When Blitz puts together his annual Preseason Top 50 Players list, there are always some folks that feel a key player here or there was left off. And Blitz is not blameless either. Trying to remember, research and rank players across over 40 programs in our coverage area is no easy feat, especially for an animal still a little groggy from the off-season.
Make no mistake, Blitz doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, just most of them.
Between potential preseason snubs that bothered Blitz and exceptional Week 1 performances, here are five players that may have legit beef on being left off the top 50.
SB/FS Bryce Lawrence, senior, Churubusco
With over 760 all-purpose yards a season ago and some impressive safety play, Lawrence perhaps may have been on the radar of Blitz in the preseason more than he was.
Lawrence made a point with his play in Week 1, scoring a pair of touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving – while also picking off a pass that he returned for 50 yards, in Churubusco’s 36-7 demolition of Bremen.
Weston Ott is the clear standout for the Eagles, but he oftentimes receives a lot of the spotlight (for good reason), overshadowing guys like Lawrence.
RB Trace Parrish, senior, Columbia City
Not many guys that scored double-digit touchdowns got left off Blitz’s Top 50. Yet here we are, with Parrish going off to the tune of 168 yards and a touchdown in Columbia City’s big road win over NorthWood to begin the year.
The Eagles could not be stopped on the ground in Week 1, rushing for 325 yards and three scores in the 27-24 victory. All told, Columbia City ran the ball 61(!) times against NorthWood with just two pass attempts, both of which were incomplete.
Obviously, that ratio is not going to hold all season long, but one thing that will be a weekly presence will be Parrish’s ability in the backfield as RB1.
QB Job Richman, junior, Eastside
Richman broke out in a big way as a sophomore, rushing for 603 yards and six touchdowns while also throwing for 224 yards and four scores. But he was far from a finished product, and Eastside coach Alyx Brandewie would also say there is room for improvement.
But at least through one game, Richman has taken a significant step forward in his development as a junior. While he only threw seven passes in last week’s rout of Woodlan, he completed four of them for 80 yards and two touchdowns. His 57 percent completion percentage is 15 points higher than it was over the course of 11 games in 2024. Obviously, through one game does not a season make, but just once last year did he have a higher completion percentage when throwing as many passes as he did last Friday.
In addition, Richman never rushed for as many yards in a game last season as he did against Woodlan – a 178-yard, one touchdown effort on 18 carries. He averaged nearly a first down per rush.
Richman has officially arrived, and NECC squads have been put on notice.
QB Jaydin Rivers, senior, North Side
Blitz had done his research on Rivers, a move-in to Fort Wayne for his senior year. But it was tough to ascertain just how good Rivers could be after playing at Warren Central in 2024. Playing in the Metropolitan in the thick of Class 6A football in Indianapolis is a bit different than up here.
But Rivers showed out in Week 1 to the tune of throwing for 195 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-24 passing. The yardage and TDs are nice, but where Blitz was most impressed was the 79 percent completion percentage. The senior was efficient, confident and made all the throws against Northridge in a 21-7 victory.
If Rivers can continue to deliver for the Legends, it will be a huge boost to a squad that has athletes in bunches. A quarterback who can get them the ball regularly and in space magnifies their threat to defenses.
WR/S Alex Scott, junior, East Noble
Scott’s omission from the Top 50 was an oversight, plain and simple. Blitz ain’t perfect, although he likes to try and convince people he is.
We knew it was only a matter of time until Scott’s size at 6-foot-2 earned him some opportunities offensively. Last year, Scott was one of the area’s biggest ball hawks at safety as he picked off eight passes to go with 41 tackles.
While he is still manning the safety spot, Scott also has quickly developed into one of quarterback Rylee Biddle’s top targets, evidenced by his four receptions for 152 yards and two touchdowns against Wayne in Week 1.
Scott was a menace to offenses last year. He has quickly proved he is going to be a menace on both sides of the ball in 2025.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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