By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Everyone knows the star players. The standouts, the all-staters, the game-breakers the headliners.

There are plenty of players in the Your Prep Sports Area that fit that bill.

On any successful team there are also players that do the little things that go unnoticed by many.

With five of the six teams in the Your Prep Sports area reaching the state playoffs last season there were plenty of players thriving out of the spotlight.

With week one of the high school football season approaching here are 11 under the radar players in the Your Prep Sports area.

Cole Mabry, West High

Junior, Safety

Mabry was simply too good last season as a sophomore to fly totally under the radar but was overshadowed by a star-studded West High secondary that included all-staters Oliver Martin and Devontae Lane.

As sure as a tackling strong safety as there is, Mabry set a sophomore school record with 63.5 tackles last season including 27 solo stops.

Jacob Murry, City High

Junior, Lineman

Lineman are generally underappreciated by nature but Murry was solid as a sophomore last season and will be the anchor for an inexperienced Little Hawk front this season.

Alex Moore, Regina  

Senior, Lineman

Another multiple-year starter on the Regina line, Moore is ready to take his turn as a leader on what is always an impressive Regal front.

Regina coach Marv Cook likes the toughness the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Moore brings to the Regina line. 

Spencer Wegmann, Solon

Senior, Outside Linebacker

A stout defense was a big factor in helping Solon go from 6-5 in 2015 to 9-2 last season and the athletic Wegmann was a big part of that defensive improvement.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pount outside linebacker made 38 tackles, had two sacks and returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns last season.

Andrew Rohret, Clear Creek Amana

Junior, Outside Linebacker

Rohret quietly put together as productive as a season as nearly any Clipper defender last season as the 5-8, 165-pounder had seven tackles for loss and three sacks among his 26 tackles.

The junior also picked off a pass and recovered three fumbles in his varsity debut season.

Ben Thompson, West Branch

Senior, Defensive Back

The lesser known of the returning Bear cornerbacks, Thompson picked off three passes and ranked fourth on the team with 31 tackles last season playing opposite all-stater Jacob Graves.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior also caught 16 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown last fall.

Jonathan Gannon, West High

Senior, Offensive Lineman

A three-year starter on the West High offensive line Gannon has been a steady performer up front since his sophomore season.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Gannon has played alongside all-stater Josh Van Roekel and Division one signee Alex Kleinow but will be the anchor of the West High line this fall.

Tanner Cochran, Clear Creek Amana

Senior, Defensive End

Cochran made the most of his opportunities on the defensive line last season making five tackles for loss and three sacks as a junior.

The 6-foot-1, 211-pound Cochrane is expected to have a bigger impact this season as he attempts to improve on his 22 tackles from a year ago.

Luke Stein, Regina

Junior, Lineman

It was easy to overlook Stein on a Regina line that included all-state performers Jared Brinkman, Reagan Ries and Steve Sehl.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Stein was solid last year as a sophomore and is going to be even better this season.

Joe Kral, Solon

Senior, Offensive Lineman

When Solon is good the Spartans are able to run the ball and that was the case last season thanks in part to the 6-foot-1, 255-pound Kral.

Kral doesn’t get the attention of fellow senior lineman Tyler Linderbaum but teams with the Iowa commit to give the Spartans a formidable duo up front. 

Tom Adolph, West High

Senior, Defensive Tackle

Adolph is the definition of an under the radar guy, an undersized defensive tackle that plays much bigger than his 5-foot-11, 210-pound frame.

One of the strongest players on the team, Adolph ranked eighth on the team with 23 tackles including 4.5 for loss last season.