Biggest Takeaways: Sun Prairie 4 Team Scrimmage

I kicked off my coverage of the 2021 WI high school football season by making the trip to Sun Prairie High School last Friday for the four team scrimmage that they were hosting. The other three teams in attendance were Grafton High School, Stoughton High School, and Kettle Moraine High School. The collection of talent that these four teams were able to put on the field was insane. It looked more like a Mega Camp than a scrimmage as dozens of athletes that will be playing at the next level made plays all over the field. That collection of talent really gave us a great look at the potential that these four teams have going into this season. Today, I want to dive into what the teams showed me by taking a look at my biggest takeaways from the day of football! <strong>Takeaway #1: Sun Prairie’s Roster is STACKED</strong> The best team at the scrimmage, from top to bottom, was the Sun Prairie Cardinals. Their roster is made up of a handful of FBS level kids with the likes of our #1 defensive player [player_tooltip player_id="31201" first="Isaac" last="Hamm"], who is uncommitted, NIU commit OT [player_tooltip player_id="31209" first="Evan" last="Malcore"], and Iowa commit TE [player_tooltip player_id="31219" first="Addison" last="Ostrenga"]. Their offense is led by a very talented junior QB, [player_tooltip player_id="31393" first="Jerry" last="Kaminski"], who looks well on his way to developing into a prospect that FCS teams will have their eyes on next year. The support around these big names is also high quality as Sun Prairie looks like they will have a very experienced OL as they will start two seniors, two juniors, and a talented sophomore in [player_tooltip player_id="105015" first="Logan" last="Gross"]. Pair that OL with a stable of options at RB and you get an offense that is ready to go score for score with any team in the state. Don’t let the impressive offense overshadow the SP defensive unit. Hamm leads the way for a unit that looked fast and got a lot of hats to the ball on a consistent, snap to snap basis. Teams facing the Cardinals this season better be ready to earn every yard. [embed]https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1426273604195475457[/embed] <strong>Takeaway #2: Kettle Moraine is Home to the #1 QB in the State</strong> Kettle Moraine’s offense is led by Wisconsin’s top QB prospect in the state regardless of graduating class. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="31389" first="Chase" last="Spellman"] was even more impressive than I expected coming in, which is saying a lot because I already believed he was the #1 QB in the state coming into the day. He checked off every box on the day. His mechanics were razor sharp whether he had a clean pocket or if he had pressure around him and had to make a play off platform. Those off platform throws were what really impressed me on the day. Whether he had to make a throw off his back foot or deliver a pass on the run the mechanics stayed pristine and his poise allowed him to keep his eyes downfield and find his receivers. Another part of Chase’s day that stood out to me was how much of a coach on the field he was for Kettle Moraine. Play after play I would see him talking to a teammate after a rep helping them learn and improve before getting, and calling the next play. The comfort and control that Spellman has developed with the offense is going to be huge for himself and the Kettle Moraine offense this season. It was awesome to get to watch an FBS level QB in action. <strong>Takeaway #3: Stoughton in the Conversation for Best OL in the State</strong> Heading into the day, this was one of the first things I wanted to get my eyes on. The starting lineup for Stoughton’s offensive line is filled with studs. The first stud that jumps out is Wisconsin Badgers commit, and transfer, [player_tooltip player_id="118238" first="Barrett" last="Nelson"]. Nelson looked and played the part of an FBS level OL prospect. His massive frame carried little to no bad weight and that athletic physique carried over to impressive play on the field. He easily drove defensive linemen off the ball and his ability to get to the second level and close on LBs before they can barely make a move was special to see. The next stud on the Stoughton OL is Minnesota State- Mankato commit [player_tooltip player_id="31216" first="Gabe" last="Rousseau"]. Gabe mauled defenders from his guard position, and when he was asked to pull you just knew he was about to bulldoze open a massive running lane. Rousseau is also one of, if not THE, leader of the team. His locker room presence is just as special, and impactful, as his on the field play. He is the exact type of locker room guy you want on your team. He has big things ahead for him at Mankato after his senior season with Stoughton. The third stud on the Stoughton OL is junior [player_tooltip player_id="31385" first="Griffin" last="Empey"]. The 6’2" 260 lbs prospect is another man