Sioux Falls Area City Rankings: Top WRs
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SIOUX FALLS, SD– We dove deep into the Class of 2022 & 2023 in -Sioux Falls to build our next-up Sioux Falls Area city rankings for the Wide Receiver position. While the Class of 2021 in Sioux Falls was loaded, these…
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Continue ReadingSIOUX FALLS, SD– We dove deep into the Class of 2022 & 2023 in -Sioux Falls to build our next-up Sioux Falls Area city rankings for the Wide Receiver position. While the Class of 2021 in Sioux Falls was loaded, these two classes look to be rock solid too. We dug thru the following rosters to building these city rankings: Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sioux Falls Washington, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Brandon Valley, Sioux Falls Christian, and Harrisburg. Unfortunately, we do not know who will be making the transition over to Sioux Falls Jefferson in their inaugural year, besides Sioux Falls Roosevelt QB Taylen Ashley Taylen Ashley 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Sioux Falls Jefferson | 2023 State , which we just learned about today.
Note: These rankings were built by film breakdowns for each prospect. We did not factor in our Dakotas 2022 or 2023 rankings, but after breaking it down, it will help us who needs a jump up in the rankings and who needs to be on our radar that was missing last time around when the new update comes out in May/June.
These are the eight prospects from 8 to 1 that make the best Wide Receivers in the Sioux Falls Area.
8: Sam Heier, Sioux Falls Lincoln (2022)
Heier has yet to play a varsity snap, but I did like what I saw from him at the Patriots’ junior varsity level last season. Heier hits his burst most effectively when he sees a gap in the defense. When I watch his footwork I see a prospect that needs another offseason to work on his brakes. He does make substantial cuts to the outside of the field, however. He has good vision to look for the ball, but from my eyes looks at his quarterback too early, but could be an asset with a quick pass. I see Heier having a more significant role this year in the receiving core as he will reunite with his quarterback, Trenton Peterson Trenton Peterson 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Sioux Falls Lincoln | 2023 State who looks to be the Patriots starter this fall. Heier cracks this list due to a lack of varsity experience at the moment.
7: Jaden Witte Jaden Witte TE SF Christian | 2022 State , Sioux Falls Christian (2022)
Witte checks in at #7 from Sioux Falls Christian. He is a bigger receiving threat that is a versatile option in multiple offensive sets. In my eyes, Witte is a flex between WR/TE as I could see him as a tight end at the next level. He has a good-sized frame but doesn’t have the fastest burst out there. He is a sure red zone threat for Sioux Falls Christian.
6: Carter Van Donge Carter Van Donge 5'11" | 165 lbs | WR Sioux Falls Christian | 2023 State , Sioux Falls Christian (2023)
Witte’s teammate Carter Van Donge Carter Van Donge 5'11" | 165 lbs | WR Sioux Falls Christian | 2023 State checks in our #6 spot for Sioux Falls wide receivers. These two are polar opposites when it comes to their game, as Van Donge wins the battle for speed but doesn’t have Witte’s size. Van Donge gets a good bulk of his reps as a slot receiver as he has a good twist in his hips to get the spacing he wants. Van Donge has an average dig on his stop routes. The major plus I like in Van Donge’s game is that he has strong legs to get yards after contact despite not the biggest measurables (5’11, 160). Van Donge has the most time left to move up this list in the coming years.
5: Sam Scholten Sam Scholten 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Brandon Valley | 2022 State , Brandon Valley (2022)
Scholten is one of two Brandon Valley Lynx prospects checking in on our Sioux Falls WR list. Where Scholten got my attention on film most was his blocking ability. This young man does a fantastic job of getting upfield to block for who has the ball and does not show an ounce of giving up on the play even when he doesn’t have the football in his hands as some WRs do. He has a solid stop route that gets a tremendous dig.
This 5/4 matchup had to be the closest battle of the entire Sioux Falls WR city rankings, as I think these two could battle it out this season and possibly for a state championship in the Fall of 2021. Scholten also had just a slightly less burst than the next player on our list.
4: Carter Bahrenfuss Carter Bahrenfuss DB Harrisburg | 2022 State , Harrisburg (2022)
Bahrenfuss had just enough juice to get into our #4 spot for WRs in Sioux Falls. In my eyes, the most significant difference was Bahrenfuss got off the snap quicker than Scholten, but these two prospects may duke it out when we do this again after the season. Bahrenfuss has excellent versatility–a WR prospect you can line anywhere in the Tigers offense and he’ll have success. Bahrenfuss plays one step ahead of the defensive backs meaning most of his balls on film he’s catching most of them inside a tight window thrown by Minnesota commit Jacob Knuth Jacob Knuth 6'4" | 205 lbs | QB Harrisburg | 2022 State .
The one item I would like to see more of on Bahrenfuss’s WR tape is a wider variety of routes. I mentioned he’s pretty versatile, but most of his catches are deep balls so it’s tough to see how his footwork is on his cuts, etc. I saw Bahrenfuss’s footwork at his best at DB, where I came away super impressed with his backpedal.
3: Peyton Carroll, Brandon Valley (2022)
I have gone thru hundreds and hundreds of tapes in the Dakotas but somehow didn’t get a glimpse of Peyton Carroll’s until last night, let’s just say I was missing out big time! Carroll is a prospect who plays with a significant frame but has a tremendous burst off the snap. I hinted at it last night, but Carroll defines a bully blocker as a tight end. I expected Carroll to be 220-230 pounds with the blocks I was watching but realized he plays around 195 pounds which were mind-blowing.
I have gone back and forth on where I see Carroll at the next level between WR and TE and I think that blocking ability is just too fierce to not at least have him as a combo WR/TE just as the Lynx have him now. He too is a big red zone target but moves better than most bigger targets at TE you’ll see inside the 20. There is no doubt Carroll will be on our next ranking update coming out in May/June.
2: Josh Piper Josh Piper 6'0" | 190 lbs | WR SF Washington | 2022 State , Sioux Falls Washington (2022)
Piper has to have some of the quickest footwork in Sioux Falls I have seen. He gets off the line exceptionally quickly, and I think much quicker this season than I first evaluated his film last September. I really like the variety of routes he runs, as you can see that excellent footwork is put on display on many of his clips.
I see a big senior year coming out of Piper with his continued connection with QB Max Thomson Max Thomson 6'3" | 215 lbs | QB SF Washington | 2022 State . Piper has the play to become an FCS prospect in my eyes.
1: Andrew Walter Andrew Walter 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Harrisburg | 2022 State , Harrisburg (2022)
Our #1 ranked WR prospect in Sioux Falls is Harrisburg’s, Andrew Walter Andrew Walter 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Harrisburg | 2022 State . Walter to me shows the widest catching radius of any wide receiver in the area as he has long arms with his 6’3 frame. Where Walter wins the match is the toughness of his route running. He does a fantastic job adjusting speeds on his routes and then blowing by the cornerback trying to guard him. His brake and go routes are some of the best I have seen evaluating WR prospects in the Dakotas.
I see Walter as a Division I prospect, and once the dead period opens up June 1st, I think he’ll see a significant jump on his recruiting trail.