7A All-State Team: Defense Edition

Continuing the All-State defensive series we’re taking a look at 7A 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 7A All-State Team – Defensive Edition. <hr /> First Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="20368" first="Carmine" last="Bastone"] 21’ St Charles North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/carmine_bastone">Twitter</a> Mr. Bastone is from St Charles North, he’s quick off the ball and gets pressure on the QB. He fills gaps in run support, gets off of blocks to make the tackle, and gets in the backfield quickly. Mr. Barston doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets his hands up to deflect passes. He gets after it with his playstyle and this is shown further by meeting the running back at the line of scrimmage resulting in no gain/loss of yards on the play. DL [player_tooltip player_id="20212" first="Daine" last="Hanson"] 21’ Nazareth Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/Great_Daine33">Twitter</a> Mr. Hanson is from Nazareth Academy, he doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and get pressure on the QB. He gets off of his blocks to make the tackle, collapses the pocket by moving the o-line back easily showcasing his strength, and has good use of hands at the point of attack. Mr. Hanson gets after it and has an aggressive playstyle to go along with it. DL Jaylen Brown 21’ Wheaton Warrenville South HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaylenbrownnn">Twitter</a> Mr. Brown is from Wheaton Warrenville South, he showcases his effort where he got knocked down and got back up to get a QB hurry. He fills gaps in run support, is quick off the ball, and gets in the backfield quickly. Mr. Brown gets hands up for deflected passes, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield with his closing speed, and gets pressure on the QB. DL [player_tooltip player_id="53816" first="Arman" last="Oshana"] 21’ Lincoln Park HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmanOshana">Twitter</a> Mr. Oshana is from Lincoln Park, he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets his hands up to deflect passes. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle and gets in the backfield quickly both of which happen by his use of hands at the point of attack. Mr. Oshana gets after it by getting pressure on the QB and showcasing his aggressive playstyle. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20329" first="Tommy" last="Barnett"] 21’ Wheaton Warrenville South HS <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyJBarnett">Twitter</a> Mr. Barnett is from Wheaton Warrenville South, he fills holes in run support and stays gets pressure on the QB off the edge. He has the closing speed to make open-field tackles, gets in the backfield quickly, and stays with his man in coverage resulting in PBUs. Mr. Barnett attacks downhill where he isn’t afraid to deliver a heavy hit, gets hands up for interceptions, and covers sideline to sideline. He has a good re-route against receivers, has an aggressive playstyle that attacks in both the run and pass defense. LB Matthew Weerts 21’ Batavia HS <a href="https://twitter.com/WeertsMojo">Twitter</a> Mr. Weerts is from Batavia, he takes on blocks head-on pancaking lineman and gets after it. He gets pressure on the QB, fills holes in run support, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Weerts has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, read/reacts for interceptions, and take pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He is aggressive in his playstyle and attacks in all aspects of his game. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20201" first="Bryan" last="Sanborn"] 21’ Lake Zurich HS <a href="https://twitter.com/bryan_sanborn21">Twitter</a> Mr. Sanborn is from Lake Zurich, he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and fills holes in run support. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, gets pressure on the QB, and gets in the backfield quickly. Mr. Sanborn has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to deliver a big hit with his aggressive playstyle, and attacks. LB Dylan Ramirez 22’ Glenbard North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/DylanRa06814302">Twitter</a> Mr. Ramirez is from Glenbard North, he fills holes in run support and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He gets pressure on the QB, gets off of his blocks to make the tackle, and attacks. Mr. Ramirez gets to pass coverage drops quickly where he reacts quickly for interceptions and gets his hands up to deflect passes. He attacks in both the air and ground defense for his team showcasing his aggressive playstyle. CB J.T Harris 22’ Mt Carmel HS <a href="https://twitter.com/JtHarris21">Twitter</a> Mr. Harris is from Mt Carmel, he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and makes open-field tackles. He gets off of blocks to make the tackle, attacks downhill, and gets hands-on when pressing. Mr. Harris stays with his man in coverage with a fluid flip of his hips, has quick acceleration, and is technically sound (doesn’t get broken off at the top of the route by staying in the receiver’s hip pocket). He high points the ball to get interceptions and communicates to pass his man off which results in incomplete passes. CB Joseph Swaray 21’ Wheaton North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/joe_swaray">Twitter</a> Mr. Swaray is from Wheaton North, he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and high points the ball for interceptions. He gets off of blocks quickly which goes hand in hand with making open-field tackles and he gets there quickly with his closing speed. Mr. Swaray stays with his man in coverage forcing incomplete passes, plants his back foot to attack downhill, and reacts quickly in coverage to get interceptions. CB [player_tooltip player_id="65547" first="Jordan" last="Nubin"] 21’ St Charles North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/jnubin27">Twitter</a> Mr. Nubin is from St Charles North, he gets hands-on when pressing and makes open-field tackles. He stays with his man in coverage by staying in the receiver’s hip pocket, has closing speed, and gets pressure on the QB off of an edge blitz. Mr. Nubin runs the receiver off of his route and deflects passes further showcasing his aggressive playstyle. S [player_tooltip player_id="20930" first="Saveon" last="Brown"] 22’ Thornwood HS <a href="https://twitter.com/SaeNext">Twitter </a> Mr. Brown is from Thornwood, he makes open-field tackles and fills holes in run support. