8A All-State Team: Defense Edition

Kickstarting the All-State defensive series we’re taking a look at 8A 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 8A All-State Team - Defensive Edition. <hr /> 1st Team DL Jack Hawkinson 21’ Lincoln-Way East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/jhawk_3">Twitter</a> Mr. Hawkinson is from Lincoln-Way East, he gets pressure on the QB with a mix of his swim move and bull rush getting into the backfield. He has quick hands, gets off the line of scrimmage quickly, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Hawkinson reads screen plays and has a high motor which he uses to get after it on every play. DL [player_tooltip player_id="20914" first="Thaddeus" last="Gianaris"] 22’ Maine South HS <a href="https://twitter.com/TeddyGianaris">Twitter</a> Mr. Gianaris is from Maine South, he gets pressure on the QB and is a good pass rusher. He gets in the backfield quickly with his swim move, is quick off of the line of scrimmage, and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Gianaris is aggressive and this is further emphasized by not taking any plays off. DL Trace Brown 21’ Plainfield South HS <a href="https://twitter.com/TraceBrown95">Twitter</a> Mr. Brown is from Plainfield South, he beats double teams on a consistent basis and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. He shoots the gaps in run support filling the holes where he meets the running back at the line of scrimmage and gets after it showcasing his aggressive playstyle. DL Ryan Whelan 21’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanwhelan45">Twitter</a> Mr. Whelan is from Brother Rice, he gets pressure on the QB by using his swim move to get past the offensive lineman. He gets in the backfield by shooting the gaps and sheds blocks to make the tackle. Mr. Whelan takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and doesn’t give up on plays by getting after it. LB [player_tooltip player_id="65563" first="Brody" last="Roth"] 21’ New Trier HS <a href="https://twitter.com/BrodyJamesRoth">Twitter</a> Mr. Roth is from New Trier, he gets pressure on the QB by timing his blitz well. He gets in the backfield quickly to make the tackle, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and fills the holes in run support. Mr. Roth attacks downhill where he is a heavy hitter and takes pursuit angles for backside chase down tackles. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20918" first="Sebastian" last="Cheeks"] 22’ Evanston HS <a href="https://twitter.com/SebastianCheeks">Twitter</a> Mr. Cheeks is from Evanston, he fills holes in run support, is a hard hitter that forces fumbles, and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. He gets in the backfield quickly to make the tackle, reacts quickly resulting in interceptions, and gets to his coverage drops to cover a man downfield quickly. LB [player_tooltip player_id="119808" first="Sean" last="Allison"] 22’ Hinsdale Central HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Sean_Allison18">Twitter</a> Mr. Allison is from Hinsdale Central, he attacks downhill where he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder, gets pressure on the QB by timing his blitz, and jumps routes for interceptions. He has the closing speed to make open-field tackles, stays with his man in coverage showcasing the fluid flip of his hips, and attacks in both the air and ground defense. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20328" first="Myles" last="Jones"] 21’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/mjones_chicago">Twitter</a> Mr. Jones is from Brother Rice, he gets pressure on the QB and gets in the backfield quickly. He’s a hard hitter with closing speed, fills holes in run support, and covers sideline to sideline. Mr. Jones is aggressive by getting after it and attacking with his high motor. CB Henry Woods 21’ Lincoln-Way East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/henrywoods_9">Twitter</a> Mr. Woods is from Lincoln-Way East, he jumps routes where he high points the ball for interceptions, reacts quickly to back shoulder throws and stays with his man in coverage. His closing speed comes to light when he makes open-field tackles by getting off of his blocks and attacks downhill to do so. Mr. Woods has quick acceleration which he uses to take pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield because he doesn’t give up on plays. CB Luke Stewart 21’ New Trier HS <a href="https://twitter.com/lukestew7">Twitter</a> Mr. Stewart is from New Trier, he makes open-field tackles by getting off of the block and by attacking downhill. He stays with his man in coverage where he doesn’t get broken off at the top of the route, has fluid turn of the hips, and is a good return man. Mr. Stewart has good technique