Top 2021 Recruits Preview: Manawa Wolves
As we close in on the 2020 football season, I wanted to create a concept where I can go through teams with a handful of potential college prospects on their roster. In these articles, we will take a look at…
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Continue ReadingAs we close in on the 2020 football season, I wanted to create a concept where I can go through teams with a handful of potential college prospects on their roster. In these articles, we will take a look at the team as a whole, breakdown what the film tells us about each player, list the current college interest and offers for each of the recruits, and finish with listing a couple of must watch games if you want to see these recruits put on a show and play some of the best of the best. So, let’s dive into our first collection of recruits. Today’s spotlighted team is the Manawa Wolves.
Team Overview
Last season, the Wolves finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and then made it to the Level 2 of the WIAA playoffs. Usually after such a strong season you would expect to lose a significant amount of your talent and on field production because of how much of a man’s sport it is. The more seniors you have, the better your team performs for the most part. However, when you look at Manawa’s roster you are blown away by the amount of returning talent and on field production. They return their QB in Mason Wiesner Mason Wiesner 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Manawa | 2021 State WI , who was their leading passer and rusher, their WR1 in Riley Krenke Riley Krenke 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Little Wolf | 2021 State WI , who had one of the best statistical lines in the state last year, and Andrew Elmhorst Andrew Elmhorst 6'1" | 240 lbs | OL Little Wolf | 2021 State WI and Deion Stroud; both of whom played both ways last season and we return as the leaders of their trenches in 2020. These kids aren’t just stat producers either. They have legitimate college abilities and we will be taking a look into that in the next section.
Film Analysis
Mason Wiesner Mason Wiesner 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Manawa | 2021 State WI – QB, 6’2″ 190
Mason has a good frame and has a ton of playing experience as he enters his 4th year as a starter. He displays the mental and physical toughness when he stares down the barrel of a free rusher and deliver a pass. He does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field until he finally decides to tuck and run. To go along with his passing prowess, Mason is also a strong athlete. Wiesner has the athleticism to both maneuver in the pocket and pick up yards on the ground when he needs to. Mason doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he makes up for it by playing with a good sense of anticipation and overall accuracy on his passes. When it comes to the different levels of the field, Mason has nice touch on his deep passes and sufficient zip on his short to intermediate passes. All in all, Mason has the traits to develop at the next level.
Riley Krenke Riley Krenke 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Little Wolf | 2021 State WI – WR, 6’3″ 180
Two words describe Krenke as a receiver. Smooth and Reliable. He has long arms and is a natural hands catcher. He also provides a huge catch radius for his QB. At the next level, Riley should become a redzone and jump ball artist. The way he goes up and gets the football is impressive. He doesn’t wait for it to come to him. He attacks it at it’s highest point. The smoothness that he plays really tricks you when trying to figure out his play speed. He pairs the smooth athleticism with longer striders leading to deceptive speed. Another strength of Riley’s is that his concentration is on another level. Some of the catches that he makes in traffic and along the sideline put that on full display. When it comes to playing in the open field, Krenke doesn’t shake a ton of defenders out of their shoes. What he does do is he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and pick up the tough yards after the catch. As a route runner, he will have to continue to develop, but that isn’t different from the majority of high school receivers. Right now he doesn’t run a ton of sharp cutting routes, but that doesn’t play into his strengths anyways. He is a field stretcher who is super smooth with great concentration, so he should be put in those situations by running posts, go routes, fades and other similar routes that match his strengths.
Andrew Elmhorst Andrew Elmhorst 6'1" | 240 lbs | OL Little Wolf | 2021 State WI – OL, 6’1″ 240
Elmhorst is what you look for at the next level. He is reliable and plays with consistent technique. Those traits are not easy to find, but once you do that is where a college coach can come in and continue developing them. Elmhorst should be on the radar of Division 3 teams because of this. He knows his job and gets it done. He also has the frame to continue to grow and get to the size that he will need to reach to be effective at the next level. Andrew has shown that he can handle a nose guard lined up right over him and he has the feel and awareness to pick up blitzes when he isn’t covered by a defender. In the run game, Andrew is a strong finisher, and he is an effective short area puller. In the pass game, Elmhorst has the athleticism to mirror in pass protection, places with a good wide base, and has sufficient anchor strength.
Deion Stroud- DL, 6’2″ 225
Stroud has the frame and thick body that looks like it is almost ready for the next level as is, yet he also looks like he could continue to grow to make himself even more intriguing for teams. Deion doesn’t have a ton of flexibility, but what he does do is play strong at the line of scrimmage. He can set the edge against the run and cause chaos as he bull rushes against the pass. Stroud has nice short area quickness and an effective first step. After the his initial quickness, Deion turns into a bull in a china shop. An absolute wrecking ball. Lastly, Deion is athletic enough to pursue nearly sideline to sideline. He pairs those traits with a consistent high motor making him a player that should be getting more recruiting attention. He has the ability to go Division 3. With continued work and development he could be a steal for a team.
Current College Interest and Offers
Mason Wiesner Mason Wiesner 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Manawa | 2021 State WI : No offers or interest graphics posted on Twitter page. He needs to start receiving more attention! Division 3 prospect.
Riley Krenke Riley Krenke 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Little Wolf | 2021 State WI : Offer from Dordt University. That offer should be just the start for him!
Andrew Elmhorst Andrew Elmhorst 6'1" | 240 lbs | OL Little Wolf | 2021 State WI : No offers or interest graphics posted on his Twitter page. Just like Wiesner, he needs to considered by the Division 3 level!
Deion Stroud: No offers or interest graphics posted on Twitter page. He is another prospect that schools have to look into! Division 3 prospect.
Must Watch Games of the Season
Week 1 vs Markesan
Last season week one and two were Manawa’s most competitive battles until their playoff run. That has led both those matchups to be very intriguing ones this season as well. Last year against Markesan, Manawa won 7-0. While it wasn’t a shootout, the big time players were still able to make big time plays. Wiesner had 178 yards passing, 1 touchdown and led the team in rushing yards. Krenke put up 5 receptions, 137 yards, and 1 touchdown, while the two linemen, Elmhorst and Stroud held it down in the trenches. Stroud finished with 9 total tackles and Elmhorst led an offensive line that only allowed 1 sack on about 20 pass attempts. It will be interesting to see if we get another defensive battle this year.
Week 2 at Kewaunee
The second must watch game in my eyes is week two at Kewaunee. This was the opposite of week one last season. It turned into a shootout, and while Manawa wasn’t able to pull out the victory the leaders of the team were still able to put on a show. Wiesner posted 255 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and once again led the team is rushing yards. Krenke put up 10 receptions, 127 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Elmhorst and the rest of the offensive line only allowed 2 sacks on over 40 pass attempts and Stroud made a consistent impact both ways posting 5 tackles and over 50 yards rushing. This looks like it will shape up to be a similar type game this season and will definitely be in consideration for the game that I will attend in Week 2 as I set up my calendar this season.