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to deliver the hard-hit, and attacks downhill. Mr. Brown reacts quickly to get interceptions, has quick acceleration which is showcasing as a return man, and gets after it with his aggressive playstyle. S Drake Hawkins 21’ Pekin HS <a href="https://twitter.com/DrakeHawkins7">Twitter</a> Mr. Hawkins is from Pekin, he makes open-field tackles and gets in the backfield quickly. He fills holes in run support, gets pressure on the QB, and stays with his man in coverage forcing incompletions. Mr. Hawkins reads/reacts quickly for interceptions, uses his closing speed to attack, and is a hard hitter. Second Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="20304" first="Drew" last="Hughes"] 21’ Nazareth Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/drewhughes2021">Twitter</a> Mr. Hughes is from Nazareth Academy, he takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and makes open-field tackles. He holds contain, does the dirty work in the trenches, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Hughes is aggressive in his playstyle by getting after it and doesn’t give up on plays. DL Jay Marlowe 21’ Willowbrook HS <a href="https://twitter.com/JayJay_Marlowe">Twitter</a> Mr. Marlowe is from Willowbrook, he plugs gaps in run support and gets off of blocks to make the tackle downfield. He doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, is aggressive in his play, and gets after it doing the dirty work in the trenches. DL [player_tooltip player_id="65486" first="Brendan" last="Truett"] 21’ Downers Grove North HS Mr. Truett is from Downers Grove North, he fills gaps in run support and overpowers offensive lineman pancaking them in the process of getting pressure on the QB. He penetrates the backfield with his good use of hands at the point of attack, gets his hands up to deflect passes, and gets after it. LB Mohammad Ayesh 21’ Willowbrook HS <a href="https://twitter.com/moeayesh21">Twitter</a> Mr. Ayesh is from Willowbrook, he makes open-field tackles and fills holes in run support. He gets pressure on the QB, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and attacks downhill. Mr. Ayesh gets off of blocks to make the tackle, uses his closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and gets after it by forcing incomplete passes as well as jumping routes for interceptions. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20924" first="Adrian" last="Palos"] 22’ Harlem HS <a href="https://twitter.com/adrian_palos">Twitter</a> Mr. Palos is from Harlem, he fills holes in run support and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He’s quick off of the ball which helps him get pressure on the QB, makes open-field tackles, and takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. Mr. Palos is a hard hitter, covers sideline to sideline with his closing speed, and reads/reacts for interceptions. LB George Litgen 22’ St Charles North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/G_Litgen4">Twitter</a> Mr. Litgen is from St Charles North, he fills holes in run support and makes open-field tackles. He gets pressure on the QB, doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles (making the tackle downfield & making chase down tackles), and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Litgen attacks downhill with his closing speed, gets his hands up to deflect passes, and is a heavy hitter that can force fumbles. He gets after it with his aggressive playstyle and is a playmaker for this defense. CB Mayes Doggan 21’ Normal Community HS <a href="https://twitter.com/MayesDoggan_">Twitter</a> Mr. Doggan is from Normal Community, he makes open-field tackles and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He stays with his man in coverage forcing incomplete passes, attacks downhill with his closing speed, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Doggan reads/reacts for interceptions and does the little things for this defense. CB Brandon Smiley 21’ Glenbard North HS <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonjSmiley">Twitter</a> Mr. Smiley is from Glenbard North, he doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets pressure on the QB off of blitzes. He makes open-field tackles, attacks downhill with his closing speed, and reads/reacts for interceptions. S [player_tooltip player_id="20932" first="Peter" last="Roll"] 22’ Nazareth Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/peterroll8">Twitter</a> Mr. Roll is from Nazareth Academy, he makes open-field tackles and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He fills holes in run support, attacks downhill with his closing speed, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Roll reads/reacts forcing incomplete passes as well as getting interceptions and gets after in when he’s on the field. S [player_tooltip player_id="65845" first="Quintin" last="Hale"] 22’ Thornwood HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Qhale22">Twitter</a> Mr. Hale is from Thornwood, he fills holes in run support and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. He makes open-field tackles, attacks downhill with his closing speed, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Hale stays with his man in coverage forcing incompletions, has good re-routing forcing the receiver off of his route, and can pancake the receiver when doing so. S Daquavion Oakes 22’ Auburn HS <a href="https://twitter.com/DaquavionO">Twitter</a> Mr. Oakes is from Auburn, he makes open-field tackles and has quick acceleration. He attacks downhill with his closing speed, reads/reacts to get interceptions, stays with his man in coverage forcing incompletions, and gets hands-on when pressing. Honorable Mention DL John Munoz 21’ Eisenhower HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Munozj_25">Twitter</a> DL Trystan Anderson 22’ Buffalo Grove HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ttandersonn">Twitter</a> DL Elijah Hubbard 22’ Auburn HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ElijahHub55">Twitter</a> DL [player_tooltip player_id="20284" first="Marshaun" last="Harold"] 21’ Phillips HS <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaunHarold">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="20333" first="Austin" last="Haygood"] 21’ Mt Carmel HS <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinHaygood2">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="134831" first="Derek" last="Whaley"] 22’ Mt Carmel HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Derekwhaley26">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="20840" first="John" last="Weidenbach"] 23’ Benet Academy HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ijohnweid6">Twitter</a> LB Detric Dee 22’ Bradley Bourbonnais HS <a href="https://twitter.com/DetricDee">Twitter</a> CB [player_tooltip player_id="20338" first="Willie" last="Jones"] 21’ Phillips HS <a href="https://twitter.com/WillieJ1616">Twitter</a> S Dominick Marrazzo 22’ Buffalo Grove HS <a href="https://twitter.com/MarrazzoDom">Twitter</a> S Treyvon Lee 21’ Moline HS <a href="https://twitter.com/treyvonlee">Twitter</a> <hr /> There is an abundance of talented athletes in 7A Football throughout the state of Illinois. That being said, this is your 7A 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.