and stays on the receiver’s hip pocket to force incomplete passes. CB Giovanni Pryor 22’ Evanston HS <a href="https://twitter.com/giovanni_pryor">Twitter</a> Mr. Pryor is from Evanston, he gets off of blocks to make open-field tackles by attacking downhill. He gets hands-on when pressing which disrupts the timing of the route, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and gets his hands in there to bat balls down when he’s in coverage. Mr. Pryor is a name to watch come this fall and one to keep an eye on how he develops in the short off-season leading up to the season. CB Dameon Hall 22’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/HallDameon">Twitter</a> Mr. Hall is from Brother Rice, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and is a hard hitter when doing so. He stays with his man in coverage, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and gets his hands in there to deflect passes when in coverage. Mr. Hall reacts to plays quickly where once he diagnoses the play he plants his back foot into the ground and attacks the ballcarrier with his aggressive playstyle. S Matthew Kordas 21’ Lincoln-Way East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Mattkordas1">Twitter</a> Mr. Kordas is from Lincoln-Way East, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and fills holes in run support. He is a hard hitter that forces fumbles, gets physical when pressing by running the receiver off of his route (sometimes out of bounds), and jumps routes that result in either an incompletion or an interception. Mr. Kordas stays in coverage well where he forces QB’s to hit their check-downs and is a ballhawk on reading the QB’s eyes to get interceptions. He is a dominant player on this talented team and can get it done in both the run as well as the passing defense. S [player_tooltip player_id="65544" first="Marty" last="Auer"] 21’ Loyola Academy HS <a href="https://twitter.com/AuerMarty">Twitter</a> Mr. Auer is from Loyola Academy, gets pressure on the QB by blitzing and jumps routes for interceptions. He makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill, fills holes in run support, and has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline. Mr. Auer doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and shows his versatility by playing multiple DB positions on this talented defense. S [player_tooltip player_id="20339" first="Jovan" last="Marsh"] 21’ Marist HS <a href="https://twitter.com/Jd_Marsh">Twitter</a> Mr. Marsh is from Marist, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and fills holes in run support. He stays with his man in coverage, gets hands-on when pressing, and forces turnovers by stripping the ball out. Mr. Marsh doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield which is where his quick acceleration and speed come to light. 2nd Team DL Luca Wojewski 21’ New Trier HS <a href="https://twitter.com/wojewskii">Twitter</a> Mr. Wojewski is from New Trier, he’s quick off of the ball and gets in the backfield quickly which also results in getting pressure on the QB. He gets his hands up to deflect passes and holds contain not allowing plays to get bounced outside. DL [player_tooltip player_id="20316" first="Triston" last="Schultz"] 21’ Marist HS <a href="https://twitter.com/SchultzTriston">Twitter</a> Mr. Schultz is from Marist, he’s quick off of the line of scrimmage and gets off of the blocks to make the tackle. He gets pressure on the QB by shooting the gaps showcasing his aggressive playstyle. Mr. Schultz gets after it play after play and is a force on the defensive line. DL Giovanoi Sanes 21’ O’Fallon Township HS Mr. Sanes is from O’Fallon Township, he gets pressure on the QB and plugs gaps in run support. He has good use of hands at the line of scrimmage which helps him get into the backfield and consistently get off of double teams. Mr. Sanes takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and gets off of blocks to make the tackle. LB Connor Groff 21’ Evanston HS <a href="https://twitter.com/cpgroff">Twitter</a> Mr. Groff is from Evanston, he is a hard hitter and gets pressure on the QB. He fills holes in run support by getting into the backfield quickly, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and gets after it. Mr. Groff plants his foot into the ground and attacks which also comes to light when he takes pursuit angels to make the tackle downfield. LB Shane Roth 21’ Naperville Central HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneRoth16">Twitter</a> Mr. Roth is from Naperville Central, he fills holes in run support and makes open-field tackles. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, is a hard hitter forcing fumbles, and attacks. Mr. Roth stays with his man in coverage, reacts quickly for interceptions, and is consistent with his play. LB Payton Orth 21’ Lincoln-Way East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/OrthPayton">Twitter</a> Mr. Orth is from Lincoln-Way East, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and fills holes in run support. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, gets pressure on the QB, and is a hard hitter. Mr. Orth gets off of blocks to make the tackle and doesn’t give up on plays. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20305" first="Liam" last="Conaghan"] 21’ Loyola Academy HS <a href="https://twitter.com/LiamConaghan41">Twitter</a> Mr. Conaghan is from Loyola Academy, he gets in the backfield to make the tackle and makes chase down tackles as well. He is quick off of the line of scrimmage, gets pressure on the QB, and fills holes in run support. Mr. Conaghan has closing speed which comes to light when he takes pursuit angels to make the tackle downfield, he gets his hands up to deflect passes, and gets after it. CB [player_tooltip player_id="137006" first="Mark" last="Cannon"] 22’ Evanston HS <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkCannonJr1">Twitter</a> Mr. Cannon is from Evanson, he makes open-field tackles and is a hard hitter. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and doesn’t give up on plays. Mr. Cannon is a physical tall corner that gets it done at multiple DB positions for this defense. CB Nasir Lacey 21’ Joliet West HS <a href="https://twitter.com/NasirLacey">Twitter</a> Mr. Lacey is from Joliet West, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and reacts quickly to get interceptions. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, stays with his man in coverage, and is aggressive in both the pass as well as the ground defense. CB Daniel Schager 21’ Glenbard East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/dsschager">Twitter</a> Mr. Schager is from Glenbard East, he jumps routes for interceptions and makes open-field tackles. He stays with his man in coverage (forces incomplete passes), takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and is a deadly return man which is where his quick acceleration comes to light. S Clark Dilger 21’ Lincoln-Way East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/ClarkDilger">Twitter</a> Mr. Dilger is from Lincoln-Way East, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and does so by planting his back foot to attack showcasing his hard hitting ability. He fills holes in run support, has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. S Andrew Love 21’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/therealdrew3x_">Twitter</a> Mr. Love is from Brother Rice, he reacts quickly to get interceptions and gets his hands up to deflect passes. He makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill which is where his closing speed comes to light and fills holes in run support. Mr. Love is a hard hitter that isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder, takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield, and plants his back foot to attack after he diagnoses the play. S Jordan Jones 22’ South Elgin HS <a href="https://twitter.com/[player_tooltip player_id=">Twitter</a> Mr. Jones is from South Elgin, he makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill and fills holes in run support. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline, high points the ball for interceptions, and plays the ball over playing the man. Mr. Jones isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and doesn’t give up on plays by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. Honorable Mention DL Hugh Keany 21’ Niles Notre Dame HS <a href="https://twitter.com/HughKeany">Twitter</a> DL Darrly Obasuyi 21’ Glenbard West HS <a href="https://twitter.com/darryl_obasuyi">Twitter</a> LB Aidan Ellison 21’ Naperville Central HS <a href="https://twitter.com/AidanEllison32">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="20910" first="Jared" last="Badie"] 22’ Oswego East HS <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredBadie">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="65512" first="Evan" last="Roper"] 21’ Barrington HS <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanRoper50">Twitter</a> CB Sean Kinard 22’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/seankinard5">Twitter</a> S [player_tooltip player_id="65554" first="Jordan" last="Geroulis"] 21’ Niles Notre Dame HS <a href="https://twitter.com/[player_tooltip player_id=">Twitter</a> S Michael Badke 21’ Brother Rice HS <a href="https://twitter.com/mick_badke7">Twitter</a> <hr /> There is an abundance of talented athletes in 8A Football throughout the state of Illinois. That being said, this is your 8A 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.