Top Defensive Performances: Playoffs Round One

Yesterday we looked at who went off on offense and made defenses look silly in the first round of the playoffs. Took we are flipping to the other side and finding players that did their part and more to shut down offenses in the first round of the playoffs. There are several players, from all three levels of the defense, on this side of the ball that I want to highlight. Some are brand new to me while others have been on the map, and dominating all season long. Let’s take a look at what these defenders did this week! Michael Stenbroten, Junior DB- Lake Mills Stat Line: 1 INT. Bonus: Big impact made as a receiver and punt returner this week also. Stenbroten is a special athlete that has more than earned the D1 interest he is receiving. This week he could of made the offensive or defensive top performers of the week with his performance against Mauston. He has everything you look for. He’s already 6’3" 195 lbs, has the play speed in open space and the next level closing speed that led to some big hits. His awareness jumped off the tape too. On his interception he got to the spot before the receiver even did. That awareness showed up in his offensive highlights with how well he got himself to wide open spots on the field for his QB. The sky is the limit for Michael as he has another year of high school left to develop. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11385288/5fb01ab715f5f00a8c451e4a">Michael’s First Round Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30748" first="Austin" last="Dahlke"], Senior LB- Edgar Stat Line: 11 Total Tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 1 FF. Bonus: 11 Carries, 72 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TDs, 4 Receptions, 55 Receiving Yards Right when I think Austin can’t get any better he does what he did this week. Austin is shot out of a cannon when he blitzes and he closes with amazing quickness. That momentum transfers right into his tackling too as he absolutely hammers his opponents when he makes contact. His lateral agility when avoiding blocks jumps off the tape too. He so easily hops to one side and then attacks without losing much of any speed. His consistency all season long is so impressive too as he currently sits tied for the state lead in sacks, while lining up at the off ball LB position. Just knowing that should give you a clear idea of how impressive his range is. Check him out! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9727123/5faf79f3478d9f0218a7a7e0">Austin’s First Round Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30993" first="Brian" last="Radish"], Senior DL- Muskego Stat Line: 13 Total Tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 FR Brian put his strength on full display this week. He went up against the very talented offensive line from Arrowhead and was able to consistently control the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t just the strength. His speed is surprising and he used it to burst past offensive linemen that were expecting power moves, leaving them grasping at air. That speed also came through the film when he pursued from the backside when he was left unblocked. Brian is relentless in his play style. It’s 100 mph on every play for him. That strength and athleticism in a 6’3" 225 lbs frame gives Radish a ton of potential for the next level. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9649809/Brian-Radish">Brian’s First Round Highlights</a> Dylan Brown, Senior DB- Homestead Stat Line: 8 Total Tackles, 1 FF, 1 PBU This week’s film really shows off Dylan’s play speed and range. He was able to fly downhill and make tackles at the line of scrimmage from his deep safety position. It also shows up on the punt team where he is the long snapper. That gives him the free release and it allows him to get to the return man at the same time as the ball allowing him to make key tackles. His hips looked very loose in his coverage highlight this week as well. He turned and ran with the very talented receivers from Kettle Moraine with ease on the play and then made the pass breakup. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9739070/5fafe4fe15f72e0b08ff137f">Dylan’s First Round Highlights</a> Aidan Burkman, Junior LB- Grantsburg Stat Line: 13 Tackles, Game-winning FR. Bonus: 88 Yards from Scrimmage Aidan checks in at 5’11" 180 lbs. This week he showed off his sideline to sideline range from his LB position as he made several tackles near the sideline after the offense would break contain. Almost all of those tackles were made right at the line of scrimmage too showing off the speed to get to spots at the same time as RBs. He also did a really good job of avoiding blocks in the box. Aidan was able to get a ton of clean shots on ball carriers thanks to that ability to make linemen miss or slip by unnoticed. Check him out. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12889920/5fafd33d4bb3081088112b45">Aidan’s First Round Highlights</a> Tristan Moctezuma, Junior DL/OL- Sheboygan Lutheran Stat Line: 2 Total Tackles. Bonus: 140+ Team Rushing Yards and Passing Yards Tristan should be considered for either side of the ball. He has impressive size already at 6’4" 272 lbs, while also maintaining nice athleticism for that size. His film from this past week showed off his strength to both anchor as an offensive linemen and hold the line as a defensive lineman against guards and centers. Another part of his film that I liked is when he worked to get off blocks to make a play against the run he never went underneath the block. He would always work his way across the face of the blocker to make the play. Tristan is someone to keep an eye on for this next season. There are tools and traits to work with. Check out his highlights below! [embed]https://twitter.com/mmoctezuma/status/1328081615973658624[/embed] Carson Hansen, Junior LB- Pewaukee Stat Line: 5 Total Tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 FF Carson has been under the radar for me this season, but not anymore. He is listed at 6’2" 190 lbs and he is all of that. His film shows off traits that lead me to believe he can be a complete LB at the next level. Against the run, Carson flies around the edge from his OLB spot to either make tackles coming at him or chase down plays going away from him with his impressive play speed. He also uses that speed paired with his strength to create a consistent and successful pass rush with either speed around the corner or the ability to drive linemen back into the QB or shrug them off. Carson is also a big baseball recruit as an outfielder. Just another example of his impressive athleticism. Check out his season highlights. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11289439/5f91d9106e81a80b54ec1124">Carson’s Season Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30997" first="CJ" last="Grisar"], Senior DB/RB- Waukesha West Stat Line: 8 Total Tackles, 1 Pick Six. Bonus: 24 Carries, 171 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD Grisar’s play on the field hasn’t gone unnoticed this season as he has been collecting several offers from all levels of college football. I love the way he plays. While people may view him as undersized, he plays like he is anything but that. On defense, CJ flies around from his safety spot to make plays. He has no fear coming downhill to deliver a big hit against the run game at the line of scrimmage. He also has the quickness and reactive athleticism to cover slot receivers. This week he showed off that quick reaction time with his interception. It looked like he didn’t see it until it was nearly in his hands and he was still able to adjust to make the catch and then have the elusiveness and speed to house it after making the catch. If there was any other worry about his size just look at him on offense where he handles big workloads as an RB and has no issue with carrying the ball between the tackles and picking up the tough yardage. Grisar is a tone setter that many schools should want on their team. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9148799/5fb32dca3449400ba0fb54c7">CJ’s First Round Highlights</a> [player_tooltip player_id="30908" first="Gavin" last="Roanhouse"], Senior DL- Waterford Stat Line: 12 Total Tackles, 4 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 1 FR Gavin is a two way beast for Waterford. He is a huge target at receiver for his QB on offense and that speed paired with his 6’5" 240 lbs frame made him an exceptional pass rusher this week. Gavin doesn’t appear to have a twitter account, so hopefully he is receiving the recruiting attention he deserves. That speed allows him to close so quickly. Even if the QB has broken out of the pocket Gavin has shown that he can easily chase them down. His speed/strength combination that he demonstrated this week while pass rushing around the edge proved to be very hard to slow down as he stayed right on his path even with linemen’s hands all over him. Gavin is a very intriguing prospect. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/11304780/5faffb365b3cbc0bf04c9a4c">Gavin’s First Round Highlights</a>