Weekly Live Game Preview: Brookfield Central vs Menomonee Falls

Football is back and I am fired up to get out to watch some live action this Friday! There are so many games that I expect to be off the charts competitive and filled with college prospects. Narrowing it down to one game was not easy, but in the end I couldn’t pass up the showdown between Brookfield Central and Menomonee Falls. So, that is where I will for my Week 1 live game! There is going to be so many players and matchups that I will have my eyes on. I will preview them here and then make sure to tune in after the game when for my recap of what went down. Also, during the game I will be live tweeting what I see as well as highlights that I capture. So make sure to tune into my twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft">@MJ_NFLDraft</a> if you can’t make the game! Now let’s take a look at all that this matchup has to offer! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Recent Matchup History</strong></span> These two teams have played each other for years. Looking back over the 10 years you get a sense of just how competitive this game is between the two each season. Overall, Brookfield Central holds a 7-3 record over those 10 years. While the record suggests it might be one sided, the scores suggest otherwise. Six out of the past 10 matchups have been decided by two scores or less. Odds are that when these two get together you are going to get a game that is going to be intense and competitive from wire to wire. That is one of the major reasons I chose to attend. Knowing that there is a great it could come down to the final drive or two along with the list of prospects that are going to be on the field makes this a can’t miss game! Let’s take a look into who exactly will be on the field this Friday. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Key Players to Watch</strong></span> These teams are overflowing with talent. Brookfield Central enters the game with 11 players in the Prep Redzone Wisconsin rankings, and Menomonee Falls comes in with 14! <span style="font-size: 1rem;">It will be interesting to see how much each one sees the field. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Once the game kicks off, I am positive that there will be a few new names that I make note of not in the rankings that will be once we update them around midseason. Until I identify those players though, here is the list of players that I will be, and you should be too, watching on Friday night!</span> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Brookfield Central</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Menomonee Falls</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30731" first="Hayden" last="Nelson"], DL</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30768" first="Colin" last="Heckman"], LB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30819" first="Cam" last="Devine"], RB/LB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30817" first="Ben" last="Janowski"], OL</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31024" first="Conner" last="Diestelhorst"], OL</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30821" first="Quentin" last="Redding"], WR</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31070" first="Brock" last="Potter"], LB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30828" first="Billy" last="Howard"], LB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31077" first="Anthony" last="Whitlow"], DL</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30841" first="Nate" last="McLean"], QB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31117" first="Clyde" last="Tinnen"], LB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="30937" first="Brian" last="Fullerton"], OL</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31158" first="Jawad" last="Qureshi"], WR</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31087" first="Nick" last="Levey"], DL</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31221" first="Ethan" last="Boxley"], OL</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31103" first="Khalin" last="Jackson"], DL</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31236" first="Jack" last="Tinnen"], DB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31156" first="Tyler" last="Olejniczak"], RB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31255" first="Robert" last="Bloom"], QB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31160" first="Connor" last="Cedeno"], DB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31316" first="Michael" last="Hankinson"], DB</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31239" first="Evan" last="Redding"], WR</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;"></td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31334" first="Savon" last="Brown"], RB</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;"></td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31371" first="AJ" last="Calarco"], ATH</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;"></td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="31376" first="Ahman" last="Brewah"], LB/DB</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Key Matchups to Watch</strong></span> There are going to be five key positional matchups that are going to have my full attention throughout the game on Friday. In this section, we will dive into what players are making up the matchup and why I am so interested in watching them. <strong>Brookfield Central DBs vs Menomonee Falls WRs</strong> I can’t wait for this matchup! Every play is going to be a battle because both sides have legitimate college prospects facing off. Brothers Quentin and [player_tooltip player_id="31239" first="Evan" last="Redding"] are going to be tough to contain all year. Quentin is so fun to