Underrated Players in the Foothill League Part 1
Underrated is an understatement and for these boys they have a lot to prove in the 20-21 season. They need to show all the doubters what type of talent each of these players hold. The ceiling is high for this…
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Continue ReadingUnderrated is an understatement and for these boys they have a lot to prove in the 20-21 season. They need to show all the doubters what type of talent each of these players hold. The ceiling is high for this Valley, and a lot of the underrated players who do not get looked at, end up at College of the Canyons. COC, is one of the best in the nation when it comes to Juco football. Many NFL talents have come out of there such as Jason Pierre Paul, Matt Moore, Tim White, Hollywood Brown, Mychal Rivera, Jonathan Fanene, Joey LaRocque, Domata Peko and Isaac Sopoaga. These underrated players work hard and make the most out of themselves so here are a list of underrated players for each of the six schools in the Foothill League Division.
Henry Samuelson |6’0”, 280| West Ranch, DL
Second team All-Foothill League selection. Started on varsity as a sophomore. Going into his senior year he should be the focal point of that defensive line and maybe go both ways on offense and defense. His career stats are 25 tackles with 14 solo tackles and 10 assist tackles with 4 tackles for loss. 20 games played total. Great leadership skills and commands that defensive unit well. Will be a captain for the upcoming season.
Matthew Krogh |6’1”, 265| West Ranch, OL
Vital part of the West Ranch offense. He has been one of the best OL in the Santa Clarita Valley ever since he was a sophomore on varsity. He has started in all 35 games which makes him Mr. Iron Man. Super reliable and has not let up a sack all year in the 19-20 season. He had 40 pancake blocks in the previous season. He is a great lead blocker, has quick feet and excels well in the pass block. Also does shot put for track and field. Him and Henry should have a fantastic 20-21 season. Both have veteran mind sets as 3-year starters and have deep playoff run experiences.
Jake Priske |5’10”, 185| West Ranch, WR, LB
He plays WR with a linebacker mentality. Tough and gritty. As a sophomore, he got enough playing time reeling in 114 yards on 8 receptions with 1 touchdown. He averaged 14.3 yards per catch. He has great hands and for his size he goes up and gets it. Plays much bigger than his size. On defense, he had 6 total tackles 4 assist and 1 solo as a sophomore. Going into his junior year he should get a lot of playing time on offense and defense.
Derek Miranda |6’0”, 190| West Ranch, RB, LB, SS, FS
Another productive sophomore who got a lot of playing time on varsity in the 19-20 season. He rushed for 294 yards on 44 carries with 4 total touchdowns and all purpose was 344 yards. His longest run was a 54-yard run against Canyon. Derek averaged around 7 yards per carry. He has a mean stiff arm and is an aggressive runner. He is only getting faster and stronger and should have a great junior season in 20-21. On defense, he rallied up 21 total tackles, 9 assist, 12 solo and 1 tackle for loss. He had 1 sack and 1 interception as well. He should be one of the top playmakers on this West Ranch team.
Blake Schroeder | 6’0”, 180| West Ranch, QB, WR, FS, CB
Had an amazing JV season as a QB who threw for 35 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. He was pretty much a Taysom Hill for the West Ranch squad. Once playoffs started, he was the only player from JV who played all three playoff games as a safety racking up 4 tackles as a sophmore. Absolute stud who will start at WR/CB for the 20-21 season and will be the backup QB to Walker Eget Walker Eget 6'1" | 185 lbs | QB West Ranch | 2021 State CA . He comes in as a dual threat QB. He also played varsity baseball as a sophomore racking up a hot .400 batting average before the season ended due to the pandemic. Bright future ahead of this young man in both football and baseball. He will be a vital part to this team.
Riley Bodemer |5’9”, 170| Hart, DB, WR
He had a tough season fighting different injuries, but he is one of the hardest workers on this team. Due to injuries, he only played 8 games in the 19-20 season, Riley racked up 21 total tackles, 6 solo and 3 passes deflected. He will go all out for his senior year and should have a great season.
Ryan Rossi |5’10”, 250| Hart, FB, DL
Due to playing behind senior, Littleford, Ryan rushed for 85 yards on 20 carries and 1 touchdown in the 19-20 season. Gritty mentality and is a grinder on the field. He can adapt anywhere on the field. Great at run blocks and runs the ball aggressively. He seems to be ready to take the full-time position at RB in the 20-21 upcoming season.
Daniel Larkins |5’10”, 165| Hart, WR, FS, SS
Daniel got a lot of playing time as a sophomore on a great depth, Hart team. It is never easy to get playing time as a freshman or sophomore at Hart, due to a lot of talent that comes out of there. On defense, he racked up 28 total tackles and 11 solo. He played in all 10 games as a sophomore. He is ready to prove to all the scouts in his upcoming junior year that he is a D1 caliber athlete.
Luke Madison |5’11”, 175| Hart, WR, DB
Undersized player who makes it up with his heart. Another player who plays bigger than his size. In the 19-20 season he tallied up 211 yards on 14 receptions with 3 touchdowns. He averaged nearly 15.1 yards per catch. On defense, he rallied up 16 total tackles making 14 solo.
David Kim |6’4”, 270| Golden Valley, DE, DL, T
He had a total of 31 tackles with 5 sacks and 12 tackle for losses. 3.94 GPA. Had a great junior season leading them to an 8-2 season. He was one of the most productive players in that d line unit. Made second team All-Foothill League as a junior. He is very disruptive off the line, big frame with quick feet. He is only getting bigger, stronger, and faster and should have a great senior season. Looks like he will start both ways on offense and defense.
Steven Eakins |6’4”, 280| Golden Valley, C, DT
Only played 4 games last year due to injury. Racked up 10 tackles and 1 sack. Quick hands and feet at the offensive line positions. He helped them improve to 4-0. He should have a full recovery by his senior season and start both ways. Hard worker and never gives up. Redemption season for him and he will chase after it.
Mekhile Newton |5’11”, 165| Golden Valley, WR, DB
Speedster out of Golden Valley. Productive junior season racking up 417 yards on only 29 receptions with 4 touchdowns. He averaged 14.4 yards a catch and 42 yards a game. Shift wide out who can change gears. He helped lead his Grizzlies to an 8-2 record. He will be their best wide out this upcoming season and should have a monster season with his other coworkers.