Kansas All State Team 5A: Defense

The 2020 season saw a plethora of great defensive players in class 5A in Kansas.  Here are the players who made my 5A all state team for defense. DL [player_tooltip player_id="35357" first="Zac" last="Daher"] Wichita NW The 6’4 225 lb Senior played great in 2020.  He made 43 tackles with 13 TFL, 4 sacks, an INT and 2 fumble recoveries.  He plays as a 3T or 5T. When looking at the film, he takes a quick first step as he defeats the reach block from the OG and uses his play strength to bring down the RB with force.  He is stout at the point of attack which enables him to stand his ground and not get driven back when being double teamed.  When rushing the QB, he shows the ability to beat the OT or OG with his power or speed and uses his good  quickness and motor to catch the QB bringing him down for a sack. DL [player_tooltip player_id="35355" first="Caden" last="Reeves"] Aquinas The 6’3 255 lb Senior was tough to stop in 2020.  He made 54 tackles with 4 TFL and 5.5 sacks.  Plays as a 3T and shows very good burst off the power displaying very good play strength to bullrush the OG back into the QB but also possesses very good quickness and agility as he shows the ability to beat the OG with an inside release.  Once he penetrates the line of scrimmage, he uses his play speed and motor in pursuit of the QB and brings him down with force.  Against the run, he uses his instincts to take the correct angle in pursuit while using his play strength, leverage and very good form tackling ability to make the tackle. DL Ethan Kremer Mill Valley The 6’0 265 lb Senior played a big role in the successful season that Mill Valley had in 2020. Plays as a 3T. He displays very good burst as he takes a quick first step, plays at a good pad level and uses his very good play strength to bullrush the OG backwards into the lap of the QB and is athletic enough to beat the OL with his speed.  Against the run, he keeps his eyes on the ball carrier when engaged in 1on1 combat with the OG or OT, easily sheds his block and brings down the RB with force. DL [player_tooltip player_id="49686" first="Cameron" last="Penny"] Aquinas The play of DE [player_tooltip player_id="49686" first="Cameron" last="Penny"] was outstanding in 2020.  He made 34 tackles with 6 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  Plays as a RDE and LDE where he lines up in a 5T or 7T if there is a TE on his side.  He is quick off the ball showing very good hip and ankle flexion as he bends at the apex and defeats the OT with a rip or inside move.  He uses his very good motor, play speed and athletic ability while in pursuit of the QB and uses his very good play strength to bring him down with force for the sack. LB [player_tooltip player_id="35364" first="Jacob" last="Younkman"] Wichita NW [player_tooltip player_id="35364" first="Jacob" last="Younkman"] was great against the run and pass in 2020.  He plays as an OLB primarily as a Sam.  He displays good ability against the run as he uses his physical toughness and play strength to easily shed the block from the TE, uses his good athletic ability to catch the RB and delivers a powerful hit bringing down the RB with force.  He is a good pass rusher as he is quick off the ball and effectively uses his very good range, motor and play speed to pressure the QB and sack him.  In coverage, he uses his play speed to stay in phase with his man, effectively reads the QB, tracks the ball in the air and possesses the manual dexterity to intercept the pass that was thrown over his head. LB [player_tooltip player_id="35363" first="Brandon" last="Bowles"] Maize South [player_tooltip player_id="35363" first="Brandon" last="Bowles"] provided great leadership on the defense of Maize South in 2020 while making several big plays.  He plays as a MLB.  He is very good against the run as he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, uses his good quickness, agility and instincts to take the correct angles in pursuit of the ball carrier,  uses his leverage and hands to shed blocks and then his very good play strength to deliver a powerful hit.  On screens, he stays at home and quickly locates the receiver while tackling him immediately preventing a large gain.  While in coverage, he effectively uses his football intelligence to read the QB and uses his range to put himself in position to take away passing lanes all over the field and correctly times his hands to cause a pass deflection. LB Ian Keylon Blue Valley Southwest The 5’11 185 lb Senior had an awesome year in 2020.  During the season, he made 97 tackles with 8 TFL, a sack, 5 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.  Plays as a Will.  He uses his football intelligence to quickly key and diagnose the play and uses his very good instincts to take the correct angle in pursuit of the RB.  He shows very good heart and play strength as he is able to bring down larger ball carriers with ease.  An effective pass rusher as he quickly shoots the gap and uses his play speed to catch the QB for a sack or a hurry. DB Joziah Hill Wichita NW The 6’2 180 lb Senior displayed his great talent in 2020.  He made 37 tackles with 6 TFL, 5 INT, a pass defense, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.  Plays as a FS and SS.  Against the run, he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, uses his good athletic ability in pursuit and delivers a powerful hit while playing at a good pad level, bringing down larger ball carriers with ease.  He displays very good ball skills as he reads the eyes of the QB, tracks the ball in the air, uses his good closing speed to put himself in position and extends his body while making the interception on a ball that is out of his strike zone. DB Caeden Meredith Seaman The play of the 5’8 160 lb Senior significantly helped the Seaman Vikings to a 7-1 season and the #1 seed in the 5A east playoffs. In the 2020 season, he made 48 tackles, 3 TFL and 3 sacks.  Plays as a FS.  He is a smart player who uses his very good football intelligence to quickly key and diagnose the play and uses his play speed in pursuit of the ball carrier and plays with good leverage while using his good play strength to bring down larger RB. DB Fenton Brozek Goddard It was very difficult to complete a pass to the WR that Fenton Brozek was covering.  The 5’8 160 lb Senior CB was tough against the run and the pass.  In 2020, he made 49 tackles, 16 passes defensed and a fumble recovery.  Against the run, he is willing to assist as he uses his range and play speed to contain keep the RB in front of him, plays with a low pad level and uses his play strength to bring down larger RB with ease.  Against the pass, he stays in phase in man coverage, tracks the ball in the air and times his hands effectively to deflect the pass.