watch. He looks like he might be the best route runner in the state and his brother is following right in his footsteps. Both are lightning quick and elusive with the ball in their hands. To counter that, Brookfield Central have junior defensive backs [player_tooltip player_id="31236" first="Jack" last="Tinnen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="31316" first="Michael" last="Hankinson"]. Tinnen will be all over the field as a safety. We may see him in the box, in the slot, or covering a deep half. The deep half might be where he is most needed. With how dangerous the Menomonee Falls brothers are it is going to be key to have help over the top. Hankinson at CB will be one of the most important players of the game. His ability to slow down one of the receivers will go a long way in the outcome of this game. I believe Michael will be up to the task. He is quick and has the length to make up for any separation that the opposition might create. This is going to be an entertaining battle! <strong>Brookfield Central OL vs Menomonee Falls DL</strong> The first battle of the trenches I want to talk about is the Brookfield Central offensive line vs the Menomonee Falls defensive line. This is going to be as important of a matchup as the one above because Central is going to come in with the plan to run, run, and run the ball some more. They have the pieces to execute that plan too. Behind the leadership and experience of [player_tooltip player_id="31024" first="Conner" last="Diestelhorst"] and [player_tooltip player_id="31221" first="Ethan" last="Boxley"] Central will have their hands full with a deep defensive line unit from Menomonee Falls. I expect Central to have good size all along their offensive line to match up well with the opposition. On the other side, [player_tooltip player_id="31087" first="Nick" last="Levey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="31103" first="Khalin" last="Jackson"] will also be bringing a ton of experience with them to the battle. Both of these defenders have the ability to be stout against the run and their ability to hold or reset the line of scrimmage deep into the backfield will be key to deciding who wins this battle. <strong>Brookfield Central DL vs Menomonee Falls OL</strong> For the second battle of the trenches we flip sides. The ability of Menomonee Falls’ offensive line to provide their QB with time to hit their stud receivers and open running lanes for their running backs will be huge. [player_tooltip player_id="30937" first="Brian" last="Fullerton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="30817" first="Ben" last="Janowski"] along with the rest of their teammates are going to be put to the ultimate test week 1 because on the other side is Syracuse commit [player_tooltip player_id="30731" first="Hayden" last="Nelson"] along with [player_tooltip player_id="31077" first="Anthony" last="Whitlow"], who is a college level prospect in his own right. Menomonee Falls has the talent to play with the Central DL, but they are going to have to bring their best to do so. Nelson and Whitlow are going to do their best to consistently collapse the pocket and stuff running lanes. Whoever wants it more is going to win this battle. <strong>Brookfield Central RBs vs Menomonee Falls LBs</strong> I say RBs for Brookfield Central, but really this comes down to [player_tooltip player_id="30819" first="Cam" last="Devine"] being able to elude and power his way for positive yards on a consistent basis against one of the best LB duos in the state. Cam has the talent to do just that though. He has the size to handle any workload and level of physicality, while also having the speed to break off a big run if he can get to daylight. Getting to that daylight won’t be a walk in the park with [player_tooltip player_id="30768" first="Colin" last="Heckman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="30828" first="Billy" last="Howard"] coming for him on every carry. It is fun to watch these two play together. Nothing gets past them. They are big tackling machines. This is going to come down to a battle of an unstoppable force vs an immovable object. I can’t wait to see who wins play after play after play. <strong>Head to Head QB Battle</strong> Now of course these two won’t actually face off against each other on the field, but the QBs are always compared to each other at the end of each game. In game, I want to see how each handles their leadership role and how well they do what the team needs them to do. [player_tooltip player_id="30841" first="Nate" last="McLean"] returns to lead Menomonee Falls after a strong 2019 season. With another year under his belt of playing with the dominant receivers I expect a big game and an impressive season. He can make all the throws that will be required of him. It will all come down to execution. On the other side, Brookfield Central is set to field a new QB. I expect the new signal caller to be junior [player_tooltip player_id="31255" first="Robert" last="Bloom"]. He has a strong arm, accuracy, and already good size. He checks a lot of the boxes. Now it will be time to see if he can execute in live action. Unlike McLean, I don’t expect a ton of the offenses success to rely on Bloom. They are going to try to establish the run from the start. Bloom’s job is going to be to keep the offense balanced and if he can be effective it should force the defense to empty the box more to shut down the pass. I’m excited to watch McLean and his receivers work and I can’t wait to see Bloom in varsity action. Make sure to tune back into Prep Redzone Wisconsin for my recap of what went down in the game! Based off the amount of talented players and the matchups there is going to be a lot to dissect. With that said, I can’t wait to get out to the game on Friday! Good luck to both teams involved! Have fun and play hard!