Three months ago, BirdsUp revealed its first edition of the SA 22 for the class of 2017, the site's ranking of the top prospects in the greater-San Antonio area. With spring practices having concluded and the spring evaluation period nearing its end, look for a new edition of the SA 22 to be up within the next few weeks, a season finale, if you will, where ALL WILL BE REVEALED, with twists you won't. See. Coming. (That part is better if you read it in the voice of that voiceover guy who does all of the TV ads for ABC's series.)
The new list will have new names, which was pretty much inevitable because the first one had several names that were already well-known and was dominated by players from the city's large 6A schools. New names have since appeared on the radar, perhaps most notably San Antonio Stevens safety Ashton Smith. And between now and the end of the 2016 season there could be others whose profile will be raised by big senior seasons. Here I'll name a few area athletes who could force their way into the new SA 22, or at least be players to watch this fall and candidates for the final rankings this fall or winter.
But first, a reminder on who made the SA 22 in February.
QB Xavier Martin (Cibolo Steele)
OT Matthew Huhn (John Jay) LB Chase Brown (Kerrville Tivy)
RB Travell Lampkin (Cibolo Steele)
DT Darren Thomas (Converse Judson)
QB Frank Harris (Schertz Clemens)
DT Josh Croslen (Cibolo Steele)
QB Josh Adkins (Smithson Valley)
OT Derek Kerrstelter (Reagan)
RB Tyrone Middleton (Southwest)
DE Jonathan Cox (Reagan)
ATH Bryson Carroll (Roosevelt)
RB Mi'Kel Jackson (Converse Judson)
QB Bryce Rivers (Stevens)
LB Kyle Anderson (Reagan)
QB Will Chaney (Alamo Heights)
OL Dennis Berry (John Jay)
DT Josh Ogbonna (Reagan)
DT Emmanuel Inweh (Stevens)
OL Julynn Aezquite (John Jay)
TE Xander Yarberough (Roosevelt)
WR Logan Mann (Stevens)
22 players from just 11 schools. I'll go out on a limb and guess there will be more schools represented on the next list, even with Ashton Smith adding another player from Stevens. I'd love to hear opinions of any of the following five athletes.
WR Justin Eaton (SA Brackenridge)
He was the third-leading receiver on a team that passed for over 300 yards per game in 2015, catching 23 passes for 530 yards (23 yards/catch) and 9 TDs. He looks closer to 6'2" than the 6'4" he's listed as on his Hudl, but he's got good length and speed as an outside receiver, and he could be in for a big senior year with his team's top two receivers from last season having graduated.
ATH Jawon Anderson (SA Sam Houston)
He was a playmaking receiver and an all-district safety for Sam Houston in 2015, and is a pretty good basketball player as well. He caught 31 passes for 787 yards and 12 TDs as a junior. He doesn't show off a great variety of routes in his highlight video, and they aren't that refined either, but I like how he looks once he catches the ball, and how he adjusts to underthrown passes while the ball is in the air. He's a guy I hope UTSA can get into at least one of its local camps.
OL Johnathan Gessner (SA MacArthur)
Standing 6'2" 290 pounds and possessing very good strength (he has benched 435 pounds) and above average athleticism for an offensive lineman (he had a 79.29 SPARQ score at a Dallas Nike camp this spring), he may just be the best guard in the city. Starting at right guard in 2015, he was a key blocker for an offense that averaged nearly 500 yards per game, including 200 on the ground. He's also very good in the classroom, ranking in the top 1% of his class, and he attended Yale's Junior Day in April. He has been offered by Air Force, and his Twitter followers include UTSA offensive line coach Ryan Pugh, though how strong their interest is in him I don't know.
ATH Dillon Ricord (Devine)
I wouldn't put him in the SA 22 right now, but he's one of the more intriguing athletes in the class and a guy I hope UTSA can get into a camp this summer. He plays QB and DB for Devine, and though I doubt he's as big as the 6'3" 195 he's listed at, he seems to have good size and a frame that can add good weight, and he's legitimately among the fastest guys in the area. He took 2nd place at the state track meet in the 4A boys 200 meter dash a week ago with a time of 21.49, and he has also run the 100 meters as fast as 10.74 and long jumped 22'6.25". And baseball may actually be his best sport. He has recorded a 60-yard dash time of 6.65, and he hits for a high average at the plate and this season he has struck out 104 batters and walked 21 while allowing just 39 hits in 77.1 innings on the mound. He's got the speed to play just about anywhere he wants on the football field, and he may profile as a safety at the next level, if he plays that sport in college. He's also a bit old for his class, having turned 18 earlier this month, but that shouldn't be too big of a concern. Below are his highlights vs. Brackenridge from the 2015 season.
K Zach Elder (SA Johnson)
Yes, a kicker, because having a reliable one with good range is an invaluable asset for any team. I definitely haven't done a thorough study of the city's placekickers (who has the time for that?) but Elder may be the top contender for best kicker in the area. The two leading national kicking/punting coaches rank him among the nation's best. Chris Sailer Kicking gives him a 4.5 star rating (in their scale 5 stars is D1 potential, while 4 stars is D2 potential) and ranks him as the #27 kicker in the class and says, "He has one of the strongest legs in his class and is naturally gifted." Kohl's Kicking ranks him as the #51 kicker in the class and likewise gives him a 4.5-star rating. His highlights show him making several field goals from between 30 and 48 yards out, usually with plenty of distance to spare. And he's got a good leg for kickoffs, routinely putting the ball halfway into the end zone or further. UTSA's primary placekicker, Daniel Portillo, will be a senior in 2017, and though he only missed one field goal attempt from within 39 yards in 2015, he was 0 for 6 on attempts from 40-49 yards. Unless sophomore walk-on Victor Falcon shows he's capable of taking over placekicking duties in a year or two, it would make sense to take a hard look at a local guy as talented as Elder for 2017, even as tight as scholarship numbers may be.
