of these gifted athletes, time will tell if they can step up to the competition at the next level.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I can’t go back and analyze the teams from 1985’s records against non conference competition, but I know that in from 2004 to 2007, the city league teams didn’t fair well against teams outside the GWAL.
I’ve done some analysis on this…
In the last 4 years the GWAL teams are a combined 55-58 in Non conference games.
In the last 4 yeras the AVCTL-1 teams are a combined 100-36 in Non conference games. (and the AVCTL-1 teams have played a more difficult non-con schedule, as many of these games are sub state and state championship games)
The GWAL teams don’t play alot of non conference games because it’s a 9 team league and that covers most games, so the overall win-loss records are going to have very little variance year over year, since there has to be a winner and a loser in every conference game.
Overall, the GWAL isn’t good right now collectively, but maybe some teams will change that this season.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Northwest, Heights, Bishop Carroll, East, Kapaun, Southeast. Won’t beat Hutch, but would compete against any other team in the state.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Truth im going to keep it simple, you are an lost. Im not saying Bryce will be Barry Sanders in the NFL but as of High School its not even close period !!!!! Why is it so hard for some people to see Randle,Trotter are good backs but Bryce Brown is NFL ready today . With any kind of line he would run all over ANY team not just the weak city league and yes TFL your boys to. I think people really need to “SEE” this kid with there own eyes or something to have a full understanding of what kind of talent he really has.
While im on this rant i might as well touch on another subject Soft is NOT a high level talent . Im not about talking bad about a kid but he dosnt have the SPEED needed in my opinion.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 pm
n2sports — Certainly the City League struggles and has struggled against non-league teams and in the playoffs. No doubt about it. But I’m not picking teams here, I’m picking players. I don’t care where you play or how well your team does — if you’re a player, you’re a player.
And of the players I mentioned, three or City League, three are not. Seems pretty fair.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Let us all remember that Arthur Brown was questioned for the level of competition he played against but he went on to lead the Army All-American game in tackles.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Let us not forget that Arthur Brown was questioned for his level of competition but went on to lead the Army All-American Game in tackles.
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July 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Now that Logan Watkins signed with the cubs, who plays QB for Goddard. Do they drop off the map without #7 under center?
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July 4th, 2008 at 12:12 am
lets not forget that arthur was questioned about the competition level but went on to lead the army all-american game in tackles
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July 4th, 2008 at 9:49 am
And someone correct me here but didnt goddard lose somewhere around 20 of theyre starters from last year?
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July 4th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Panther, Arthur also led the Miami defense in their Spring game.
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July 4th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Don’t dog Panther44, please — he got caught up in the spammer.
I personally wouldn’t worry about Goddard losing 20 from last year. I think Roger Robben has that program going so strong in the right direction that it will be fine.
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July 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
i apologize for the multiple posts
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July 4th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I think that Brett Soft will find a fit somewhere in Division 1. Producing like he did the the AVCTL-1 isn’t a fluke. He put up the best receiving stats in state history in the toughest league in the state, on a team that he was the almost the only option in the passing game.
I don’t know what his 40 time is, but he caught Gage McKinnis for Hutch from behind last year in the playoffs. Gage had a jacked up hip at the time, but he has division 1 speed (just not size).
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July 4th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I think Soft will find a fit somewhere in division 1 football. I’m not saying he’s a Big XII guy, but you don’t set state receiving records in the toughest league in Kansas just by a fluke, especially when the opposing teams are almost exclusively focusing on you alone.
I don’t know what Soft’s 40 time is, but he caught Gage McKinnis for Hutch from behind last year…granted Gage’s hip was jacked up a little bit in the playoffs last year, but Gage has D-1 speed (just not size unfortunately)
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July 4th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
“somewhere” TFL ok ill buy that due to his size,but the film i have seen dosnt tell me hes fast but i trust your opinion.
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July 4th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Soft is fast but not stellar. My son was also at K-State camp along with Soft - even some of his own teammates had better 40 times.
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July 5th, 2008 at 9:21 am
FBDAD-
I’m was the poster child for having less than impressive 40 times but then running guys down who ran much faster in the 40.
I guess what I’ve seen from Soft is that there’s 40 speed and then there’s game speed. I’ll give you this, it takes him a while to get going, but his top end speed is there I think.
Jerry Rice ran a 4.65 and never was caught from behind that I can remember.
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July 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am
If we are talking D-1 scholarships and options, then the issue is how does he stack up nationally, not just in his state. What sets you apart in his position is speed. The scouts will tell you. Wonder what scout.com has to say about him. Haven’t seen it. Soft should have been working on this in the off season. He is a good athlete, but probably would have benefited from working with a trainer.
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July 5th, 2008 at 11:23 am
FBDAD, easy you may get attacked for suggesting a “trainer” lol. Yes you hit his whole world might be different if he had done the work needed.
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July 5th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Soft is just fine playing three sports plus he’ll get more out of it in the long run. These guys that specialize will get overlooked more than an all around athlete.
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July 5th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Scout.com had Aquib Talib as a 2 star player citing him not being fast enough. He’s now a 1st round draft pick.
I’m somewhat guilty of talking too much on 40 times, because even I know how overrated they are, especially when there isn’t a standard way of timing them. There’s guys all over the place quoting BOGUS 40 times.
Production speaks volumes in a good high school league. Maize played 10 games last year. (2 of those were against Hutch (masseyratings.com’s #1 D in the state, 1 against Goddard who was #2 in D for 6A) He had more receiving yards than anyone has ever put up in this state and he’s got size and hands. I personally think he has decent top speed, but needs to work on his first 10 yards acceleration. I think he can improve on that.
