Keep your eyes on these electric high school football players in 2017
A new high school football season gets underway in Illinois and the metro-east Friday night.
There are countless star players across the four conferences the Belleville News-Democrat covers and others who have yet to emerge. Based on the monster numbers they’ve already posted as underclassmen, the number of colleges bidding for their services or the incredible potential their coaches say they possess, we’ve identified 17 players for 2017 you should keep an eye on.
They’re listed here alphabetically by last name:
Jarrell Anderson, East St. Louis, all purpose back
Anderson is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound all-purpose back who transferred to East St. Louis before the start of his junior season.
He rushed for 1,477 yards and 20 touchdowns for the state-champion Flyers last season, inlcuding a 241-yard, three-touchdown performance against Christian Brothers College High School in just his second start.
He averaged 5.5 yards per carry in a balanced offense loaded with weapons.
Rivals.com rates Anderson a three-star prospect with a list of interested college suitors that includes Hawaii, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Illinois and others.
“He’s put the time in the weight room and you can see how much bigger he is than last year,” East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said. “He’s also worked hard on becoming more of a leader this season.”
Colton Byrd, Columbia, running back
A first-team News-Democrat all-area selection a year ago, the 5-9, 210-pound Eagles standout rushed for more than 1,700 yards and 25 touchdowns last year. He led Columbia to an undefeated regular season and the second round of the playoffs.
Byrd has a penchant for big games, too. As a junior, he scored six touchdowns in a Week 5 conference victory over Carlyle, then closed out the regular season with 249 yards and three touchdowns against Red Bud and 245 yards and five touchdowns against Jerseyville.
“Colton is a very gifted running back with great feet and great vision to go with his explosive power,” Columbia coach Scott Horner said. “He is tough to tackle and always keeps his legs going. Colton also has a knack for the football which is what makes him a really good linebacker as well.”
Nathan Clark, Triad, linebacker
At 6-2 and 220 pounds, Clark was a key on a Knights’ defense that allowed seven or fewer points in five of its seven wins in 2016. Clark alone had 98 tackles, 59 solos and added six sacks.
Eastern Illinois, an NCAA Division I FCS program, has shown interest in Clark’s services, as have Division II schools such as Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.
Triad coach Paul Bassler thinks Clark can build on his resume in 2017, however. For one, Clark has “shed some baby fat” without shedding a lot of weight. He’s also taken some time off a 40-yard dash that last year was clocked at 4.9 seconds.
“He’s slimmed down to about 205, but he’s holding a different kind of weight — it’s more muscular. I mean, his weight-room numbers are through the roof,” Bassler said. “He’s worked on his speed some. When you line up and run a 40-yard dash, you can see somebody is fast, but Nathan plays fast anyway. He really studies film, looks for tendencies and tries to learn what’s going to happen before it happens. That gives him a step.”
Kriston Davis, Belleville West, running back
Davis figures to be the catalyst for a Belleville West team in search of its sixth straight postseason berth this fall.
Davis had 375 yards rushing after just two games as a sophomore in 2015, but saw his season derailed by an ankle injury that limited him to just three carries the rest of the season. But he bounced back with an all-conference junior season, rushing for 1,135 yards and 10 touchdowns on 191 carries, an average of 5.9 yards per touch.
College recruitment has so far been slow for the 5-9, 177-pound Davis. But he’s got an offer from Southeast Missouri State and coach Cameron Pettus thinks there are more to come.
“He can be an FCS player for sure,” Pettus said. “He cuts very well, has a good spin move and he is really tough to tackle one-on-one. I mean, it’s got to be a solid tackle to put him on the ground, even if the blocking isn’t right. You can give him the ball and be confident he’ll get you some positive yards because of his running style.”
Freddy Edwards, Granite City, quarterback
Edwards started the season as a multi-purpose back, but had to fill in at quarterback when senior Kendrick Wilba went down with a dislocated hip. He rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns, then stepped in for Wilba to complete 51 percent of his passing attemps for 570 yards and four touchdowns.
His athleticism prompted Pettus to say Edwards “may be best freshman football player I’ve ever seen,” following his Maroons’ Week 8 victory over the Warriors last fall.
Still just a sophomore, Edwards will be Granite City’s signal caller from the start of the 2017 campaign.
Granite City head coach Carl Luehmann said Edwards has drawn the attention of the college scouts, “but there will be more.”
“Freddy is a good baseball player, a good basketball player and an even better football player,” Luehmann said. “What separates him from other athletes is his speed, but he also has a good understanding of the game, too. He’s learned his progressions much better, has matured quite a bit and has improved as a leader — it’s hard to be a leader when you’re a freshman.
