Football
2019 SAC Preseason Rankings: Top 5 Receivers
They make incredible catches. They practically fly past defenses. They can bail out quarterbacks if they make a bad throw with their catch radius. Receivers are often among the most athletic players on the field and they almost regularly show off their talents in games. You can expect these wideouts to make the biggest impact this year. These are our top 5 receivers in the SAC for 2019.
#1: Griffin Little- Homestead
Little averaged 92.6 yards-per-game last season and had 53 receptions, both numbers being the highest among receivers that are returning this season. His break-out junior year figures to pay off this season as a senior, and with junior quarterback Luke Goode (1,288 yds., 11 TDs, 4 Int.) also looking have a big season as QB1, the duo should be nearly unstoppable.
#2: Alonzo Derrick- Snider
Derrick had 407 yards receiving on 37 catches while averaging 37.0 yards-a-game for the Panthers. Snider will expect Derrick to be a reliable target for QB John Barnes Jr. (1,402 yds., 15 TDs) this season as a senior and the leader of his position group. With blazing speed, Derrick has homerun ability on every play.
#3: Jamic Johnson- Bishop Luers
It’s tough for the Knights to have to lose Jordan Presley (665 yds., 37 rec.) and Justin Gaston (509 yds., 33 rec.) to graduation and it’s especially tough to lose Janarion Moore who transferred to Wayne (more on him next). Fortunately, they do return one of their top receivers in Johnson who had 743 yds., averaging 53.1 a game, and 45 receptions. It’ll be hard to replicate the success on offense from a season ago, especially without quarterback Norman Knapke (3,190 yards passing, 37 TDs), but Jamic Johnson is an elite returning starter who can carry much of the load this season by putting up big numbers once more.
#4: Janarion Moore- Wayne
The Generals just added a stud to their roster. Moore’s 14 receiving touchdowns was the best among all other wideouts from a year ago. He had 836 yards receiving on 45 catches, averaging 69.7 yards-per-game. At 6-2, 170 lbs. Moore will certainly improve Wayne’s offense, as long as they can get the same production out of him that Luers did.
#5: Tyler Grossman- Concordia
Grossman racked up 659 receiving yards in 2018 ranking #9 in the SAC, as a sophomore. He’s primed for another great year but will be playing with a new quarterback with the graduation of Jake Byrd, who finished third in the SAC with 2,007 passing yards. The Cadets sure will be happy having a reliable receiver like Grossman, as they break-in a new starting quarterback in 2019.
Honorable Mention(s):
Jalen Vanderbosch- Concordia
A guy who did a little bit of everything last year, punting and returning punts, playing as a defensive back where he came up with 1 Int. and 26 total tackles, and playing wide receiver. As a receiver, he averaged 23.4 yards-per-game and had 13 catches. It should be a small sample of what is to come for Vanderbosch in 2019.
Quelen Pettus- Northrop
354 yards receiving and 7 TDs make Pettus an under-the-radar receiver this season. He has the ability to really make an impact for the Bruins as a 6-4, 190 lb. senior.
Patrick Finley- Bishop Dwenger
The senior wideout didn’t have a whole lot of action come his way last year, only posting 5 catches all year, all coming after the regular season when he returned to the Saints after an injury. But he made the most of those 5 receptions, with 127 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Look for Finley to be used much more in 2019, where he could also see some time at running back.
Griffin Eifert- Bishop Dwenger
Another Dwenger receiver, Eifert actually led the Saints in receiving last season. His 463 yards and 25 catches with 6 being for touchdowns shows that Dwenger didn’t throw the ball that much last year. Eifert should still be one of the more popular targets for the Saints in 2019.
Michael Ledo Jr.- Bishop Dwenger
Ledo played in four games last season for Snider and recorded nine receptions for 145 yards with three touchdowns. He had a break-out game to open the season against North Side where he tallied four grabs for 99 yards and two scores. Ledo has two years of varsity experience and will play for the Saints in his senior season, which will allow the defending state champions to move some other players around on offense.
Auntral Franklin- North Side
Franklin averaged 18.2 yards-per-catch last year as a junior and led North Side with 273 yards receiving on 15 receptions. He’ll be paired up again with Jordan Turner, who’s only a sophomore, to give the Legends to good deep threats. Quarterback Ronald Collins III is entering his third year under center, and Franklin should benefit greatly in his senior season.
Drew Sims- Snider
At 6-2, 215 lbs., Sims is one of the most physically imposing players in the SAC. He has the look of Griffin Little. In 2018, Sims had 12 receptions for 118 yards. This year he returns as the team’s second-leading receiver behind Alonzo Derrick.
Jared Kistler- Homestead
Playing behind Trevin Taylor (signed with Harvard University) a year ago, Kistler only recorded 2 catches for 15 yards as a sophomore. But at 6-4, 205 lbs., he collected an offer from Bowling Green this Summer. With Kistler and Griffin Little on the outside, and Cam Rogers and Jake Archbold playing inside, the Homestead offense could produce a lot of fireworks this Fall.
