Players of the Game: Onalaska vs Aquinas
This past Friday I was able to catch the game between Onalaska and Aquinas in Onalaska, WI and while the game wasn’t close I am very happy that I was able to attend because there are several college level athletes…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis past Friday I was able to catch the game between Onalaska and Aquinas in Onalaska, WI and while the game wasn’t close I am very happy that I was able to attend because there are several college level athletes that took part in this matchup. The best part is that each one of those studs balled out on Friday and have earned places in this Players of the Game article. Without further ado, let’s take a look at who these impressive players are, what they did on Friday night, and the traits that make them who they are!
Ayden Larson, Junior QB- Onalaska
Ayden had an exceptional night. He consistently led his team up and down the field through the air and even got involved on the ground a bit. On the night, Ayden finished 13/17, 237 yards, and 4 TDs. Over and over he displayed strong decision making skills as he got multiple receivers involved instead of focusing on one. My favorite part of his game is how nice of a ball he throws. Every throw on Friday was a very tight spiral and he could get the ball out of his hands so quick with his throwing motion. The most important trait that he showed off was his accuracy. It wasn’t just underneath routes either. Ayden was accurate on all three levels of the field. He got the ball out quick on slants, he dropped it in a bucket on his deep shots, and hit everything in between. Ayden looks like a very clean QB technique wise and needs some more attention.
Landon Peterson Landon Peterson 6'0" | 170 lbs | WR Onalaska | 2021 WI , Senior WR- Onalaska
Landon has elite speed. It is the reason he is already committed to run track at Idaho. The kid can absolutely fly. It isn’t just straight line speed either. His athleticism allows him to start and stop on a dime and the speed shows up in his route running. You won’t find many corners that can keep up with him throughout his breaks. On Friday night, he really demonstrated how much of a deep threat he can be as he took the top off the defense on two of his three TDs on the night. Landon finished with an impressive 6 receptions for 93 yards and 3 touchdowns. It comes as no surprise that Landon had interest as a football player at the next level before going the track route. It will be fun to follow along with his track career going forward.
Hudson Weber, Senior WR- Onalaska
Hudson continued his strong senior season on Friday night with 6 receptions for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as throwing a TD to Landon. Hudson has a lot to offer a college program, which is why I am shocked to not see any sort of posts on his twitter about interests. He has the frame to build on at 6’2″ 185 lbs and he has plenty of speed to be a reliable possession receiver at the next level. After the catch he can pick up yards with power or he showed on Friday that he can use athleticism and speed to get his YAC. Hudson creates a lot of his separation with route running. I would think it would be his size, but he actually has created a lot of separation with the quickness in and out of his breaks. It is all over his film and it was on display Friday night. College coaches, you have to take a look at this kid.
Albert Romero, Senior RB/DL- Onalaska
Here is an absolute beast of a prep athlete. Romero is all of his 6’3″ 215 lbs listed size. You don’t find many defensive linemen that also are the workhorse running back, but that is exactly what Romero is. On Friday he really showed off as an RB. He finished with 25 carries for 120 yards, and 2 TDs. That stat line really emphasizes the type of player Albert is. He doesn’t waste time dancing around. He is going downhill and you have to stop him. Good luck with that though, because he is just fine running right over you. Albert’s body control and contact balance really impressed me on Friday. He consistently was able to absorb big body shots and keep on moving and he always fell forward. The fact that he also looks very raw still should be intriguing for a college program.
Colton Hougom Colton Hougom 6'3" | 235 lbs | OL Onalaska | 2021 State WI , Senior OL- Onalaska
I am a big fan of Hougom after reviewing his film and then watching him on Friday night. He has built a very good frame to work with at 6’3″ 235 lbs. There is so much room for size to be added on. The best part of his game right now is his athleticism. On Friday, he showed it off in the run game. Colton did a great job of using his quick feet to get his body into position to make key blocks instead of reaching with the upper half of his body. That athleticism also makes him a reliable blind side blocker because his reactive athleticism keeps him in position to maintain his blocks. This is another athlete from Friday night who looked like a college level prospect, but doesn’t have any twitter posts relating to interests or offers or visits. Either he hasn’t posted or a team needs to swoop in and steal him ASAP.
Onalaska Front Seven
River Zumach, Luigino Angelini, Ben Tracey, Gavin Southworth, Albert Romero, Greyson Thogmartin. These are the players that jumped out to me while rotating around the front seven. All game long they dominated the line of scrimmage and completely shut down the run game. Besides the one TD run, I think the longest gain on the ground for Aquinas was less than 5 yards. Zumach is a unit at MLB. He doesn’t have great length, but he is strong and packs a punch when he hits. Angelini was a beast along the interior of the defensive line. He held his ground and was maybe the main factor behind the great run defense as he dominated the interior offensive line. Ben Tracey was another defensive lineman that was key to owning the line of scrimmage. He looks even bigger than his listed 235, but he moves well in short areas and his strength was key to holding the line. Gavin Southworth did a good job of setting the edge against the run. Aquinas really wanted to get to the outside on the ground, but Gavin wasn’t allowing it. He even made an impact against the pass. Aquinas didn’t throw much, but that didn’t stop Gavin from getting a sack and creating other pressures. Albert Romero was a beast both ways on Friday. He was another key in stopping the run game as his size and strength were hard to block and move. Greyson Thogmartin was the other edge defender that jumped out. He set a strong edge against the run and was also able to create pressure against the pass and collected a sack of his own. This unit was going off all night long. I kept waiting for them to waiver and Aquinas would take advantage, but from the opening whistle to the final whistle they dominated snap after snap. It was impressive to watch.
Chris Wilson, Junior DB- Aquinas
The Aquinas DBs definitely had a difficult night on Friday, but Chris was able to make a few strong plays that made him stand out to me. His first key play was an interception of Larson on a deep pass over the middle. Wilson jumped in front of it perfectly and made a nice little return to give his offense great field position and the momentum to score their only TD of the night. Another nice play by Chris was down in the redzone. He was in man coverage and he made a nice pass breakup in the endzone. Wilson is going to be someone to keep an eye on going forward as he is only a junior. He has sufficient play speed and he proved to me on Friday that he has the ball skills to make plays and create turnovers. He is raw, but his ball skills and read and reaction ability are positives for Chris.
Aidan Lee, Senior DB/KR- Aquinas
Aidan is an explosive player. He started the game with a sack on the first drive of the game. He came flying around the edge and brought down the QB quickly to put them behind the chains. Where he really shined was on kickoff return as a returner. It was on these returns that Aidan was able to show off his speed, vision, and agility. The way he was able to find alleys and pick his way through the blocks was impressive to see. He also lined up at WR on offense. Right now, I would label Aidan as more of an athlete than any specific position and he is undersized, but you can’t deny his speed and his ability in the return game.
Calvin Hargrove, Sophomore RB/LB- Aquinas
Calvin was a major focus of Aquinas’ gameplan overall. He was the main ball carrier and he made a ton of tackles from his LB position. Calvin showed a lot of heart. On defense he was undersized compared to the 6’3″ 215 lb Robert Romero, but he was a big reason why many of his carries were three yards and a cloud of dust instead of big breakaway plays. Calvin did a nice job filling against the run and he never hesitated in his tackle attempts. On offense he didn’t find much for running room, but he did score the team’s only TD on a 25+ yard run where he demonstrated some surprising play speed and vision. He’s still young and has plenty of developing to do, but keep an eye on how he comes along over the next couple of years.