Greendale vs Badger: Game Recap & Players of the Game
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Man, does it feel good to be back! What a game to kick off the season with as well! Both teams came into the night set to chase down some big season long goals as both teams field several talented…
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Continue ReadingMan, does it feel good to be back! What a game to kick off the season with as well! Both teams came into the night set to chase down some big season long goals as both teams field several talented student athletes. That talent included players on both sides that have the talent, and some have offers, from the D1, D2, and D3 levels. Both of these rosters have something for every level, and that’s why I couldn’t wait to get out to cover the battle. Safe to say the hype I built up in my head wasn’t disappointed. From the opening whistle to the final minute, Greendale and Badger went punch for punch. Every drive and defensive stand mattered. Let’s get into how this intense Week One battle played out!
Game Recap
There is usually one constant from season to season when it comes to early season play. That is that the defenses are ahead of offenses because a lot of the time offenses aren’t quite in their rhythm or figured out their exact timing, yet. This is while the defense is playing fast, and going off reading and reacting to what they see. That’s how this game started out. The front sevens on both sides controlled the game through the first quarter. Greendale’s opening drive resulted in a turnover on downs in Badger territory, and the Greendale defense responded with a quick three and out of the Badger offense. Both teams were determined to establish the run early and often, but neither were able to find the rhythm. Greendale’s offense led by RBs Javon Murry, and Anthony Sardina, and QB Zach Sheridan again tried to get it going on the ground, but Badger’s DL EJ Gritzner’s third down penetration again stalled the drive and forced a punt. The opening quarter wrapped up with a second Badger punt following what looked like a promising drive as QB/DB Kegan Huber Kegan Huber 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI and FB Cole Berghorn Cole Berghorn 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI were able to move the ball early, but again the defenses were able to kill the rhythm and timing leaving us with a 0-0 score at the end of the first.
The second quarter started with RB Javon Murry, a 5’9″ 165 lbs junior, showing off his agility and how dangerous he is out in space as Greendale worked inside Badger territory. From there, QB Zach Sheridan dropped back and lofted a pass into the back corner of the endzone where WR Brayden Latus was able to come down with it in bounds. With the XP good, Greendale took a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The punch for punch game flow continued on Badger’s next drive as they delivered their best punch. Led by their hard-nosed FB, Cole Berghorn Cole Berghorn 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI , Badger powered their way right through the middle of the Greendale defense. What a day it was for Berghorn by the way. The dude was clearly one of the strongest players on the field as he ran over and drug multiple defenders carry after carry. The drive ended when QB Kegan Huber Kegan Huber 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI pulled the ball on the option, made one cut, and sprinted into the endzone from 10 yards out tying things up at 7 apiece with 1:27 to go in the first half. That final minute and a half gave us some exciting moments. Berghorn continued his strong night over to the defensive side as his third down sack off an impressive bull rush forced a punt with :53 remaining in the half. From there, Kegan Huber Kegan Huber 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI led the team down the field. He found ATH Chandler Loveridge- Flores on a quick button hook. Loveridge- Flores made the DB miss and found his way down the sideline for a nice, 24 yard, chunk play. Unfortunately, Huber was eventually picked off to end the half as he heaved one last attempt into the endzone where WR/DB Brayden Latus was able to make another noteworthy play.
The second half continued with the same strong defensive play by Greendale. Led by senior TE/MLB Will Vaile Will Vaile 6'2" | 230 lbs | TE Greendale | 2022 State WI , Greendale was able to once again own the trenches on the half’s opening drive and force a Badger punt. Greendale’s offense was able to find their rhythm on their first drive of the half. Greendale worked their way into Badger territory. Just as the drive looked as though it would stall, Zach Sheridan dropped back and found WR/DB Colin Schuster Colin Schuster 6'3" | 195 lbs | DB Greendale | 2022 State WI deep down the seam for the wide open 21 yard TD pass and 14-7 lead with 4:02 remaining in the third. Surprise, surprise the blow for blow continued. Badger’s offense once again stepped up as Huber and Berghorn took over the drive and powered their way down the field with inside and outside success. Berghorn finished the drive off this time with a 10 yard run right up the middle through several arm tackles. With :43 seconds remaining in the third quarter we once again were all tied up at 14-14.
Greendale opened the 4th quarter with a couple of clutch offensive plays. Both led by QB Zach Sheridan. The first was on third and long as Sheridan was facing pressure he was able to find his check down to RB Javon Murry. From there, Murry weaved his way to the sideline and then found his way 17 yards down the field for the first down. On the very next snap, Sheridan dropped back and heaved up a beautiful deep shot to WR Izaiah Correa. Correa did a great job of running under the pass that I initially thought was going to be overthrown. The play put Greendale in business inside the Badger 5, but that’s where Badger’s defense dug in. They held the Greendale offense out of the endzone on three straight plays and forced the 23 yard field goal by Andy Justus. The kick was good giving Greendale a 17-14 lead, but also leaving the door open for Badger to go take their first lead of the game with 10:06 remaining in the game. You can guess the pattern of how this game continued to play out, though. The blow for blow continued as Badger was held to a three and out punt, and they responded by doing the same to the Greendale offense. So with 6:02 remaining Badger once again had the ball and were looking to take the lead. Badger did well to drive inside Greendale territory, but with 1:55 remaining facing a 4th & short situation the Greendale DL dug in and surrounded no ground on the inside run from Badger’s offense forcing the turnover on downs. Greendale RBs Javon Murry and Anthony Sheridan each took a carry and picked up the final first down needed to milk the clock out and give Greendale the 17-14 victory and the 1-0 record on the season.