“He’s already a great player and a great kid, but his best is still ahead of him. He’ll eventually be a special college player for someone.”
Ryan Holcomb, Triad, offensive line
Holcomb brings a 6-4, 260-pound frame and two years experience as a varsity starter back to the Triad offensive line in 2017.
As a high school tackle, Bassler says Holcomb “will be a force” on the field. As a college prospect, Bassler adds “he’ll be a diamond in the rough.”
“For one, Ryan is a really good athlete — he plays center on the basketball team,” Bassler said. “He’ll be a tackle for us, but with that height would be a good guard or center in college.”
Western Illinois has already made an offer and other Division I offers will likely follow, Bassler said. Holcomb may have his heart set on D-II Missouri S&T because of its engineering school.
“He’s really focused on being an engineer and Missouri S&T will give him that education,” Bassler said. “I haven’t taken his pulse on that in a while, so we’ll see. Whoever gets him is going to get a diamond in the rough, though. He’ll be a good college football player.”
Jordan Holmes, Columbia, wide receiver
The 6-1, 180 pound Holmes caught 62 passes for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. The Eagles will rely on him to lead them to the postseason.
“Jordan is a playmaker on both sides of the ball. He has great control of his body and a set of hands I have not seen on anyone I have ever coached,” said Horner. “If you throw it anywhere close to him, he will catch it. He is a great route-runner as well.
“As a defensive back, he seems to just be able to read QBs and wide-receiver routes quickly, which always puts him in a position to make a play on the ball.”
Logan Houba, Red Bud, outside linebacker
Only 5-9 and 175 pounds, Houba makes up for his lack of size with speed and a tenacious style of play that helped him earn all-conference and all-area recognition last season.
The leader of the Musketeers defense, Houba finished 2016 with 125 tackles, 85 of them solos.
“Logan has tremendous knowledge of the game. I think that’s really what makes a big difference for him,’’ Red Bud coach David Lucht said. “He’s not that big, but he’s just fearless. He’s just a very tough, hard-nosed football player.”
Sam LaPorta, Highland, wide receiver
Highland coach Jim Warnecke calls his third-year starter “the total package.”
LaPorta has good size at 6-4 and 205 pounds and enough speed to run the 110-meter hurdles for the Highland track team. He’s been a starter for the Highland Bulldogs since he was a freshman, even filling in at quarterback when needed.
LaPorta caught 50 passes for 857 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore last season while adding 53 solo tackles and three interceptions on defense.
A good showing at a Rivals prospects camp over the summer earned him an invitation to the University of Nebraska top prospects workout. He also has drawn looks from Illinois, Illinois State, Iowa, Nebraska, Southern Illinois and others.
“He’s a legitimate D-I football player,” Warnecke said. “He’s got good size, he’s got speed and he’s very, very athletic. He looks the part. When you see him walking the halls at school, you know exactly who he is. He’s a good all-around kid.”
A meniscus tear aggravated during a seven-on-seven tournament required surgery in the last week of July, but Warnecke expects LaPorta to be ready to go for the season opener Friday.
“He’ll participate in our scrimmage, then be clear at 100 percent,” Warnecke said. “It may take a week or two to get back to form, but he will be a handful.”
Garrett Marti, Highland, quarterback
Marti will begin his third season at the wheel of the Bulldogs offense and, again, he’ll have plenty of support with wide receiver LaPorta and running back Brady Feldman, who stepped in when Andrew Winning was injured early last season.
He’s dangerous running out of the Bulldogs’ read option, rushing for 757 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. But the 6-1 Marti has matured as a passer as well. Last year he completed 128 of 206 attempts (62 percent) for 1,854 yards and 15 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
“Things have really slowed down for him with experience,” Warnecke said. “We’re at a point where we can give him two, three or sometimes even four options and let him read the defense and make a decision. The way he operates the offense is neat to watch.”
With protection, Marti is primed for a big season statistically, which could draw the college recruiters. At the moment, however, Marti is thinking more about life as a machinist.
“That’s the funny thing about Garrett. I don’t know that he has the desire to play at the next level,” Warnecke said. “His ambitions are elsewhere, but you don’t know how he’ll feel once he plays this season. It should be a really good year for him.”
Devyn Nash, Althoff, defensive lineman
Nash was a first-team all-South Seven Conference and first-team all-area selection last season when he collected 68 tackles and five sacks. Nash is a four-year starter for the Crusaders.
He adds some explosive quickness to his meaty, 300-pound frame. Experience counts, too — Nash is a fourth-year starter.
