Please remember and abide by the rules of
The End Zone. The End Zone is for Iowa prep fans only. Whatever is said in The
End Zone, must stay in The End Zone.
For those of you who are not familiar with The End Zone, this information is
only available to IowaPreps.com premium subscribers and mainly focuses on
recruiting in both football and basketball. With the 2007 football season
in full swing, look for this feature to be posted much more often over the next
few months. With information on football and basketball, this version of
The End Zone is loaded with updates!
Two interesting notes that I wanted to mention revolve around the Iowa City High
basketball program. Talent wise, this really is one of the most loaded
squads in recent years and there is few who doubt that they have the firepower
to make a serious run at the State tournament. See how quickly things can
change within just one year. Both notes involve two new players within the
program. The first, A.J. Derby, recently took an unofficial visit to the
University of Wisconsin. This talented sophomore had a chance to see the Hawkeyes battle the Badgers but learned more about how the Wisconsin program
operated. At this point, I am unsure but Derby could have been visited for
football, basketball, or both. He has that kind of ability.
The other, that has already come to light, is that New Zealand transfer Deon
Brewster will not be playing this year for the Little Hawks.
Considering the whole Wilmot Wellington situation at Fairfield, I can't say that
I am shocked that he won't be able to play. From what I have heard, this
kid can play and has the ability to play Division I basketball at the mid major
level. Playing for Iowa City High would have really helped the team but
they will be stacked regardless if they Brewster can play or not.
Staying
in the MVC, it appears as if Cedar Rapids Kennedy guard Kaylon Williams
is ahead of schedule and getting back on the court. While there are some
question marks about him being cleared, this outstanding senior is back on the
court and playing. While his injury during the summer did scare off some
schools, there are certainly others watching his progress. Oregon State
sent their head coach to see him play at a recent open gym and they are very
interested in him. While there appears to be no offer at this point,
expect the Beavers to follow the progress of Williams during the season.
Another
player who suffered an unfortunate injury was West Des Moines Valley running
back Joe Johnson. At first, it was reported that he tore his ACL
and would miss his entire senior season. There have been reports surfacing
that this might not be the case. He dressed for the Tigers last week and
the injury may not be as bad as originally assumed. If things work out,
Johnson may be back on the field for West Des Moines Valley before all is said
and done. If that is the case and he gets back to near 100%, watch out for
the Tigers as they add yet another dangerous piece to their potent offense.
Again, there are questions about what percentage he will come back at.
Oelwein
quarterback Paul Yokas has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2007
football season. As the son of the coach, this sophomore has been thrown
into the fire and has helped Oelwein to a 5-0 start. Could the dry spell
of talent be back there? Anyways, this standout has not been receiving
much recruiting interest because it is so early but mentioned that he has grown
up following Michigan. Yokas saw the Wolverines in action when Tom Brady
and the A Train were suiting up and has following them ever since.
Another
squad off to a 5-0 start has been Tipton and they have been led by linebacker
Matt O'Donnell. This sought after senior has seen recruiting pick up
as of late and received calls from UNI, Holy Cross, Brown, and St. Cloud State
all last week. O'Donnell currently does not have any scholarship offers
but those calls show that these schools are serious about him in the recruiting
process. Like a lot of recruits, the biggest factor in his decision will
be scholarships.
Cedar
Rapids Washington can also boast about the fact that they are 5-0 and wide
receiver Keenan Davis has been a big part of that. This outstanding
talent is now up to scholarship offers from both Nebraska and Iowa. But
let me tell you that the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers are not the only programs
after Davis. Other schools that have been sending mail include USC, West
Virginia, Tennessee, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Michigan. When the coaches
at Washington are able to get out more junior film for Davis, don't be shocked
to see that offer list continue to grow. This kid is good!
One of the biggest shockers in Class 3A outside of Oelwein has been
Waverly-Shell Rock. I certainly would have never guessed they would be 4-1
and leading their district. A big part of their success has been due to
quarterback Dane Larson. This outstanding senior is a great
football player but is likely playing hoops at the next level. While he
has Division II interest for football, it appears his love is basketball and he
is looking at a variety of Division III options. They include Central,
Luther, Wartburg, Augsburg, and a few other schools. Can the Knights keep
him at home? This will be an interesting recruiting battle to follow over
time.
Fairfield
running back Will Wellington missed his entire junior year because of a
move to Iowa and then missed this past game. While he did feel they were
similar, this outstanding senior will be back for Centerville. Wellington
has seen both Northern Iowa and Iowa State stop by the school and is also
hearing from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois through the mail as
well. Out of the four programs, he named Iowa and Iowa State as his
favorite schools. Wellington was in Iowa City for their game against
Indiana and said he enjoyed going to the game.
And
last but not least, one player we featured today was Decorah tight end/defensive
tackle Brett Van Sloten. With a dad that played at Iowa State, this
junior has some great bloodlines but did mention that his dad's affiliation with
the Cyclones will have no bearing on his college decision. If this man
among boys turns out like many feel he will, Iowa State needs to jump in early
with an offer and get things started for this supremely talented lineman.
His future is likely along the offensive line and with a 6-foot-7 build and
skills on the basketball court, Van Sloten definitely has the athleticism to do
it.
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of The
End Zone. Once again, thank you for subscribing to IowaPreps.com. If
you have any questions/comments/thoughts, please either reply to this post or
email me at
Luke@Rivals.com. And don't forget,
what is said in The End Zone must STAY in The End Zone! We had some
problems with the last part so please keep this information to this board!
