Future All-American: Preston Scheffler

Normally, as high school football fans, we focus on the big-name players and players who are already in High School. However, we want to look at a player who is up next. That player is Eighth-grade quarterback Preston Scheffler. 

As an eighth grader at Patrick Henry Middle School, Scheffler made waves this year as he got invited to the U.S. Army Bowl National Middle School Combine. The combine brings together the best players from sixth to eighth grade. Scheffler said that he sent the film to the coaches on the committee, and the coaches selected him based on what they saw. If they were going off of film from this year, they saw a quarterback who, in six games, completed 48 of his 70 attempts for 1,040 yards and eight touchdowns. He also carried the ball 18 times for 228 yards and three additional touchdowns. 

Of the experience at the combine, Scheffler said it put things into perspective for him on what he needs to do to get to the level he wants to get to and be at. The trip was good, and he was able to gather experience from some of the top coaches in the nation and see how other top athletes in the country prepare themselves for competition. For Scheffler, the coaches at the combine were preaching the importance of footwork into him, getting his plant foot down, and other mechanical things like where his arm is coming through and making sure he doesn’t fly open on his release. He was getting some of the best training to be at his best when he gets to the high school level. 

Speaking of the High School level, he will be jumping from Middle School to High School in the fall, and the thing that Scheffler is looking forward to the most is playing under the lights on Friday and playing loose. “I’m excited to get in there and play with the big dogs,” said Scheffler. While he might not get the start under the lights on Friday nights right away, he has an excellent person to lean on as his father is the head varsity coach for the Woodhaven Warriors. Scheffler said that one of the biggest things he’s learned from being around that varsity program is to go out there and ball out and just do what you do. 

Playing the game his way has gotten Scheffler to this point, and with his coming time, he will look to be the next All-American in Michigan.