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July 5th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I’m with OK — when you specialize and work with a trainer, the thought is that you are working all year and not just during your season, while also doing sport-specific training. When you are a three-sport athlete, you’re in shape, you’re doing a variety of activities that stretch you physically and mentally — how can you go wrong with that?
As for Soft’s speed, maybe that is a concern. But the kid is big and he’s obviously got great hands. If some of you are saying that he doesn’t have the speed because he didn’t work with a trainer this past offseason, seems to me that he’ll be able to gain speed at a later date.
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July 6th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Corey Harp LB Andale
6′2+” 210 lbs and gaining
3rd leg on state champion 4 x 100
Big hitter and playmaker.
Overshadowed publicity wise last year by SR. LB teammates Fairchild (top 11) and Hein (KFCA all state LB)
Started as sophmore on 2006 4A State Championship team.
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July 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Joanna “later date” he better get on it or that later date will pass him by.
I see both sides of this issue 3sport VS focusing on 1. I think it depends on the sport and the kid . There is no way you can convince me that a kid focused on “his” sport all year around is not going to produce better results “IF” he has the right makeup to stay focused on the work and enjoy it. If your goal is to play football at a high level i always hear the positives of playing basketball or wrestling which i understand but the down side can be if your loseing weight to do BBAll/wrestle or just the wear and tear on your body running up and down the hardwood. In my mind most kids dont or wont stay focused on there work if they are only doing one sport,in that case yes it better for them to stay busy with others.
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July 7th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Again, I’m not trying to take away from any of the gifted athletes on the list but I think if your going to compete at the D1 level, you should be better than average against the better teams in the state at the high school level.
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Soft probably wants to play football at the highest level for him. It doesn’t necessarily mean Division I.
And if he enjoys playing other sports, being with friends and not having tunnel vision, more power to him.
Stats don’t make you a college football player, or Sacred Heart’s Aaron Wedel would be rolling around in offers.
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July 7th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
While you can’t replace an athlete like Logan Watkins, the kid was a phenom, doddard will most certainly not fall off the radar.
Roger Robben has turned this program around, and while makin a tougher schedule, dropping doormat teams Ark City and Campus and picking up 5A powerhouses McPherson and Blue Valley West, they return several players with much varsity experince. Cody Schroeder, Justin Puthoff, Taylor Douglas, Kyle Vineyard, Kris Parker, Nathan Hyson, Chance Petz, and a few others that are all 2-year returning letterman. As well other players that have been overlooked due to having a senior starting in front of them. they are itchin for their chance to play on friday nights. they will be a force to be reckoned with in 6A ball
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July 8th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I don’t recall who said that Bryce Brown would run all over NFL defenders with a good O line but that has to be the most ignorant comment I’ve ever seen. I saw him play against Maize in the state playoffs a couple of years ago and while he did get 275 yds it took him 50 carries to do it!!! That is a bit over 5 yds/carry against a HS team! Yes he is a good back but he is NOT NFL ready.
Also I spoke to Soft’s mom this last weekend and she also confirmed that Gould is not playing FB for fear of injury but is playing BB. Also, sounds like Ayres is not going to be the starter at QB but rather a sophomore…last name Jay. Was told he has a stronger more accurate arm than Ayres. And as for Brett not being offered by any D1 schools…he does have 1 offer by some school in Missouri but sounds like he has a lot of schools really interested in him. Again, the kid can play and I think there are going to be a lot of schools who are sorry they did not go after his kid.
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July 8th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Do any of the players listed here work out with a trainer named Brian Butler
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
2 and whats your point ?
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Hitman that may have been be, and i didnt say he would run all over NFL defenders i said he is NFL ready and his body is . He will get better each year of course,but if i just throw all of his numbers up its not even an argument my man. Check the NFL combine go to some mini camps 6,1 210 4.37 4.4 cuts extreamly well ,can catch well believe me when he gets to Miami he will walk on as the best back on campus. Time will tell and im not going anywhere!
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
lol a couple years ago,,,i will let that statement just sit by itself !
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
While i have your attention 2000 yards in 2008 maybe that will help convince you. Buy a ticket on fri night it will be much cheaper than on sundays.
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July 12th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Hitman-Im pretty close to Maize program…Idk of any sophomore by the last name Jay. Ayers will be the starting QB. And I am also very close to the Soft family…Brett really likes OK. State.
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July 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Look for Dyllon Know over at Kapaun to make some noise this year. He’s a threat any time the ball is in his hands. I think he will be a top 3 rusher in the city behind Joseph Randle and Demarcus Robinson and that’s only because Kapaun has a weaker o-line than southeast and northwest.
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July 12th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
watch out for andover centrals #13 jeff page.he is there top player and he plays middle linebacker and tightend.he led the team in tackles last year and he will do so again this year.he has a nonstop motor and can catch any ball thrown his way.
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July 12th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Sprtsfn22 and i guess Bryce Brown will be 4th in Rushing ….uh not ,,,ru kidding me ?
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July 12th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
i think it is kind of funny that people take the good area prospects and shoot them down like they suck
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July 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Wooden kneecap…actually it was Soft’s mom who told me about this Jay kid and yes she told me that he really likes OSU too. Sure wish Nebraska would take a look at him. She told me he’s never heard from them.
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July 15th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Fballfn– Why so short when I mentioned Brian B. earlier in the thread? Do you have an issue with him, or the fact that he’s helping kids go to college?
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July 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
LMAO PrymeTymeFan you must not be new to this blog if your not completely clear on my postion on Potential Players and “B” .
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July 16th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Must be new !
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August 26th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
ayres will be the starter and obviously you havent seen any games or practices or nothin his arm is much better than cedric jay’s (NO DOUBT) softs mom only mentioned jay because ayres was not on kstates 7 on 7 camp football field but on kstates baseball field playin w/ the wolverines thank you very much
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