Interstate Central Eight Conference: Top Scorers

Today we will be taking a look at the top scorers heading into the 2021 season for the Interstate Central Eight Conference. The teams highlighted today will be Peotone, Herscher, Lisle, Coal City and Wilmington. <hr /> <em><strong>Ben Balmer #5 (RB,OLB) - Peotone - Class of 2021</strong></em> Balmer is going to be the main workhorse in Peotone’s running game. In only 7 games he accumulated 815 total rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 136 carries for 116.4 yards per game, and 10 rushing touchdowns. He is a North/South runner with a quick juke/jump cut at the point of attack making the first defender miss. Balmer’s quick acceleration and burst give him big-play ability whenever he touches the ball. He is a hard runner who fights for extra yards and is the epitome of Peotone’s mantra of playing hard and with heart each and every play. Don’t be surprised if Balmer registers over 1,000 yards this season and if Peotone goes deep into the playoffs. <em><strong>Cody Lunsford #24 (RB, WR, OLB) - Herscher - Class of 2022</strong></em> Lunsford is an all-around athlete getting things done on both sides of the ball. In the 2019 season, he had 606 total rushing yards, 4.8 yards/carry, 125 carries with 67.3 yards/game, 8 rushing TD’s, 14 receptions for 164 yards averaging 11.7 yards/catch finishing with 867 all-purpose yards. He has the speed to burst past the second level and with his elusiveness it is hard for defenders to take him down. Lunsford does it all for Herscher and is going to be a top player in this conference for the next few years. Don’t be surprised if he breaks 1,000 all-purpose yards this upcoming season and makes all conference. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65504" first="Mike" last="Walker"] #34 (RB, MLB) - Lisle - Class of 2021</strong></em> Walker is dominant on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. At running back, he is a big back and a strong downhill runner. He trucks people left and right breaking tackles by not going down easily. Walker has quick acceleration and good speed which allows him to fight for those extra yards. He is a defender’s worse nightmare, he doesn’t go down easily by keeping his feet driving and playing through contact. Remember the name [player_tooltip player_id="65504" first="Mike" last="Walker"], he is going to be all-conference this season and has the potential to make all-area and even all-state. <em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65240" first="Asa" last="Cooper"] #2 (WR/RB) - Coal City - Class of 2021</strong></em> Cooper is a do it all player for Coal City, he can make tough catches through contact and is a major deep threat. He reads his blocks well and hits the hole hard with his breakaway speed. He is a key factor in their offense running well and is utilized in multiple positions to show his playmaking abilities. Cooper is going to be one of the top scorers for the Coalers offense this season and is someone to keep an eye out for. <em><strong>Cody Frazen #16 (RB) - Wilmington - Class of 2021</strong></em> Frazen finished last season with 318 total rushing yards, 54 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns. He did this as running back two as he was playing behind senior Jake Rodawold. With Rodawold graduating it gives Frazen running back one position heading into the season. We got glimpses of his explosiveness and playmaking abilities last year, there are high hopes that Frazen builds upon this becoming the dominant back that Wilmington is always known for. <hr /> These are the top scorers heading into the season for the Interstate Eight Central Conference for these five teams. It will be interesting to see how each of these player’s seasons go and which one has that breakout season. There were glimpses of stardom for each of these players last season as they are all looking to build upon that.