The new list will have new names, which was pretty much inevitable because the first one had several names that were already well-known and was dominated by players from the city's large 6A schools. New names have since appeared on the radar, perhaps most notably San Antonio Stevens safety Ashton Smith. And between now and the end of the 2016 season there could be others whose profile will be raised by big senior seasons. Here I'll name a few area athletes who could force their way into the new SA 22, or at least be players to watch this fall and candidates for the final rankings this fall or winter.
But first, a reminder on who made the SA 22 in February.
QB Xavier Martin (Cibolo Steele)
OT Matthew Huhn (John Jay) LB Chase Brown (Kerrville Tivy)
RB Travell Lampkin (Cibolo Steele)
DT Darren Thomas (Converse Judson)
QB Frank Harris (Schertz Clemens)
DT Josh Croslen (Cibolo Steele)
QB Josh Adkins (Smithson Valley)
OT Derek Kerrstelter (Reagan)
RB Tyrone Middleton (Southwest)
DE Jonathan Cox (Reagan)
ATH Bryson Carroll (Roosevelt)
RB Mi'Kel Jackson (Converse Judson)
QB Bryce Rivers (Stevens)
LB Kyle Anderson (Reagan)
QB Will Chaney (Alamo Heights)
OL Dennis Berry (John Jay)
DT Josh Ogbonna (Reagan)
DT Emmanuel Inweh (Stevens)
OL Julynn Aezquite (John Jay)
TE Xander Yarberough (Roosevelt)
WR Logan Mann (Stevens)
22 players from just 11 schools. I'll go out on a limb and guess there will be more schools represented on the next list, even with Ashton Smith adding another player from Stevens. I'd love to hear opinions of any of the following five athletes.
WR Justin Eaton (SA Brackenridge)
He was the third-leading receiver on a team that passed for over 300 yards per game in 2015, catching 23 passes for 530 yards (23 yards/catch) and 9 TDs. He looks closer to 6'2" than the 6'4" he's listed as on his Hudl, but he's got good length and speed as an outside receiver, and he could be in for a big senior year with his team's top two receivers from last season having graduated.
ATH Jawon Anderson (SA Sam Houston)
He was a playmaking receiver and an all-district safety for Sam Houston in 2015, and is a pretty good basketball player as well. He caught 31 passes for 787 yards and 12 TDs as a junior. He doesn't show off a great variety of routes in his highlight video, and they aren't that refined either, but I like how he looks once he catches the ball, and how he adjusts to underthrown passes while the ball is in the air. He's a guy I hope UTSA can get into at least one of its local camps.
OL Johnathan Gessner (SA MacArthur)
Standing 6'2" 290 pounds and possessing very good strength (he has benched 435 pounds) and above average athleticism for an offensive lineman (he had a 79.29 SPARQ score at a Dallas Nike camp this spring), he may just be the best guard in the city. Starting at right guard in 2015, he was a key blocker for an offense that averaged nearly 500 yards per game, including 200 on the ground. He's also very good in the classroom, ranking in the top 1% of his class, and he attended Yale's Junior Day in April. He has been offered by Air Force, and his Twitter followers include UTSA offensive line coach Ryan Pugh, though how strong their interest is in him I don't know.
ATH Dillon Ricord (Devine)
I wouldn't put him in the SA 22 right now, but he's one of the more intriguing athletes in the class and a guy I hope UTSA can get into a camp this summer. He plays QB and DB for Devine, and though I doubt he's as big as the 6'3" 195 he's listed at, he seems to have good size and a frame that can add good weight, and he's legitimately among the fastest guys in the area. He took 2nd place at the state track meet in the 4A boys 200 meter dash a week ago with a time of 21.49, and he has also run the 100 meters as fast as 10.74 and long jumped 22'6.25". And baseball may actually be his best sport. He has recorded a 60-yard dash time of 6.65, and he hits for a high average at the plate and this season he has struck out 104 batters and walked 21 while allowing just 39 hits in 77.1 innings on the mound. He's got the speed to play just about anywhere he wants on the football field, and he may profile as a safety at the next level, if he plays that sport in college. He's also a bit old for his class, having turned 18 earlier this month, but that shouldn't be too big of a concern. Below are his highlights vs. Brackenridge from the 2015 season.
K Zach Elder (SA Johnson)
Yes, a kicker, because having a reliable one with good range is an invaluable asset for any team. I definitely haven't done a thorough study of the city's placekickers (who has the time for that?) but Elder may be the top contender for best kicker in the area. The two leading national kicking/punting coaches rank him among the nation's best. Chris Sailer Kicking gives him a 4.5 star rating (in their scale 5 stars is D1 potential, while 4 stars is D2 potential) and ranks him as the #27 kicker in the class and says, "He has one of the strongest legs in his class and is naturally gifted." Kohl's Kicking ranks him as the #51 kicker in the class and likewise gives him a 4.5-star rating. His highlights show him making several field goals from between 30 and 48 yards out, usually with plenty of distance to spare. And he's got a good leg for kickoffs, routinely putting the ball halfway into the end zone or further. UTSA's primary placekicker, Daniel Portillo, will be a senior in 2017, and though he only missed one field goal attempt from within 39 yards in 2015, he was 0 for 6 on attempts from 40-49 yards. Unless sophomore walk-on Victor Falcon shows he's capable of taking over placekicking duties in a year or two, it would make sense to take a hard look at a local guy as talented as Elder for 2017, even as tight as scholarship numbers may be.
Last edited:
