One underrated player to watch in each 5A region this season

[caption id="attachment_24316" align="alignright" width="200"]SR1_0724 Colleyville Heritage's Cam Roane (Photo by John Hamilton)[/caption] A few special players will float under the radar with 1,400+ high schools in Texas playing football. This is true at the biggest and smallest classifications around the state. In this series, we take a look at a player in each region of each classification who deserves a little more attention. Previously:Class 6AClass 5ARegion I – Cam Roane Few three-star quarterbacks are considered underrated, but Colleyville Heritage quarterback Cam Roane is mostly whispered about when discussing the top quarterbacks in the state. The signal-callers at the 6A level dominate the 2017 cycle, while Roane helps second-year head coach Joe Willis position the Panthers as a favorite in District 8-5A. Roane passed for 2,343 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. It was Willis’ first year at the helm. Roane, committed to San Diego State, has elite targets in junior Ke’von Ahmad and senior Germon Thothion. Region II – Kenny Nelson Future tight ends rarely get much love across the state. Frisco Centennial wide receiver Kenny Nelson is one of the best tight end prospects in the state despite playing out wide as a prep star. The Titans will need to figure out a new quarterback in order to maximize the size advantage the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Nelson has on most defenders. He racked up 427 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and holds offers from Memphis and Lamar. Nelson is a three-star talent who likely produces more as a college athlete than in his current high school system. [caption id="attachment_24315" align="alignleft" width="206"]11-20-2015 (498) College Station's Mark Wagner (Photo by Samuel De Leon)[/caption] Region III – Mark Wagner College Station reached the regional semifinals in 2015 and a big reason was quarterback Ty Brock, who gets most of the headlines. Ask head coach Steve Huff and he gives a lot of credit to a linebacker core he describes as “the best group he’s ever coached.” One of the main pieces to the four-man group is senior Mark Wagner. As a junior, Wagner recorded a staggering 143 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. He’s a little undersized and that’s keeping college scouts away for now, but Wagner’s production is unquestioned and he’ll likely break the 100-tackle mark again as a senior. Region IV – Chance McLeod Another tight end floating under the state radar, Chance McLeod out of Victoria East might be the best edge blocker in the state. A three-star talent committed to UTSA, McLeod was a major offensive component for a Titans squad that reached the playoffs in 2015 for the first time since 2012 and won a playoff game for the first time since 2011. He chose the Roadrunners over P5 offer Kansas. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, McLeod caught two touchdowns and gained 602 yards through the air. Expect the receiving numbers to go up and for his blocking to remain at an all-state level.

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