Off/Def Standouts: Arrowhead vs Mukwonago
Friday night’s matchup between Arrowhead and Mukwonago was bursting at the seams with collegiate level talent. Trying to keep track of all the talent wasn’t easy, but it was so much fun. Now comes the harder part of that. Identifying…
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Continue ReadingFriday night’s matchup between Arrowhead and Mukwonago was bursting at the seams with collegiate level talent. Trying to keep track of all the talent wasn’t easy, but it was so much fun. Now comes the harder part of that. Identifying who the players of the game were for both teams and both sides of the ball. After combing through my game notes, watching hudl, and reviewing stats I believe that I have found the players and groups of players that deserve the most credibility for how exciting this game was. Both teams had athletes put together great nights on offense and defense. Ahead I will identify six offensive players/groups of the game and the same will be done on the defensive side. It did end up being a high scoring game, so let’s start with the offensive standouts for both teams.
Offense
Max Bredeson Max Bredeson 6'2" | 225 lbs | ATH Arrowhead | 2021 State WI , Senior QB- Arrowhead
Max was the overall player of the game in this matchup. He didn’t have a great night through the air between a few inaccurate passes and some drops. He was able to throw one TD pass to Arnett early in the game, but where he dominated was in the run game. Bredeson is huge for the position. He is all of his listed 6’2″ 225 lbs. He might be even bigger. Bredeson is a unit! The speed he has furthers how dangerous he is when he takes off. Max has the wheels to score from anywhere on the field and he has the strength and size to pick up the tough short yardage. I couldn’t wait to watch him play as he has multiple FBS level walk on offers. He didn’t disappoint.
Arrowhead Offensive Line
This group had the biggest impact on the game. Arrowhead was content to run the ball on every down that they could. Whether it was 2nd and 10 or 3rd and 1, they were going to run the ball. It was because of the big, yet athletic, linemen they have on the offensive line they were able to have success. The best part is it wasn’t just five good players doing their thing. It was five good players that played as one unit. They moved and pulled and hit their targets in unison. It was impressive to see. The players that make up this group are Joey Woida, Joey Okla Joey Okla 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Arrowhead | 2022 State WI , Nick Blatnik Nick Blatnik 6'3" | 255 lbs | OL Arrowhead | 2022 State WI , Nate Hess Nate Hess 6'2" | 250 lbs | DL Arrowhead | 2021 State WI , and Edwin Beilke. They set the tone all night long and as a squad were one of the biggest standouts from this game. Offensive Line Highlights
Jackson Tanke, Senior RB- Arrowhead
Jackson stepped up every time Arrowhead asked him to. While only touching the ball eight times, Jackson ended the night with three rushing touchdowns. The most impressive part was his versatility. He isn’t just a scat back or power back. His first two TDs were in short yardage situations and then his third TD was a 40+ yard run to the outside where he broke through and then outran everyone down the sideline. I also really like Jackson’s willingness to do whatever he has to do to help the team win as he was previously a QB, but once Bredeson came in and won the job Tanke found a new way to make an impact. Very selfless player.
Greyton Gannon, Junior QB- Mukwonago
Greyton started the night as an under the radar player for me. He spent the rest of the night making me remember his name. Greyton showed off a strong arm and the legs to give the defense just enough of a threat on the ground to make them have to adjust for it. While he didn’t have a flawless night, Gannon proved that he is going to be a QB to watch over the next season and a half that he has left because he is going to check a lot of boxes on the checklist of what you want in a QB. Arm talent, size, athleticism are all positives. The development is going to be fun to watch. Greyton’s Week Three Highlights
Max Braun, Senior WR- Mukwonago
Max Braun was a key playmaker for the Mukwonago offense all night long. He is the player who got the scoring started for Mukwonago on a deep pass. Max also stepped up whenever they needed a big play. Mukwonago had the most success attacking the aggressive pursuit of the Arrowhead defense and one of the ways they did taht was with reverses. Max got one of those and turned it into a 33 yard gain. Max has the skills of a receiver before the catch and then after the catch he runs with the aggressiveness of a running back. He was one of two players that were the key to the success of the Mukwonago offense. Max’s Week Three Highlights
Cole Kaestner, Senior RB/WR- Mukwonago
The other player that played a huge factor into the success of each Mukwonago drive was Cole. Cole took the first reverse of the game and it sparked the team’s most explosive drive of the game. 80 yards for a score in just two plays. Cole spent all night showing that he can handle a big time workload against some of the best competition in the state. He has speed to take it the distance and he isn’t afraid to lower the shoulder and repeatedly take it for 3 yards and a cloud of dust until he eventually breaks free for a big gain.
