High Five: Anoka vs. Eagan

Brian Jerzak October 19, 2020 @ 04:36 PM

The Anoka Tornadoes secured their first victory of the season Thursday night with a dominating 52-19 performance on the road in Eagan. As with most lopsided games, the Tornadoes had some impressive individual performances. Find out which five – actually, I cheated – six guys impressed this observer. Dylan Schmidt – RB Anoka Early in the game, Schmidt showed his speed by finding the corner on a sweep and picking up a first down. Then he showed his power breaking three tackles en route to a 25-yard run. He showed his versatility catching a screen pass and using great downfield blocking to score from twenty yards out. Later, he ran off tackle and picked up fifteen yards. Schmidt finished off another drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge. Schmidt topped off his incredible night with another touchdown catch – from 51 yards away. Keenen Rodriguez – WR Anoka Rodriguez was a one-man wrecking crew in the second quarter. He caught three balls in the quarter – two for touchdowns. He scored from 36 yards out the first time, and then he got behind the defense on a fly pattern. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="49915" first="Jacob" last="Deutschman"] threw a perfect pass to his 5’11" 175-pound junior receiver. Rodriguez wasn’t done. He made a great sliding catch near the sidelines and nearly scored a third touchdown right before the half-time break. The Wildcats’ defense stood firm and prevented that late 2nd quarter touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id="49915" first="Jacob" last="Deutschman"] – QB Anoka It would be a disservice to have a guy throw four touchdowns and not make this list. Deutschman showed he could make most of the throws a high school quarterback needs to make. He showed good touch on his short throws – especially to the outside – and threw a nearly perfect deep ball on his second touchdown pass. Tyler Nebelung, Andrew Byrnes – OL Anoka Nebelung and Byrnes make this list as a combo on the offensive line. Many of Schmidt’s runs were behind this duo on the left side of the line. They did a good job opening holes in the middle and sealing the corner. As a unit, the offensive line did a solid job protecting the passer – with Nebelung and Byrnes protecting Deutschman’s backside. Nebelung also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball. He made some stops on the inside of the defensive line and helped keep the Eagan inside running game in check until the second half – after the Tornadoes had taken control of the game. Fernando Chavez RB Eagan The Wildcats’ offense struggled most of the day in the wind and cold of the Eagan night. In the first half, Nebelung and company did a solid job, but when the Eagan offense started feeding Chavez between the tackles, the Wildcats showed their most consistent offensive attack. The senior showed the ability to break tackles and run inside. With the game’s score out of hand, the inside running game was likely not going to generate the big plays needed to make a comeback. With that said, Chavez’s running is something the Wildcats might be able to build on for the rest of the season.