Class 1A & 2A Underclassman Stats and Analysis: Pass Catcher’s
The Iowa High School season is underway and a majority of teams are four weeks in, whereas some teams have had to take a week or two off because of COVID-19 concerns. I am taking a look at the statistics…
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Continue ReadingThe Iowa High School season is underway and a majority of teams are four weeks in, whereas some teams have had to take a week or two off because of COVID-19 concerns. I am taking a look at the statistics provided by ia.varsitybound.com and watched film on the highest producing underclassman signal callers, running backs, and receivers and broken them down. Here are the pass catcher’s that have impressed so far this season:
Junior WR, Caeden Glosser, Davis County High School (2A) – 5’7, 155 lbs.
Stat line: 17 receptions, 434 receiving yards, 7 receiving TD’s, 25.5 yards per catch
Breakdown: The leading receiver in Class 2A is Caeden Glosser. Davis County is off to a good start in the season and the passing attack is helping. Glosser is shorter in stature compared to other receivers in the state, but he makes up for it in his speed and how reliable he is on the catch. He’s more of a slot receiver who is shifty in the open field and is good at making defenders miss. He is capable of going over the middle of the field and catching the ball in traffic showing good concentration. Glosser is someone to keep an eye on as the season goes on to see what kind of numbers he can put up.
Junior TE/WR, Drake Wemark, New Hampton High School (2A) – 6’2, 180 lbs.
Stat line: 17 receptions, 286 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD’s, 16.8 yards per catch
Breakdown: New Hampton has been a competitive team so far, even with the 1-3 overall record, they were within 1 point in two losses this season so far. Drake Wemark is the big target the Chickasaws use when they are slinging it around. The junior pass catcher has a big body, with strong hands able to pull down balls reliably. He’s a deep ball threat who can go up and high point the ball even in traffic with good concentration. He has good straight line speed after the catch and is a good in-line blocker in the run game. Wemark has a good starting frame to build on over the course of the next two seasons.
Junior WR, Luke Jeltema, MOC-Floyd Valley High School (2A) – 6’0, 153 lbs.
Stat line: 15 receptions, 216 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 14.4 yards per catch
Breakdown: Luke Jeltema is a WR out of MOC-Floyd Valley who impressed me with his ability to catch the ball at all levels. When Jeltema is running routes he understands the way he has to adjust to all kinds of thrown balls. He’s good at coming back to the ball on underthrown balls and coming to meet it to receive the ball. He’s good in possession and does break arm tackles when possessing the ball. He has speed to get behind the defense and has the ability to go up and get the ball while adjusting to the ball in the air. On a team struggling at the early part of the season Jeltema has shown good quality and ways to help move the ball.
Junior RB/WR, Trevon Smith, Algona High School (2A) – 6’1, 200 lbs.
Stat line: 13 receptions, 229 receiving yards, 6 receiving TD’s, 17.6 yards per catch, 28 rushing attempts, 133 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry
Breakdown: Though his main position is RB, Trevon Smith’s statistics highlight his abilities really well receiving the football. He has a good frame already as a junior and provides good speed to go with that. He lines up in different places across the field but excels mainly by coming out of the backfield and lining up in the slot to catch the football across the middle of the field. He’s a good receiver who uses his hands to catch the ball and not his body which provides more reliability and efficiency catching the football. Smith is a talented pass catcher who is producing at a high level right now and should continue to do so.
Sophomore TE/WR, Blake Herold, Shenandoah High School (2A) – 6’3, 185 lbs.
Stat line: 17 receptions, 246 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD’s, 14.5 yards per catch
Breakdown: Big body framed Blake Herold is another name on this list who projects to play TE at the next level. Herold is an obvious target off the play-action pass and the way he gets across the face over the middle of the defense. HE has strong hands that are able to pull down tough catches in traffic. He’s good over the middle and can come out of the backfield to make catches as well. To add in that Herold has a mean streak that helps in blocking situations also adds to his potential. Herold could have a good ceiling if he continues to develop his technique and expands his catch radius around the field.
