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 look, Blitz is only a bear. 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. Wait, actually, he does.
Between potential preseason snubs that bothered Blitz and exceptional performances over the season’s first two weeks, here are six players that may have legit beef on being left off the top 50.
RB Leighton Brown, senior, Jay County
Brown had some big games last year, including rushing for 257 yards and three touchdowns in sectional play against Bellmont. He even earned All-ACAC Second Team honors.
But heading into this season, Blitz overlooked him a bit. All he has done to open the season is rush for 427 yards and nine touchdowns on 41 carries through Week 2.
Brown set a program record in Week 1 against Blackford, going for 327 yards and SEVEN touchdowns on 19 attempts. New Castle was able to escape with a win against Jay County last week, but Brown still went for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots are starting a sophomore at quarterback in Brady Millspaugh, so any pressure that can be taken off of him with the run game is highly advantageous. Brown has delivered in that regard so far.
WR/RB/S Isaiah Detmers, junior, Leo
A season ago, Detmers was relegated to the defensive side of the ball as the senior class held down the skill positions on offense for the Lions.
This fall, Detmers is getting his chance to shine on offense.
Prior to the season, Blitz had gotten some intel that Detmers was a prime break-out candidate, particularly because of his speed. Blitz didn’t listen. He never does.
All Detmers has done is lead the team in rushing through two weeks and showcased his big-play ability in Week 1 when he took a pass 47 yards for a touchdown The junior is also seeing action on defense and special teams as he picked off a pass against Chatard and sprung a 42-yard return on a kickoff last Friday.
Leo is going to continue to find ways to get the ball to Detmers in space, which will be a challenge for NE8 defenses.
RB/DB Noah Dove, junior, Eastside
What an idiot.
Not only was Dove named First Team All-NECC last year, he eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing and was one of the Blazers’ best defenders as a sophomore.
For Blitz to leave him off the Top 50 list was criminal. He is ashamed.
Dove has hit the ground running this season. He is averaging 148 yards per game on the ground and has taken two of his four receptions to the house for scores. He is one of the team’s top tacklers on the back end of the defense as well.
Dove and quarterback Job Richman are a dynamic duo on offense, and the pair are just two of many outstanding juniors that the Blazers have leading the way.
QB Lathen Janes, junior, Huntington North
Another bad oversight.
Look, it can be tough at times to project sophomores into their junior years and what they are going to do, but the signs were there for Janes last season. He threw for 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Vikings, with Jimmy Linker providing the second half of a dynamic QB-WR connection.
With Linker gone, Blitz perhaps thought the numbers would go down for Janes. Or, it was just Blitz being stupid, again. Janes was All-NE8 Honorable Mention, but both guys in front of him were seniors.
Janes has been lights-out through the first two weeks – throwing for 505 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers. Instead of just Linker, he has several dudes from which to choose from when he goes vertical. What we haven’t seen yet is Janes taking off and running like he did often last year. But the time is coming.
With Janes behind center, and still just a junior, Huntington North’s offense is in good hands.
DE Mykalan Westmoreland, senior, Wayne
When you go winless in a season as Wayne did last year, it really means something when you make the All-SAC Team. Jaston White did it last year on the FIRST team. Westmoreland was able to make Second Team as one of the league’s best defensive linemen.
So Blitz should have known that Westmoreland was gonna be a dude in 2026. He is also overshadowed a bit by the hype around Javontae Eldridge on the other side of the defensive line.
But Westmoreland has thrived so far this year, as he leads the Generals in tackles (13), tackles for loss (five) and quarterback hurries (two) to go with a sack. His power and motor are both relentless and you can’t help but root for him, as well as the entire Wayne squad, to find a dub somewhere this year.
DB/WR/P Trey Privett, senior, Norwell
He was perhaps the best punter in the entire conference last year, and was named All-NE8 First Team at the position, but didn’t get enough credit for his defensive back abilities.
As a junior starter in Norwell’s secondary, he amassed six interceptions to go with 27 tackles. He already has 21 tackles this season for the undefeated Knights, with a pair of interceptions and 1.5 tackles for loss. He is also making plays on offense, as he hauled in a 51-yard strike from Hunter Kurtz for a score in last week’s 35-6 rout of Oak Hill.
A standout on the baseball diamond, Privett is turning heads on the gridiron in his final prep campaign.
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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