Defense
Josh Ferrito, Senior DB- Arrowhead
Lock down. That is how I would describe Josh after watching him face off against the receiver threats of Mukwonago. Ferrito has exceptional size for the position at roughly 6’2″ 180 lbs. That size doesn’t effect his speed either. He can turn and run with receivers and even if he is beat the length he has provides him with the ability to recover late and disrupt the catch point. Josh also showed off his hands early in the game when he jumped in front of a pass for the interception. It wasn’t the easiest play either as there were several hands around the ball, yet he is the one who was able to come down with it.
Owen Arnett Owen Arnett 6'0" | 210 lbs | LB Arrowhead | 2021 State WI , Senior DB/LB- Arrowhead
Playmaker. That is Owen to a T. Find the ball and you are going to find Owen. In this game alone he caught a TD pass, blocked a punt, caught an interception, and made tackles in the backfield. He somehow was everywhere all at the same time. It was impressive to watch. The key to his game is his speed and aggressive play style. That speed gives him the range to make these plays anywhere on the field and the way he plays leads him to making those impact plays. He isn’t afraid to jump a route or come down into the box and fill against the run. Owen is a legitimate college talent that could succeed at safety or linebacker. Owen’s Week 3 Highlights
Arrowhead Defensive Line
This group was sensational all night long. They got pressure on the QB and they shut down a the run game that was between the tackles all night long. The group is super deep too. I counted at least five different players that played and the unit didn’t miss a beat. It is a strong group. They didn’t allow themselves to be driven back and they all did an excellent job of playing with their hands to create separation so that they could disengage and make plays. The players that I took notice to with their play were Nate Hess Nate Hess 6'2" | 250 lbs | DL Arrowhead | 2021 State WI , Thomas Kescenovitz, Nick Blatnik Nick Blatnik 6'3" | 255 lbs | OL Arrowhead | 2022 State WI , Brady Bashaw, and Joey Woida. This squad is going to be key in deciding how the season plays out. If they can continue to dominate the trenches they will be successful.
Kyle Santos Kyle Santos 5'9" | 205 lbs | LB Mukwonago | 2021 State WI , Senior LB- Mukwonago
Tackling machine. Kyle was everywhere Friday. He had about 15 tackles to go with some key QB pressures that led to punts or field goal attempts. Santos looks like an LB in the midst of a breakout season. He can definitely play at the next level. Kyle doesn’t have the elite length you look for, but he has the speed and has a thick body that he uses to deliver sound tackles that stop ball carriers in their tracks. Arrowhead spent all night spreading out the Mukwonago defense with their offensive alignments leaving Santos having to make a lot of plays to prevent big plays from breaking free and he stepped up to the plate.
Ben Rehl, Junior LB/DL- Mukwonago
Ben is another player who looks to be in the midst of a breakout season. He has shown that he can play in space and also create a ton of pressure off the edge with his rushing ability. You can look at his production alone to see that as he is basically top ten in the state in tackles and in sacks. Ben sets the edge well against the run. He has the strength needed and he has the range to pursue from behind and make a play. Against the pass he wins with his first step, but we didn’t get to see that a ton because they spent most of the night stuffing the run. Rehl is going to be a player to watch develop as he goes through the next couple seasons.
Sam Orlando Sam Orlando 6'0" | 215 lbs | LB Mukwonago | 2022 State WI , Junior LB- Mukwonago
Sam is has the best frame of the Mukwonago LBs that we have talked about. As a junior, he checks in at 6’1″ 210 lbs with room to fill out further. Sam’s physical play style matches the frame. He doesn’t fly around the field. Orlando seemed to be more of a run stuffing LB. He mirrored and read the backfield well and didn’t get driven back by linemen that got up to him at the second level. He partnered with Santos as the two backers that had to lock down the inside runs with the defensive line because of how much the rest of the defense was spread out. He and Kyle stepped up the majority of the time.