This post was edited on 10/2 2:34 AM by LukeFeddersen
The End Zone. The End Zone is for Iowa prep fans only. Whatever is said in The
End Zone, must stay in The End Zone.
For those of you who are not familiar with The End Zone, this information is
only available to IowaPreps.com premium subscribers and mainly focuses on
recruiting in both football and basketball. With the 2007 football season
in full swing, look for this feature to be posted much more often over the next
few months. With information on football and basketball, this version of
The End Zone is loaded with updates!
basketball program. Talent wise, this really is one of the most loaded
squads in recent years and there is few who doubt that they have the firepower
to make a serious run at the State tournament. See how quickly things can
change within just one year. Both notes involve two new players within the
program. The first, A.J. Derby, recently took an unofficial visit to the
University of Wisconsin. This talented sophomore had a chance to see the Hawkeyes battle the Badgers but learned more about how the Wisconsin program
operated. At this point, I am unsure but Derby could have been visited for
football, basketball, or both. He has that kind of ability.
The other, that has already come to light, is that New Zealand transfer Deon
Brewster will not be playing this year for the Little Hawks.
Considering the whole Wilmot Wellington situation at Fairfield, I can't say that
I am shocked that he won't be able to play. From what I have heard, this
kid can play and has the ability to play Division I basketball at the mid major
level. Playing for Iowa City High would have really helped the team but
they will be stacked regardless if they Brewster can play or not.
in the MVC, it appears as if Cedar Rapids Kennedy guard Kaylon Williams
is ahead of schedule and getting back on the court. While there are some
question marks about him being cleared, this outstanding senior is back on the
court and playing. While his injury during the summer did scare off some
schools, there are certainly others watching his progress. Oregon State
sent their head coach to see him play at a recent open gym and they are very
interested in him. While there appears to be no offer at this point,
expect the Beavers to follow the progress of Williams during the season.
player who suffered an unfortunate injury was West Des Moines Valley running
back Joe Johnson. At first, it was reported that he tore his ACL
and would miss his entire senior season. There have been reports surfacing
that this might not be the case. He dressed for the Tigers last week and
the injury may not be as bad as originally assumed. If things work out,
Johnson may be back on the field for West Des Moines Valley before all is said
and done. If that is the case and he gets back to near 100%, watch out for
the Tigers as they add yet another dangerous piece to their potent offense.
Again, there are questions about what percentage he will come back at.
quarterback Paul Yokas has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2007
football season. As the son of the coach, this sophomore has been thrown
into the fire and has helped Oelwein to a 5-0 start. Could the dry spell
of talent be back there? Anyways, this standout has not been receiving
much recruiting interest because it is so early but mentioned that he has grown
up following Michigan. Yokas saw the Wolverines in action when Tom Brady
and the A Train were suiting up and has following them ever since.
squad off to a 5-0 start has been Tipton and they have been led by linebacker
Matt O'Donnell. This sought after senior has seen recruiting pick up
as of late and received calls from UNI, Holy Cross, Brown, and St. Cloud State
all last week. O'Donnell currently does not have any scholarship offers
but those calls show that these schools are serious about him in the recruiting
process. Like a lot of recruits, the biggest factor in his decision will
be scholarships.
Rapids Washington can also boast about the fact that they are 5-0 and wide
receiver Keenan Davis has been a big part of that. This outstanding
talent is now up to scholarship offers from both Nebraska and Iowa. But
let me tell you that the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers are not the only programs
after Davis. Other schools that have been sending mail include USC, West
Virginia, Tennessee, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Michigan. When the coaches
at Washington are able to get out more junior film for Davis, don't be shocked
to see that offer list continue to grow. This kid is good!
One of the biggest shockers in Class 3A outside of Oelwein has been
Waverly-Shell Rock. I certainly would have never guessed they would be 4-1
and leading their district. A big part of their success has been due to
quarterback Dane Larson. This outstanding senior is a great
football player but is likely playing hoops at the next level. While he
has Division II interest for football, it appears his love is basketball and he
is looking at a variety of Division III options. They include Central,
Luther, Wartburg, Augsburg, and a few other schools. Can the Knights keep
him at home? This will be an interesting recruiting battle to follow over
time.
running back Will Wellington missed his entire junior year because of a
move to Iowa and then missed this past game. While he did feel they were
similar, this outstanding senior will be back for Centerville. Wellington
has seen both Northern Iowa and Iowa State stop by the school and is also
hearing from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois through the mail as
well. Out of the four programs, he named Iowa and Iowa State as his
favorite schools. Wellington was in Iowa City for their game against
Indiana and said he enjoyed going to the game.
last but not least, one player we featured today was Decorah tight end/defensive
tackle Brett Van Sloten. With a dad that played at Iowa State, this
junior has some great bloodlines but did mention that his dad's affiliation with
the Cyclones will have no bearing on his college decision. If this man
among boys turns out like many feel he will, Iowa State needs to jump in early
with an offer and get things started for this supremely talented lineman.
His future is likely along the offensive line and with a 6-foot-7 build and
skills on the basketball court, Van Sloten definitely has the athleticism to do
it.
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of The
End Zone. Once again, thank you for subscribing to IowaPreps.com. If
you have any questions/comments/thoughts, please either reply to this post or
email me at
Luke@Rivals.com. And don't forget,
what is said in The End Zone must STAY in The End Zone! We had some
problems with the last part so please keep this information to this board!
This post was edited on 10/2 2:34 AM by LukeFeddersen
