Defensive Standouts: Mineral Point vs Lake Mills

You might think that when you watch a game where two teams combine for 80 points there might not be much defense to speak of. That is far from the truth though. Mineral Point and Lake Mills consistently battled all night long last Friday. The trenches had some of the most intense back and forth battles, the LBs had a ton of work in front of them to shut down the inside run and passing lanes, and the DBs had some very talented receivers to shut down. The defenders won their fair share of battles despite the 80 points. There are eight defenders I want to highlight from the game because of their performances, talent, and a lot of the players’ conditioning on this list as most played both ways. [player_tooltip player_id="30818" first="Will" last="Straka"]<strong>, Senior LB/RB- Mineral Point</strong> Will is one of the leaders on the Mineral Point defense. His defensive stats weren’t off the charts, but his impact was huge. Against the run, Straka quickly hits the gap after mirroring the RB’s movements in the backfield. He also proved that he can pursue sideline to sideline and cut off plays before they were able to break free on big gains. Against the pass, Will really impressed me with the range and depth that he could cover. Lake Mills wasn’t able to attack the middle of the field besides deep down the middle because Straka was reading and reacting so quickly that there were not many windows that the opposing QB could confidently attack. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8726977/5f78b5fb7bdda21050c8e30f">Straka’s Week Two Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30898" first="Gabe" last="Sporle"]<strong>, Senior DL/OL- Mineral Point</strong> Another important leader for Point is Sporle. The big man made a big impact on both sides of the ball. On defense he was fun to watch. Against the run, he was very strong on the edge. Any time they looked to run inside the tackle he squeezed down perfectly and made it so there wasn’t much room to run anywhere. He maintained that impact on the inside run all night. Against the pass, Gabe was so close to getting a few sacks. He wasn’t quite able to get there, but his pass rush had a huge impact as the game went on. He steadily got more and more pressure as the game went on until the fourth quarter where he was consistently chasing [player_tooltip player_id="30837" first="Adam" last="Moen"] out of the pocket. The stats don’t tell the whole story for Gabe. He had a very big role in the victory. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8726962/5f7b2063da51080a4c7637e3">Sporle’s Week Two Highlights</a> <strong>Mason Hughes, Senior DL/OL- Mineral Point</strong> Mason was another defensive lineman that was key to the victory for Point. He started the game off with a sack to help get the momentum on their side early on. Against the pass, Hughes played with a nice first step. He got doesn’t have elite size to lean on so he wins with hand use and quickness. Against the run, Hughes was a key piece to shutting down the inside run. He has enough strength to hold the point of attack and not get driven back and then his quickness shows up again when he disengages to make the play. <strong>Nolan Springer, Senior LB/ OL- Mineral Point</strong> Another two way player for Point was Nolan Springer. The conditioning on these kids is impressive because they never lost a step. They were flying around in the fourth quarter just as much as they were in the first. On defense, Nolan made quite a few tackles including a few that really made me do a double take as he sent a few kids flying backwards. Springer has really nice length. It makes me wonder if he could be a consistent edge rusher instead of playing off ball like he did a lot of on Friday night. Even while playing off ball LB Nolan showed off some nice awareness in pass coverage and when he came down hill against the run not much got past him when they tried to attack the inside. <strong>Jaxson Retrum, Senior DL- WR- Lake Mills</strong> Retrum was super impressive. It seemed like he was always around the ball on defense. He has the length you look for on the edge and the speed as well. You don’t find many DL/WR combinations. When you find a talented one you get an impressive blend of size, speed, strength, and agility. Jaxson displayed all of that throughout the game as he rushed the QB off the edge. He didn’t have the stats on defense to show off his pass rushing, but watch the film. He was creating a ton of pressure all night long and it altered a few passes leading to incompletions. Retrum is in the midst of breaking onto the scene as a senior and should start seeing his recruitment increase. He is the type of athlete schools should be looking for. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9776739/5f7a008bf31c850accd22acc">Jaxson's Week Two Highlights</a> <strong>Charlie Cassady, Senior LB/RB- Lake Mills</strong> Here is another player that surprised me and he did it on both sides of the ball. Charlie is a very sturdily built player. Against the run game, he is a sideline to sideline defender and when he gets a shot on a player he ends the play. He is a very sound tackler and an aggressive player. Cassady doesn’t get caught waiting and catching ball carriers. He attacks them. Charlie reads the backfield very well. He mirrors the ball carrier and even displayed a knack for getting the ball out when he made contact when he forced a fumble on a [player_tooltip player_id="30981" first="Liam" last="Stumpf"] rush attempt. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9748275/5f7942d5bee111081cf82639">Charlie's Week Two Highlights</a> <strong>Michael Stenbroten, Junior DB/WR- Lake Mills</strong> Michael earned the hype around him. He has the tools that make him one of the top safety prospects in the state. He has exceptional size and speed. He can come down and cover the slot one play, then cover a deep half the next, and after that he can come downhill and make a tackle at the line of scrimmage against the run. Stenbroten has the range to pursue the ball anywhere on the field and he knows how to disrupt the catch making it hard for receivers to make receptions. His read and reaction and change of direction for his size are impressive as well. Michael should be a top target for a ton of schools. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11385288/5f7b55d27bdce70b206d463e">Michael's Week Two Highlights</a> <strong>Derek Bruce, Sophomore DL/OL- Lake Mills</strong> Here is a kid I can’t wait to watch develop. As a sophomore he has earned a role on both sides of the football. He already has pretty impressive size and length, but he has plenty of time to continue to grow even more. Even as a sophomore he set the edge well on Friday night. They seemed to go at him more than Retrum and it wasn’t paying off. He held contain and was able to shed blockers and make the tackle several times. As he continues to gain experience and develop more and more sound technique he could be a stud for Lake Mills. Keep your eyes on this one. He could be a big name by his senior season if he works hard. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13004431/5f78a1bb96761d08c41f00b8">Derek's Week Two Highlights</a>