Offensive Standouts: Menomonee Falls vs Brookfield Central

Sparks were flying at the Menomonee Falls vs Brookfield Central season opener! What looked like a defensive battle turned into a shootout in the 4th quarter and a final score of Menomonee Falls: 21 Brookfield Central 20. In this article, I want to highlight several offensive players that made their presence felt and have the ability to play at the next level. There isn’t a shortage of names either as both the big names and some under the radar athletes showed out last night! Let’s check out these student- athletes! [player_tooltip player_id="30841" first="Nate" last="McLean"], Senior QB- Menomonee Falls The gameplan on Friday night was to put the ball in Nate’s hands. Menomonee Falls is a very pass heavy team and have the athletes to succeed with that plan and McLean is the most important part of that plan. He showed last night that he has the arm strength to make all the throws. Even if his feet aren’t set and their is pressure closing in. The perfect example from last night is on his last TD pass that took the lead. The clip can be found in the Twitter thread on <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1309678106018537474">Prep Redzone Wisconsin</a>! Nate can slice a defense when he gets into a rhythm and has the legs to buy time. He is going to have a great year. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9682584/5f6ecac25cb3cd1194d7adc8">McLean Week 1</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30817" first="Ben" last="Janowski"], Senior OL- Menomonee Falls The offensive lines on both sides definitely had their struggles. That is just how it goes early in the season because they have to think about more. They can’t just react like defenses can. However, there were some very strong individual performances last night. Janowski was not given any favors as he had to face off against Syracuse commit, [player_tooltip player_id="30731" first="Hayden" last="Nelson"] along with the rest of the loaded Brookfield Central front seven. Ben used the stage to show that he deserves to play at the next level. He has the size and strength and proved that on several plays by plowing defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage in the run game and showed how strong his body control is in pass protection. He moves very smoothly in his pass set and his punch is no joke. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8205630/5f6ebd6d64e94907fcf69d31">Janowski Week 1</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30821" first="Quentin" last="Redding"], Senior WR- Menomonee Falls When Quentin touches the ball don’t blink or you are going to miss it. The older Redding brother burst onto the scene when Menomonee Falls needed their biggest play in the fourth quarter. Quentin didn’t even have to make a move at the line of scrimmage. He just used his burst and straight line speed to blow the doors off the corner and haul in the deep shot for the TD to put them ahead. This game reminded everyone who Quentin is. He is blazing fast, agile, quick in short areas, and a very good route runner. He is going to prove it week in and week out. [player_tooltip player_id="31239" first="Evan" last="Redding"], Junior WR- Menomonee Falls We will be bring Evan back up in the defensive article too because he had a game to remember on both sides of the ball. On offense Evan took over early in the game. In the first quarter he caught a short curl route, broke an arm tackle, and rocketed down the sideline for a 79 yard touchdown! I love Evan’s skillset. He has plenty of size at 5’11" 170 and he has game breaking speed when he gets in the open field. Nobody can catch him. It isn’t just the open field either. Even when it looked like the defense had him corralled he would somehow be able to make a quick juke and pick up way more extra yards than what looked possible. We are lucky to have basically two full seasons left to watch him! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11132436/5f6ec3d532dc620138653da8">Evan’s Week 1</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31156" first="Tyler" last="Olejniczak"], Senior RB- Menomonee Falls While the offensive line was trying to find it’s groove, Tyler was having a hard time getting a rhythm going. However, I believe it made it easier to see his natural ability. With the running lanes so tight, Tyler was able to show off his vision with the ball in his hands. There were several plays where it looked like nothing was there and then he would slip through the smallest of running lanes. He also proved that he can make you miss in a phone booth. All night he was picking up yards in tight quarters thanks to his quick feet and burst. As the line settles into a groove over the season I expect Tyler to really take off with his opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id="31255" first="Robert" last="Bloom"], Junior QB- Brookfield Central Last night we were introduced to what Robert can be. It was impressive to watch live. Bloom has the size for the position and he has the legs to be a dual threat. What was most impressive to me was his mental toughness. Robert didn’t have a flawless game. He had some turnovers, but you could never tell based off the next series following the turnover. His short term memory made it seem like he didn’t have any mistakes. His confidence never wavered. You don’t see that often in a junior QB starting his first varsity game. When they needed a big play they went to Bloom. While Central is a run heavy team, in the second half Robert really got into a groove with his passing. He proved he can make all the throws with plenty of velocity on the ball and with accuracy. It is going to be fun watching Robert turn into the player he becomes over the next two seasons. He has a lot of potential. Ben Peterson, Senior WR- Brookfield Central Ben snuck up on me. I was not expecting to see him take over this game the way he did. Ben has the length you love to see in a receiver. He is 6’2" with very long arms to give his QB a big target area. Peterson showed that he has very strong hands as he made a few contested catches away from his body, including his first TD of the game after running a clean corner route from the slot. He actually scored both TDs from the slot proving that he can line up anywhere on the field and have success. Ben is the definition of what I would call a possession receiver. He is super reliable, creates separation with his route running and suddenness over pure speed, and can win at any level of the field. Ben burst onto the scene Friday night and hopefully the recruiting attention will follow the breakout. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9530494/5f6ec6b24ba8580a4c17b2cd">Peterson Week 1</a> Evan Neubauer, Senior RB- Brookfield Central Evan proved that he is going to be a nice change of pace back this season. While he is undersized, Neubauer has next level twitch and short area quickness. He also demonstrated that he can be counted on in the passing game as a check down option. His vision was also a key factor to his success. The way he could pick through the trash in front of him while still moving forward and then burst through where he saw an opening was noticeable. It will be interesting to see if he continues to see the workload he got this week. He could produce an impressive season if he does. [player_tooltip player_id="31236" first="Jack" last="Tinnen"], Junior RB/DB- Brookfield Central I was not expecting to see Tinnen play on both sides very much, but that is what he did. He trailed only his QB Bloom in rushing attempts and also had a huge reception that put them down at the one yard line giving them a chance to win the game with a TD and 2 point conversion. Tinnen is what you want in a DB or RB. He is big and has a thick build. He has the speed to take it the distance on offense and he isn't afraid to lower his shoulder and pick up extra yards the hard way. On his reception that got him to the one yard line he actually ran through contact of 2-3 defenders at the 4 yard line before he was finally drug down. Tinnen is definitely a tone setter for this team. He plays very physical on both sides of the ball.