High Five: Tartan vs. Simley

Brian Jerzak October 15, 2019 @ 03:06 AM

It was a battle of undefeated teams. The Tartan Titans controlled the line of scrimmage, built an early lead, and walked away with a 25-7 victory. The Titans went into previously unbeaten Simley Spartans' house to get the win. As usual, I will highlight the five players who I felt stood out despite the snow and cold of Friday night. Randy Keumogne Tartan DE/TE The South Dakota State commit was a man amongst boys. At defensive end, he played on Simley's side of the line of scrimmage much of the game. When he wasn't in the backfield, he was drawing double and sometimes triple teams. He forced the quarterback out of the pocket multiple times and recorded a sack. On offense, his blocking opened the edge for his running backs, and he was thrown two balls. He caught one – for a touchdown. Nick Pierce Tartan DE If it wasn't Keumogne coming off the edge, it was Pierce from the other side. He forced quick throws after he beat blockers around the corner. Not as big as Keumogne, Pierce didn't demand the attention his running mate did, but he was just as disruptive. Much of the game either Pierce was forcing the quarterback into Keumogne, or Keumogne was chasing the quarterback into Pierce. Jaylon Washington Tartan RB Although the offense rotates running backs, and I could have added Tien Dang or physical fullback Cristian Hernandez to this list just as easily, I will give Washington and his 6.6 yards per carry, the nod. He made a great cutback run that got him past the line of scrimmage, and then at the second level, he made a move on the defender for a first down. He showed his speed on a short touchdown run on a sweep. Later, he showed his speed again, picking up a first down on another sweep. Washington also caught a short pass out of the backfield. Dorian Singer Tartan WR/DB Singer took the top of the Spartans' defense early in the game with a 64-yard touchdown catch on the game's first drive. Later he made a subtle adjustment on an underthrown ball down the sidelines for another thirty yards. On the defensive side of the ball, in addition to his two tackles, he added an interception on an underthrown ball. He broke on the ball, batted the ball into the air, and then caught his own deflection. His wide receiver instincts took over from there as he added a twenty-yard return to the pick. Noah Wanzek Simley LB/WR While Simley struggled on offense most of the night, Wanzek provided a spark catching a pass over the middle for the team's only touchdown. He would add a second catch and would finish with the most yards from scrimmage for the Spartans' offense. Defensively – until he appeared to get hurt late in the second half - he was a disrupter. Specifically, against the running game, he played physical against the Tartan front five. He filled holes in the run game and played bigger than his physical frame would suggest.