Junior WR, Vance Katzfey, Spirit Lake High School (2A) – 6’2, 165 lbs.
Stat line: 15 receptions, 245 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD’s, 16.3 yards per catch, 1 rushing attempt, 59 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 59 yards per carry
Breakdown: Vance Katzfey is a playmaker for the Spirit Lake Indians offense. They like to set up their offense in ways to get him the ball in space whether that be on screen plays or sending him behind the defense to make good plays on the ball. Katzfey is a player who is good at high pointing the ball and shows good athletic ability and speed. His athleticism helps him make difficult catches and also excel with the ball after the catch. He has good body control which proves to be important while playing on the outside. Katzfey could be just the playmaker to help Spirit Lake press on deep into the season.
Junior WR, Griffin Greiner Griffin Greiner 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR Cardinal | 2022 State IA , Cardinal High School (1A) – 6’0, 170 lbs.
Stat line: 18 receptions, 356 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD’s, 19.8 yards per catch, 12 rushing attempts, 95 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD’s, 7.9 yards per carry
Breakdown: Griffin Greiner Griffin Greiner 6'1" | 180 lbs | WR Cardinal | 2022 State IA is the 2nd leading receiver in Class 1A playing for Cardinal High School. He’s a fast receiver who is able to get behind the defense but also run routes with crispness and sharp cuts in and out. Greiner is someone who also makes good plays on the ball, and shows good concentration that allows him to catch the ball in traffic. He’s a good possession receiver to go with all of his other attributes where he can run after the catch. Greiner is the Cardinal’s main playmaker and a good one that only helps the team.
Junior WR, Easton Harms Easton Harms 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR OABCIG | 2022 State IA , OABCIG High School (1A) – 6’0, 157 lbs.
Stat line: 14 receptions, 331 receiving yards, 3 receiving TD’s, 23.6 yards per catch
Breakdown: OABCIG has an explosive offense with a lot of playmakers and weapons to utilize and to go with a SR reciever, Trust Wells, the leading receiver in Class 1A, but they have the 3rd leading receiver in Class 1A in Easton Harms Easton Harms 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR OABCIG | 2022 State IA . Harms is a good intermediate route runner who makes plays across the middle of the field and in traffic. He’s a good route runner and is quick out of hs breaks but also can get behind the defense with good size and speed. His size comes into play when making plays on the ball where he can shield off the defenders well and make a good play on the ball. OABCIG has a really good chance at repeating this season, and their high powered offense will play a big part in that.
Junior WR, Caden Hartz, Columbus Catholic High School (1A) – 6’1, 175 lbs.
Stat line: 10 receptions, 249 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 24.9 yards per catch
Breakdown: Columbus Catholic High School has started off well in the 2020 football season, and Caden Hartz is a part of that. Hartz is a down field threat who uses his frame and size to make plays on the ball. He is good at making over the shoulder catches and shows a good fluidity with the way he catches the ball with his hands. On his routes he shows good ability to create separation from his defender. He runs routes at all three levels and excels at making catches on all of them. The way Columbus is playing and shown the ability to score some points Hartz and his playmaking ability will be important down the stretch.
Junior WR, Zak Molstad, Central Springs High School (1A) – 6’0, 165 lbs.
Stat line: 10 receptions, 210 receiving yards, 4 receiving TD’s, 21 yards per catch
Breakdown: Zak Molstad knows how to catch the ball for Central Springs. He has shown off his ability to make one-handed catches and the ability to high point the ball and make catches over the defenders. He is good about going across the middle of the field and settling into the space between the linebackers and safeties. As has been highlighted his best attribute is the way he can go get the ball out of the air and adjusting his body to catch the ball. Diving catches have also been highlighted in Molstad’s repertoire. One thing I do know about Molstad is that if you throw it his way he has a big catch radius and he will use anything to make the catch.