Class of 2015
Dan Harazin 6-2 210 Sr OL Stevensville Lakeshore
First-year Lakeshore head coach Bryan Keim has some solid seniors to transition from the tenure of legendary Denny Dock. They improved to 2-0 with a win Saturday at Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix. Amongst those seniors is Harazin, who is an ideal high school center. His fundamentals are strong, with good initial quickness, violent hands and is fast into the second level to put down linebackers. We liked his enthusiasm and leadership as Lakeshore’s running game picked up momentum. If he’s not able to put on enough weight to anchor the line at the college level, Harazin’s 4.7 speed and football IQ will find him a spot somewhere on the field.

Nick Marosi 6-2 195 Sr WR Grand Rapids Catholic Central
He’s seen a lot of football, as a rare four-year starter who now doesn’t just go both ways for Catholic Central, but all over the field including special teams. That versatility contributed to Marosi’s over 200 yards from scrimmage and a TD in the Cougars’ opening loss to EGR. Saturday against Indiana state champion Gary Andrean, it was tougher going. Marosi’s best and likely college position is receiver, but lines up most often in the backfield so as to ensure more touches. If not, he’ll start split wide or in the slot. Defensively Marosi starts at cornerback. It’s not hard to project him physically to linebacker, but would have to greatly improve his tackling.

Mason Opple 6-3 207 Sr QB Hudsonville
The Big North’s a pretty good conference. But it’s the talent equivalent of the O-K Blue, and last Friday Traverse City West found itself once again overwhelmed by an O-K Red opponent when Hudsonville headed North and beat the Trojans 48-17. Opple was the best athlete on the field, with his rugged body and 4.6 speed running 13 times for 181 yards and three TDs. He also went 8-of-14 passing for 153 yards and a TD. Athleticism is a given for Opple, who starts for statewide top 10 teams in both football and basketball and whose best sport may be baseball. If he were to focus just on football there’s a lot of upside, whether red-shirting for a crash course in quarterbacking or moving him to another position.

Derek Smith 6-4 250 Sr OL/DL Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills
Terrific looking prospect who was injured his junior season and is just coming into his own. With a lean 250 on an athletic frame, jersey No. 55 and a neck roll, Smith looks like a linebacker. That fitness reaped its reward with consistent production in Kenowa Hills’ win over Greenville at both left tackle and left defense end. Kenowa’s biggest offensive plays for senior running back Andrew Wawrzyniak came behind Smith and 6-2, 280 junior Jake Boonstra on the left side of the line, Smith able to run right with him 20 yards downfield. Kenowa is strong on both sides of the line, which includes 6-3, 240 junior two-way tackle Brenden Bott and 6-2, 310 senior Malik Swain a double-team magnet at defensive tackle. But Smith is a cut above, and it’s hard not to get excited about a kid who seems right out of the mold of the under-recruited athletes that have gone to CMU and, in some cases, gone on to become wealthy NFL tackles. Right now he’s a top five Lake Area senior, not a bad starting point.

Lake Area’s 2015 Top 25 Recruits
1. Wesley French 6-5 295 DL/OL St. Joseph
2. John Keenoy 6-3 285 Sr  OL East Kentwood Western Michigan
3. Tyree Jackson 6-4 190 Sr QB Muskegon Mona Shores Buffalo
4. Derek Smith 6-4 250 QB OL/DL Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills Central Michigan
5. Jon Wassink 6-3 190 Sr QB Grand Rapids South Christian Western Michigan
6. Carter Masek 6-3 235 Sr LB East Grand Rapids Miami-OH
7. Sam Beal 6-2 175 Sr WR Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills Western Michigan
8. Brandon Childress 6-3 185 Sr QB Baldwin
9. Bryce Witham 6-4 240 Sr DL/TE Grand Rapids West Catholic
10. Matt Seybert 6-4 230 Sr DL/TE Traverse City St. Francis Buffalo
11. Gabe Andree 6-0 185 Sr DB Grand Rapids Christian Toledo
12. Qiantae Ewing 6-3 235 Sr LB Grand Rapids Christian
13. Mason Banbury 6-4 225 Sr TE East Grand Rapids
14. Steve Eipper 6-4 270 Sr OL Greenville Central Michigan
15. Adam Trautman 6-5 210 Sr QB Elk Rapids
16. Jacob Geter  5-8  180  RB  Plainwell  Davenport
17. Deontay Moffett 5-9 210 Sr RB Muskegon Mona Shores
18. Andrew Duckett 6-1 185 Sr QB Niles Brandywine
19. Travis Russell 6-2 185 Sr QB Grand Rapids West Catholic
20. Bryce Wilker 6-6 280 Sr OL Belding
21. Mason Opple 6-3 207 Sr QB Hudsonville
22. Jarrad Whited 6-2 225 Sr DL Vicksburg
23. Trevor Raby 6-4 240 Sr OL/DL Zeeland West
24. Eddie Kelly 6-1 215 Sr RB/LB Caledonia
25. Alezay Coleman 5-9 175 Sr DB Muskegon

Grant Tennehill 5-10 210 Sr LB Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Gary Andrean had Notre Dame linebacker recruit in Josh Barajas and a big-play back Trevor Berg. But the most “wow” plays in Andrean’s shutout win under a bearing late summer sun at Houseman Field, came from Tennhill. The Catholic Central outside linebacker got to Andrean’s QB three times in the first half alone. And all were whallops. He also had a sack in CC’s season opening loss at EGR. Tennehill has a terrific motor — he’s a wrestler — and can either out-quick or out-last bigger blockers and recover with power finishes.

Class of 2016
Jake Martin 5-11 175 Jr DB/QB Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
We loved the poise Martin showed last season as a sophomore safety on Northern’s O-K Bronze championship team, when we saw the Huskies in the playoffs at Grand Rapids Christian. His athleticism and leadership have been further mined this season as he’s also the quarterback for first-year head coach . He threw for a TD and ran for over 100 yards in FHN’s opening win against Kenowa Hills while sharing snaps with Spencer Peterson, then threw for two TDs and ran for another against Byron Center as Northern improved to 2-0. What really stands out his just how he competes.

Class of 2017
Kalamazoo Loy-Norrix Linemen
Loy-Norrix started three sophomores in their Saturday afternoon home loss to Lakeshore, 6-3, 225 right tackle Joe Hruska, 6-1, 240 left tackle Jeudevine McClain and 6-1, 220 one technique Nick Reed.

Keegan Cossou 6-5 200 So TE/LB Greenville
Greenville has a strong group of linebackers with 6-2, 210 senior Chase Harrington, senior Kolton Dunham and Cossou. Cossou is a member of another talented group, and that is the Lake Area’s pass-rushing prospects in sophomore class. The Lake Area’s sophomore class has a Big Three of potential BCS ends with St. Joseph’s Corey Malone-Hatcher, Zeeland East’s Jonathan Berghorst and Alledale’s Nate Umlor. Cossou doesn’t yet have the mass and/or technique of that group. But there were certainly flashes during Greenville’s loss at Kenowa Hills, moving well for his age and frame . Once he learns to like blocking, he projects as a tight end prospect as well, taking advantage of the athleticism that also has Cossou a future basketball standout.