All State Kansas Class 6A: Defense

There were several outstanding players on the defensive side of the ball in 2020 for class 6A.  Many of these players will be playing at the Division 1 or Division 2 level in college.  Here are the players who made my all state team for defense. DL [player_tooltip player_id="35348" first="Damian" last="Ilalio"] Manhattan The 6’2 250 lb Senior had a monster year for the Indians.  He made 61 tackles with 21.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries.  He won’t have to travel very far for college as he will be playing for the Kansas State Wildcats.  A versatile player who plays all over the defensive line, he effectively uses his excellent combination of burst, hand use, play strength and physical toughness to overpower all OL during a bullrush but also is light on his feet as he uses his quickness to defeat reach and scoop blocks.  He displays a very good motor as he plays until the whistle and uses his very good instincts and play speed in pursuit while using his play strength to bring down the RB or QB with force. DL Andon Carpenter Derby The 6’2 245 lb Junior looked outstanding in 2020.  During the season, he made 51 tackles with 9 TFL, 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.  He plays as an interior DL where he lines up in a 0T but also in a one gap as a 1T and 3T.  Shows great burst off the ball and wins against the G or T with his leverage and use of hands.  Always keeps his eyes on the ball and uses his play strength to overpower his man or quickness to defeat reach and scoop blocks.  He displays a good motor and great athletic ability as he is able to catch the RB or QB and brings them down with ease. DL Carter Lahmeyer Olathe North The 6’4 240 Senior was a very important part of the Olathe North defense in 2020.  During the season, he made 39 tackles with 2 TFL, 4 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.  He plays as a DE where he lines up in a 5T.  Vey quick off the ball as he beats the OT with his speed.  A smart player who doesn’t bite on play fakes and uses his good play speed as well as his quickness in pursuit of the QB and uses his leverage and play strength in his upper and lower body to deliver a powerful hit on the QB or RB. DL Avion Jones Blue Valley The 6’1 230 lb Senior played great in 2020.  During the season, he made 53 tackles with 7 TFL, 3 sacks and a FF.  He plays as a DE where he lines up predominantly as a 5T.  He is quick enough to beat the OT when pass rushing and is strong enough to stack the OT against the run to hold his ground and not be driven back.  He doesn’t overpursue against the run and is quick to the ball while using his play strength to bring down large RB with ease.  A good pass rusher who uses his instincts, athletic ability and range in pursuit and quickly gets to the QB for a sack or a hurry. LB Jack Hileman Derby The 5’9 200 Senior was a tackling machine for the 6A state champs.  In 2020, he made 101 tackles with 10 TFL, 3 sacks and 2 INT.  He plays as a MLB and is very good against the run as he uses his very good football intelligence and instincts to quickly key and diagnose the play, very good range and motor to play sideline to sideline and uses his very good play strength to bring down larger RB with force.  He shows very good ball skills as he reads the QB, eliminates the passing lane, tracks the ball in the air and shows good hands as he comes down with the interception. LB [player_tooltip player_id="35398" first="Luke" last="Stewart"] Derby The Derby Panthers were stacked at the LB position in 2020.  The 6’0 210 lb Senior made several big plays during 2020.  During the season, he had 67 tackles with 11 TFL, 5 sacks and a forced fumble. Plays as an OLB as a SAM.  Against the run, he uses a very good combination of power and speed to defeat the TE block, uses his good motor and range in pursuit while displaying good instincts as he takes the correct angle to the RB and uses his good play strength to bring the ball carrier down with force.  While rushing the QB, he uses his quickness and burst to penetrate into the backfield and uses his good athletic ability and play speed in pursuit and delivers a punishing hit to the QB for the sack. LB [player_tooltip player_id="49688" first="Cole" last="Mondi"] Lawrence The stellar play of the 5’10 195 lb Senior enabled Lawrence High to have the successful season that they had in 2020.  He plays as an ILB.  When looking at the film, he is an instinctive player as he uses his good football intelligence and instincts to quickly key and diagnose the play,  takes the correct angle in pursuit of the ball carrier displaying the range needed to play sideline to sideline and uses his very good play strength in his upper and lower body to bring down the RB with force.  He is a good pass rusher as he uses his physical toughness as well as his play strength and hands to shed blocks from TE and OL while using his play speed to hurry the QB forcing him to release the ball earlier than he would ideally like to resulting in an incomplete pass. DB Philip Vesta Shawnee Mission Northwest The 5’11 165 LB Senior played a big role in the success of the Cougars in 2020.  During the season, he made 113 tackles with 6 TFL, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery.  He plays primarily as a FS.  At the snap of the ball, he displays excellent football intelligence and instincts as he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, uses his very good play speed as well as his range to play sideline to sideline and uses his excellent explosiveness and leverage to bring down larger ball carriers with force easily.  In coverage, he is able to read the QB and uses his closing speed while tracking the ball in the air and times his hands effectively to make a PBU. DB Zach Hirschey Manhattan The 5’10 150 lb Junior showed great prowess against the run and pass in 2020.  He made 53 tackles with 2 TFL, 3 INT and 6 passed defensed.  When looking at the film, it is easy to see that he is a tough player who does not shy away from contact going after larger ball carriers while displaying good form tackling ability as he plays with good leverage and uses his good play strength to bring down ball carriers with ease.  When defending the pass, he reads the QB, tracks the ball in the air while showing very good closing speed to put himself in position and displays good hands as he comes down with the interception. DB Jacob Parrish Olathe North The 5’10 165 lb Junior was great on both sides of the ball in 2020 (he is also a RB).  In 2020, he made 49 tackles, a TFL, a sack, 3 INT and 8 passes defensed.  He plays at a low pad level and effectively uses his play strength in his lower body to drive through the ball carrier for the tackle.  In coverage, he is responsible for covering the #2 receiver and he uses his good play speed to stay in phase with the receiver in man coverage.  Shows very good ball skills as he tracks the ball in the air and catches the ball at its highest point and comes down with the interception.