“Devyn has become quicker, stronger, and faster this year and that’s saying something because he has been very explosive since he showed up at Althoff three years ago as a freshman,” said Althoff coach Ken Turner. “He has good hand speed and his feet are very, very quick for a 300-pound kid. Many people have linked Devyn with last year’s class because he’s played so long, but I am excited to see him anchor our defensive line again this season.”
Christian Perez, East St. Louis, quarterback
After transferring to East St. Louis from O’Fallon last spring, the 6-1, 180-pound Perez already has committed to the United States Naval Academy. He also had drawn Division-I attention from Indiana State and Jackson State.
With an arsenal of Division I recruits like Anderson, wide receiver Perez Hall and fullback/end Charlando Robinson, Perez will attempt to lead the Flyers program to a ninth state championship.
The starting quarterback for the O’Fallon Panthers the past two seasons, Perez threw for more than 2,400 yards and had 25 touchdown passes. During the 2016 season, Perez completed 114 of 234 attempts for 1,781 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Perez will fill the quarterback void at East St. Louis left by the graduation of Reyondous Estes, who is at the University of Minnesota.
“Christian has come and worked his tail off to learn this offense. In our high-octane offense, he has the ability to see the field well. He’s got a strong arm,” Sunkett said. “Having the experience we have back up front with all of our starters on the offensive line ... and then having Jarrell, Jegg Brown in the backfield back there with LaWaun Powell, Perez Hall and Charlando Robinson, he’s got a lot of weapons of which to utilize.’’
Dionte Rodgers, Edwardsville, running back
At just 5-foot-7, 155-pounds and still just starting his junior season, Rodgers isn’t getting many looks from big college programs. But he’s been no less electric on the field.
He averaged 8.5 yards per carry as a sophomore last year, finishing the season with 1,529 yards (second in the Southwestern Conference) and 26 touchdowns (first in conference).
The Tigers will be counting on big games from him early in the season as they play Naperville North, CBC, and East St. Louis in the first three games.
Jordyn Slaughter, Althoff, offensive lineman
Slaughter has been a stalwart on the offensive line in a high-flying Crusaders’ attack that for three straight seasons has advanced to at least the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Scout.com rates Slaughter a three-star recruit and the No. 1 offensive tackle, not just in Illinois, but in the Midwest region. Nationally, he rates 32nd at his position.
The 6-foot-5 Slaughter bulked up from 280 to 310 pounds and in short succession received scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Toledo. He committed to Illinois less than a week after receiving an offer.
“Jordyn has really worked on becoming an even better run blocker this off season. His footwork combined with his strength is what makes him a really good offensive linemen,” Turner said. “He has become a strong leader of this football team.”
Justin Strong, Althoff, running back/defensive back
Already committed to join his older brother Bryson as a member of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale football team next season, Justin Strong will be among the top two-way starters in the South Seven Conference this season.
On offense, the 6-1, 185-pound Strong rushed for 193 yards playing behind BND Player of the Year Jaylon Bester, who has moved on to Miami-Ohio. Still, he averaged 7.1 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns.
Defensively, Strong recorded 29 tackles and and was among St. Louis-area leaders with five interceptions a year ago.
“Justin is an explosive athlete with really good size, speed and strength,” Turner said. “He is a really good runner, pass catcher, and ball hawk on defense. He is a guy that we will use everywhere on the field and get great production.’’
Lucas Theising, Mater Dei, wide receiver/defensive back
Theising (6-2, 180) caught 53 passes for 699 yards and 12 touchdowns last year for the Knights’ wide-open, high-scoring offense. He saved his best game for last when he caught eight passes for 122 yards in a crushing, last-second state quarterfinal loss at Canton.
A gifted all-around athlete, Theising will be used in several roles this season in coach Jim Stiebel’s offense. He’s listed on the Knights’ roster as a running back and wide receiver.
“Lucas Theising is a gamer,” Stiebel said. “At 6-4, 186 pounds, he can play any place on the football field with no hesitation. From running back to quarterback to wide receiver on offense to linebacker, safety or cornerback on defense.”
Terrion Williams, East St. Louis, defensive lineman/linebacker
Williams is coming off a big season in which he had 96 tackles, 66 solos, six sacks and an interception for the stingy Flyers’ defense. He returns as a senior, bulked up at 6-2 and 247 pounds.
He’s got one offer on the table from Syracuse of the Southeastern Conference, but is hoping another solid season as a senior and his participation in summer camps yields other opportunities.
Scout.com rates him the fourth-best outside linebacker in Illinois. He’ll be moving the defensive front for the Flyers in 2017.
“He’s much stronger and he’s really worked on his quickness — he’s moving much better,” Sunkett said. “He’s going to be a key on the defensive line for us.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Keep your eyes on these electric high school football players in 2017."