Class A

4. Les Richardson, RB, Bellevue West, Jr. 6-1, 215. Other stats NA. A violent runner with great power and body lean he was almost impossible to tackle in last season’s limited carries. Here is really all you need to know: “Les reminds me of Jaylin with his aggressive running style.” - Bellevue West HC Michael Huffman. And if I need to remind you who Jaylin is then you should thumb through to the next page.

5. Nate Raymond, L-DL, Millard West, Jr. 6-3, 300. Other stats NA. Not many sophomores see the light of varsity day at a big time program like Millard West but when you have a 300-pound athlete who’s already showed flashes of greatness you give him a little more rein. This guy will be the next great Millard West lineman.

6. Caden Camese, DT, Bellevue West, Jr. 6-1, 285. Other stats NA. More from that stacked Bellevue West junior class. Caden’s got all the requisite power and athletic ability - remarkably good feet for a player his size - and now he’s also learned how to use his hands to get off blocks and onto opposing running backs and QBs. Expect domination from this kid in 2020.

Class B

4. Darik Rodgers, RB-QB-LB, Omaha Roncalli, Jr. 5-10, 170. Other stats NA. Fast and athletic Rodgers is a returning all-district player who was one of the leading defenders for last year’s state semifinal team and now takes over the starring role for the Crimson offense, whether it’s at quarterback or running back. Gonna be good.

5. Emmett Hassenstab, QB-S, Omaha Skutt, Jr. 6-3, 180. Bench - 210, Squat - 310, 40 - 4.7. Let’s start with the fact the kid placed in both the Class B long jump and triple jump as a freshman and might well have won them both this year, you know, if they held a state track meet. Add the fact that he’s most likely going to win the starting QB job at Skutt, which is sort of like hitting a winning scratch card. He’ll do fine.

6. Jacob Krauter, L-DL, Waverly, Jr. 6-1, 250. Bench - 305, Squat - 445, 40 - 4.2. Jacob’s sorta in the same boat as Nancy Sinatra when she sang the song “Something Stupid” with her father, the great Frank Sinatra, except Jacob can really sing, or block as the case might be. Translation: playing in the shadow of two-time all-state classmate Trevor Brown you might miss Jacob being ready to play at an all-state level. Which he is.

Class C-1

4. Garrett Oakley, WR-DB, Columbus Scotus, Jr. 6-5, 195. Other stats NA. Not all that long ago you just didn’t see 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 receivers with skill and all the big numbers to go with it. But here we are again - this is three out of the top four being receivers, with Jacobsen not yet a QB - and there is rumblings of Oakley going D-1, as they say.

5. Ian Virka, TE-LB, North Bend Central, Jr. 6-3, 205. Other stats NA. Ian probably would have made a really good running back but he’s growing so fast the NBC coaches moved him to tight end where his size and skill should make him an outstanding pass target. Also a premier defender who knows how to make plays (84 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 sacks).

6. Conner Kreikemeier, QB-LB, Raymond Central, Jr. 5-8, 165. Bench - 205, Squat - 320, 40 - 4.7. Good enough to make this list all on his own - he’s a two-time all-district player - but this is one of my favorite players on the list. Not all that big, playing for a struggling program, the kid’s a gamer who excels at all of his roles on the team. The kind of kid you pull for.

Class C-2

4. Adam Kotas, G-DT, Wilber-Clatonia, Jr. 6-0, 210. Bench - 290, Squat - 415, 40 - 4.9. Tremendously athletic and able to control his piece of the line of scrimmage - yours too, it turns out. He was all-district last season in large part because he led a very good W-C team in tackles...while playing defensive end. Dominant defensive player, that’s what you have here.

5. Paxton Olson, RB-LB, Sutton, Jr. 5-10, 190. Other stats NA. Time to mix in a darkhorse. A powerful athlete who will step right into the run-heavy Mustangs offense and be an immediate hit. He’s going to get his Big Chance this fall and it seems a thousand yards-plus rushing and a trail of broken defenders are the likely outcome.