mover that will be able to help set the tone and control the line of scrimmage. When this group gets firing on all cylinders I believe they will be able to run the ball at will. They are going to spend the 2021 fall season punching defenses in the mouth. <strong>Takeaway #4: Grafton Continues to Pump Out OL Prospects</strong> Last year the big name was Badgers commit [player_tooltip player_id="30724" first="JP" last="Benzschawel"]. This fall the stud on the Grafton OL is [player_tooltip player_id="31207" first="Nathan" last="Skebba"]. The 6’5" 270 lbs prospect started his 2021 campaign off with impressive snaps against each of the other three programs in attendance. He was at his best in the run game against defensive linemen where he could get hands on and then use his superior play strength to control and dominate his opponent. Skebba has been somewhat of a hidden gem thus far in the recruiting process as he holds one offer from Upper Iowa currently. If Friday was any hint into what his senior film is going to look like then you can bet that several other D2 programs are going to be joining Upper Iowa on that list of offers for his skill set. Look for Grafton to run the ball often this season, and for them to be following behind their stud big man. <strong>Takeaway #5: The Kaminski- Ostrenga Connection Most Effective in the State?</strong> My favorite part of the day was watching the connection between QB [player_tooltip player_id="31393" first="Jerry" last="Kaminski"] and TE [player_tooltip player_id="31219" first="Addison" last="Ostrenga"] of Sun Prairie. The timing that the two of them have developed is not something that you find often at the high school level. We are as early in the season as we can get, and the connection already looked unguardable. Kaminski’s accuracy allowed him to always put the ball exactly where only Addison could go and get it. Whether it was up high over the DB, back shoulder into the endzone, or perfectly in stride down the sideline the ball was always right where it needed to be, and with the velocity that made it nearly impossible for a DB to be able to react in time. Pair that ability to pinpoint exactly where you want the ball with a big bodied TE that has the athleticism to elevate and contort his body in the air to be able to bring the ball down, or be able to stop and twist on back shoulder throws and you get a duo that can’t be stopped. The numbers these two have the potential to put up together this season while playing against some of the best competition in the state is going to be mind blowing. <strong>Takeaway #6: Stoughton RB [player_tooltip player_id="118528" first="Darrick" last="Hill"] was Nearly Impossible to Tackle</strong> This takeaway paired with my takeaway #3 could give us the best rushing attack in Wisconsin. [player_tooltip player_id="118528" first="Darrick" last="Hill"] was impossible to bring down on first contact during Friday’s scrimmage. His low center of gravity, strength, and body control were on full display as he bounced off shoulder tackle attempts, and ran through arm tackles. Even when defenders wrapped him up he wasn’t going to go down until multiple other defenders joined in on the tackle. Hill did a great job of running his legs through contact and it was also impressive to see how he would usually be the one to initiate contact with defenders. Darrick proved it’s easier to break tackles when you’re the hammer instead of the nail. Hill and the OL that Stoughton is going to put on the field have the potential of being the most physically imposing running game in the state. Once you get past the monsters on the OL you have to try and bring down a guy who’s game revolves around his impressive contact balance. You better bring your hard hat when facing Stoughton this year. <strong>Takeaway #7: [player_tooltip player_id="118320" first="Reid" last="Spencer"] and the Rest of the Kettle Moraine Pass Catchers Have to Step Up</strong> Kettle Moraine has the ultra talented QB, but they are going to need players to step up at TE and WR. Unfortunately, back in June Kettle Moraine’s WR1 [player_tooltip player_id="118305" first="Matt" last="Wagner"] tore his ACL playing basketball. That’s a big loss as Wagner currently sits as our WR5 in the Class of 2022 Rankings. Those are big shoes that need to be filled. The athlete I expect to take a large chunk of that workload is TE/ATH [player_tooltip player_id="118320" first="Reid" last="Spencer"]. The 6’3" 215 lbs target creates his separation with his route running, and he does a good job of catching the ball away from his body so defenders can’t get their hands in there to disrupt the catch. Other pass catchers that will have to step up to pick up the workload is junior TE/LB Nolan Schopp, and sophomore WR [player_tooltip player_id="105056" first="Drew" last="Wagner"]. All three of these kids have the skill sets to be dangerous targets. It will be interesting to see who Spellman looks to most consistently after the loss of his WR1.