6A All-State Team: Defense Edition

Continuing the All-State defensive series we’re taking a look at 6A Football throughout the state of Illinois. I have gone through over 200 players to determine the first team, second team, and honorable mention. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 6A All-State Team – Defensive Edition. <hr /> First Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="47650" first="Corey" last="Walker"] 21’ Normal West <a href="https://twitter.com/Corey_Walker_">Twitter</a> Mr. Walker is from Normal West, he fills gaps in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He read/reacts quickly which results in getting interceptions and batting the passes down as well as getting in the backfield quickly. Mr. Walker has closing speed, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. DL [player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="Jordan" last="Tooles"] 22’ Richards <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanTooles">Twitter</a> Mr. Tooles is from Richards, he gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly. He gets his hands up when rushing the passer resulting in interceptions, is quick off of the ball, and fills holes in run support. Mr. Tooles gets off of the block to make the tackle, has good use of hands at the point of attack, and gets after it. DL [player_tooltip player_id="65768" first="Xavier" last="Slayton"] 22' Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/SlaytonXavier">Twitter</a> Mr. Slayton is from Crete Monee, he gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, has closing speed, and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. Mr. Slayton has good use of hands at the point of attack, holds contain, and gets after it. LB [player_tooltip player_id="135832" first="Luke" last="Woodson"] 22’ Deerfield <a href="https://twitter.com/LukeWoodson2">Twitter</a> Mr. Woodson is from Deerfield, he gets pressure on the QB and fills holes in run support. He has closing speed, takes pursuit angels to make the tackle downfield, and gets in the backfield quickly. Mr. Woodson gets off of blocks to make the tackle, covers sideline to sideline, and gets after it with his aggressive playstyle. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20323" first="Jackson" last="Wiegold"] 21' Vernon Hills <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonW2021">Twitter</a> Mr. Wiegold is from Vernon Hills, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He gets in the backfield quickly (can blow up plays), meets the running back at the line of scrimmage, and makes open-field tackles. Mr. Wiegold has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. LB Erick Howard 21' Morgan Park Mr. Howard is from Morgan Park, he fills holes in run support and gets in the backfield blowing up plays. He gets pressure on the QB, meets the running back at the line of scrimmage, and reads/reacts for interceptions. Mr. Howard gets off of blocks to make the tackle and uses his closing speed to attack in both the run and pass defense. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20923" first="Tayo" last="Idowu"] 22’ Richards <a href="https://twitter.com/tayoidowu8">Twitter</a> Mr. Idowu is from Richards, he gets pressure on the QB and fills holes in run support. He's quick off the ball, isn't afraid to lower his shoulder to deliver the hard hit, and makes open-field tackles. Mr. Idowu gets off of blocks to make the tackle, meets the running back at the line of scrimmage, and attacks. CB [player_tooltip player_id="20928" first="Ahmad" last="Robinson"] 22’ East St Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/2_AhmadRobinson">Twitter</a> Mr. Robinson is from East St Louis, he reads/reacts for interceptions and stays with his man in coverage resulting in incomplete passes. He attacks downhill, doesn't get broken off at the top of the route by staying in the receiver's hip pocket, and has good technique. Mr. Robinson has quick acceleration, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and is disciplined. CB [player_tooltip player_id="20257" first="Jalen" last="Smith"] 21’ Shepard <a href="https://twitter.com/Jayo_smith23">Twitter</a> Mr. Smith is from Shepard, he attacks downhill and makes open-field tackles. He reads/reacts for interceptions, covers sideline to sideline, and stays with his man in coverage resulting in incomplete passes. Mr. Smith isn't afraid to lower his shoulder and gets after it with his physical play. CB Peyton Falco 21’ Crystal Lake Central <a href="https://twitter.com/PeytonFalco">Twitter</a> Mr. Falco is from Crystal Lake Central, he makes open-field tackles and attacks downhill. He takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and stays with his man in coverage resulting in incomplete passes. Mr. Falco is also a deadly return man with his quick acceleration showcasing his versatility. S RaSand Hall 22’ Shepard <a href="https://twitter.com/Rasand4">Twitter</a> Mr. Hall is from Shepard, he attacks downhill and stays with his man in coverage resulting in passes being batted down. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, is a hard hitter that isn't afraid to lower his shoulder, and gets pressure on the QB. Mr. Hall fills holes in run support, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and makes open-field tackles. He reads/reacts for interceptions and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. S [player_tooltip player_id="65879" first="Noah" last="Taylor"] 23’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/nbt2234">Twitter</a> Mr. Taylor is from Lemont, he attacks downhill and makes open-field tackles. He's not afraid to lower his shoulder to deliver the hard hit, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and fills holes in run support. Mr. Taylor has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, gets hands-on when pressing, and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. Second Team DL Michael Stricker 22’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/mikestricker04">Twitter</a> Mr. Stricker is from Lemont, he gets off blocks to make the tackle and gets pressure on the QB. He fills gaps in run support, has closing speed, and gets in the backfield quickly. Mr. Stricker plays through the whistle and is quick off of the ball which goes with his attacking play style. DL Frank Pinn 21’ Lake Forest <a href="https://twitter.com/PinnFrank">Twitter</a> Mr. Pinn is from Lake Forest, he gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, is a hard hitter, and has good use of hands at the point of attack. Mr. Pinn takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and doesn't give up on plays. DL Tyler Wilms 22’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/tylerwilms">Twitter</a> Mr. Wilms is from Lemont, he beats the double team to get pressure on the QB and fills gaps in run support. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, gets in the backfield quickly, and has good use of hands at the point of attack showcasing his swim move as well as his bull rush. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20354" first="Carter" last="Evans"] 21’ Prairie Ridge <a href="https://twitter.com/carterevans33">Twitter</a> Mr. Evans is from Praire Ridge, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, gets hands up to deflect passes, and meets the running back at the line of scrimmage. Mr. Evans has closing speed which he uses to attack, isn't afraid to lower his shoulder, and take pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. LB [player_tooltip player_id="139592" first="Terry" last="Elias"] 22’ Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/TerryEliasJr3">Twitter </a> Mr. Elias is from Crete Monee, he fills holes in run support and makes open-field tackles. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, attacks downhill, and covers sideline to sideline with his closing speed. Mr. Elias stays with his man in coverage batting passes down, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and attacks. LB Issac Vazques 21’ Shepard Mr. Vazques is from Shepard, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He makes open-field tackles, fills holes in run support, and meets the running back at the line of scrimmage. Mr. Vazques gets off of blocks to make the tackle, reads/reacts for interceptions, and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield by getting after it. LB [player_tooltip player_id="65808" first="Brock" last="Skaggs"] 22’ Washington Community <a href="https://twitter.com/skaggs_brock">Twitter </a> Mr. Skaggs is from Washington Community, he fills holes in run support and gets pressure on the QB. He gets off of the block to make the tackle, reads/reacts for interceptions, and is a hard hitter that isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. Mr. Skaggs reads/reacts for interceptions, has quick acceleration, and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. CB Lamarr Box 22’ East St Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/LamarrBox">Twitter</a> Mr. Box is from East St Louis, he makes open-field tackles and attacks downhill. He gets hands-on when pressing, stays with his man in coverage batting passes down, and reads/reacts for interceptions. Mr. Box gets off of blocks to make the tackle and covers sideline to sideline. CB [player_tooltip player_id="65552" first="Jason" last="Berger"] 21’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/jason__45">Twitter</a> Mr. Berger is from Lemont, he makes open-field tackles and gets pressure on the QB off edge blitzes. He stays with his man in coverage batting passes down, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. Mr. Berger reads/reacts for interceptions, has quick acceleration, and gets after it. S Brandon Tennicott 22’ Riverside Brookfield <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonTenn">Twitter</a> Mr. Tennicott is from Riverside Brookfield, he attacks downhill and makes open-field tackles. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, fills holes in run support, and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. Mr. Tennicott takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and doesn't give up on plays. S Evan Mutterer 21’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanMutterer">Twitter</a> Mr. Mutterer is from Lemont, he makes open-field tackles and gets pressure on the QB off of an edge blitz. He high points the ball for interceptions, attacks downhill with his closing speed, and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder. Mr. Mutterer gets it done for this defensive unit that is stacked with talent at many positions. Honorable Mention DL Tavione Wilson 22’ Belvidere North <a href="https://twitter.com/TavioneWilson">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="118835" first="Cade" last="Biedscheid"] 22' Washington Community <a href="https://twitter.com/CBiedscheid">Twitter</a> LB Jack Clisham 22’ St Ignatius <a href="https://twitter.com/clisham_jack">Twitter</a> LB Nick Bennett 22’ Wauconda LB Vinny Rugai 23’ St Ignatius <a href="https://twitter.com/RugaiVinny">Twitter</a> LB Jordan Medrano 21’ Riverside Brookfield <a href="https://twitter.com/JMDOG24">Twitter</a> CB Jake Zator 22’ Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/ZatorJake">Twitter </a> S Jack Molloy 22’ St Ignatius <a href="https://twitter.com/jackmol25">Twitter </a> <hr /> There is an abundance of talented athletes in 6A Football throughout the state of Illinois. That being said, this is your 6A Football All-State Team Defensive Edition. I wish all of the seniors the best on their journey after they graduate high school. There’s still work left to do for the juniors and sophomores, and I’m excited to watch you all compete. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.