6. Koa McIntyre, QB-DB, Archbishop Bergan, Jr. 6-0, 195. Bench - 330, Squat - 450, 40 - 4.48. It’s all right there, it’s just a matter of putting it all together. McIntyre is one of our state’s top track sprinters and is a magnificent athlete; if he’s able to channel those gifts into his football game then we have this guy probably seven spots too low on this list. More than any Top 225 prospect Koa could be the one to crush his ranking. Let’s see.

Class D-1

4. Caleb Busch, RB-DB, Burwell, Jr. 6-0, 180. Other stats NA. Returning all-district on defense (64 tackles, 4 INT including one for a TD) and he’s also your classic Burwell running back, tough and about impossible to tackle one-on-one. In 2020 he becomes the team’s go-to back and doubling his already impressive 850 yards from last season certainly seems doable.

5. Andrew Waltke, WR-S, Palmyra, Jr. 6-4, 185. Other stats NA. His head coach tells me Andrew is the best player in this class, regardless of grade, and he might be right. Waltke’s a two-time all-stater who last season caught 68 passes for 812 yards and 11 TDs despite playing three games with a broken wrist. Big physical receiver who runs good routes, catches everything in sight.

6. Caleb Allen, QB-DB, Ainsworth, Jr. 5-8, 140. Bench - 170, Squat - 260, 40 - 4.8. Caleb is basically a magician. Playing for a team that’s had little success - last year’s playoff berth was the program’s second in a row but only fourth all-time - while he’s put up monster numbers. So he’s pretty small, so what, last season he passed for 1,380 yards and 23 TDs and rushed for another 1,164 yards and 13 TDs, and that’s pretty big.

Class D-2

4. Tanner Pfeifer, QB-DB, Humphrey St. Francis. 6-2, 180. Other stats NA. Was a key defender on last year’s unbeaten state title team and now takes control of the offense. A top-shelf athlete who will become a dangerous dual threat QB. How do I know this? Well, he was an all-stater in basketball, remember that part?

5. Brogan Nachtigal, L-DL, Falls City Sacred Heart, Jr. 6-3, 215. Other stats NA. Strong and athletic with the frame to get even stronger and, well, more athletic it seems as though Brogan is next in line when it comes to that prestigious line of great Sacred Heart linemen. Competitive, aggressive, smart football player.

6. Eli Jensen, G-DT, Kenesaw, Jr. 6-3, 225. Other stats NA. Clearly has the size and last year saw his athletic ability catch up which led to him becoming a dominant two-way lineman by season’s end. Seems like the kind of player who is going to really be something special (and especially scary for opponents) over the next two seasons.

Six-Man

4. Bryce Hanna, QB-DB, Arthur County, Jr. 6-2, 155. Other stats NA. The catalyst for Arthur’s explosive offensive attack, Bryce last season passed for 1,990 yards and 33 TDs, proving able to make about any can of pass you’d like. Also a capable runner and the team’s punter, he’s a very valuable piece of the puzzle for the Wolves.

5. Klayton Kleffner, TE-DE, Spalding Academy, Soph. 6-1, 155. All-district as a rookie Kleffner proved himself to be an outstanding all-around player by catching 20 passes for 427 yards and eight TDs and also adding 82 tackles and three fumble recoveries on defense. Those would be great numbers for a senior in high school but you just wait until this kid is old enough to drive; imagine the havoc he’ll cause. On the football field, I mean.

6. Romeo White, B-DB, Santee, Jr. 5-10, 160. Other stats NA. A sensational all-around athlete with plenty of speed and savvy. Last season rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 TDs, passed for 323 yards and five TDs, and caught seven passes for 127 yards and a TD. Fun fact: a chunk of Romeo’s rushing numbers came in his team’s wild 77-66 loss to St. Edward. When the night was through Romeo’d gone for 439 yards and eight TDs while St. Edward’s Will Lawrence raced for 352 yards and seven TDs. Not many helmet stickers handed out to the defense that night...