Players of the Game
Zach Sheridan, QB- Greendale
Very solid start to the senior’s varsity career as he stepped up in big ways right when his team needed him to. The first half Greendale tried to rely on the ground game, but as the second half started you could see their confidence in the QB had grown and they were ready to put the ball in his hands. Sheridan responded by going 12/26, 173 yards, and 2 TDs with no turnovers. Sheridan made plays both on time within the structure of the play and out of structure with pressure closing in around him. The new QB was something I wanted to see in this matchup. I came away impressed.
Brayden Latus, WR/DB- Greendale
What a night for the 6’ 180 lbs junior playmaker as he too made his first varsity appearance last night. Nerves were not an issue as Latus impressed me on both sides of the ball as he made highlights as a WR and a DB. He hauled in the first score of the game from QB Sheridan on 25 yard pass into the endzone where he showed the ability to not only adjust his body at the catch point, but also have the awareness of where the sideline was to keep his feet in. I believe he was also the DB that ended Badgers mad dash to the endzone as the first half came to a close when he intercepted a Huber pass in the endzone. A name to know these next two seasons.
Will Vaile Will Vaile 6'2" | 230 lbs | TE Greendale | 2022 State WI , MLB/TE- Greendale
Coming into the night, Vaile was one of the prospects I had identified as a player to watch. However, I was expecting the impact to be on offense not defense. While Will did contribute on offense with his 2 receptions for 14 yards and several key blocks, his largest impact was holding down the middle of the defense. As noted several times in the recap, the offenses had a hard time getting in a rhythm because of the play of the defensive front sevens. Vaile was the leader of the Greendale front seven that had the duty of stopping the tough inside running of Cole Berghorn Cole Berghorn 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI . Will was up to the task as he was in on nearly every tackle that occurred in the box. He has pursued well outside the tackle box. Vaile was also a vocal leader on the sideline. I caught him late in the 4th quarter telling the sideline “it’s time to go with this game.” After that moment he helped cause a three & out and then on the next drive helped make the stop that ended the game. A good player stepping up in big moments. Great night for Vaile.
Jordan Greuel Jordan Greuel 6'5" | 260 lbs | OL Greendale | 2022 State WI , OL/DL- Greendale
Last night was a tough, gritty performance by Greuel. He locked down his edge rusher all night in pass protection, and he showed off some impressive movement skills as he got out in space and landed key blocks on LBs when Greendale attacked the edges. Jordan also fought through an injury to his ankle/foot area in the second half. Once on defense and once on offense he hobbled off the field only to come back and continue making his impact a play or two later. Speaking of defense, Greuel was another member of the front seven that did a good job overall of keeping the Badger offense out of rhythm.
Colin Schuster Colin Schuster 6'3" | 195 lbs | DB Greendale | 2022 State WI , WR/DB- Greendale
Going through his twitter, and I’m not sure why I can’t find any offers for the 6’3″ 195 lbs senior WR/DB combo athlete. Schuster flashed big play potential on both sides of the ball in last night’s game. On his TD reception he got behind the defense quickly giving his QB an easy pass for the lead. On defense, I was impressed by Colin’s range. I don’t have defensive stats from the game, but several times I saw Colin make the tackle at the line of scrimmage against Badger’s talented ball carriers from his safety spot. He covers ground well, and showed that he has reliable recognition skills. A name to know in this senior class.
Javon Murry, RB/DB- Greendale
The stat lines of 13 carries, 35 rushing yards, 1 reception, 17 receiving yards might not blow you away, but Javon was a key member of the Greendale offense all night long in several different ways. On multiple drives, he was the dude that started getting the offense moving down the field and in a rhythm with early success as he flashed the ability to make guys miss in tight spaces and find daylight when it didn’t seem like there was any. The 5’9″ 165 lbs back also came through in the clutch as that one reception was late in the 4th quarter. That first down kick started the drive that led to the game tying field goal. Murry was there every time the team needed him and the junior is going to be a name to know as a solid change of pace back at the next level.
Kegan Huber Kegan Huber 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI , QB/DB- Badger
The best athlete on the field last night was Huber. He made his debut as the team’s starting QB, but they don’t use him in the traditional QB role. He is back there to run the option and win with his quickness, acceleration, and vision out in space. His decision making on offense led to a productive night for not only himself, but also his RB Cole Berghorn Cole Berghorn 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI . Kegan finished his night on offense with 10 carries for 35 yards and a score. On defense is where Huber looked his most natural. His range allowed his fellow DBs to play aggressive as he roamed around as the single high deep safety. His ability to quickly diagnose plays and be at the line of scrimmage to make tackles against the run caught me off guard at times. He covers ground really well, and he was the most reliable tackler on the field. Easy to see why the athlete has received offers as high as a PWO from NDSU. Big year ahead for Kegan. Especially as he becomes more and more comfortable at QB.
Cole Berghorn Cole Berghorn 6'0" | 210 lbs | ATH Badger | 2022 State WI , FB/DL- Badger
This dude is a load on both sides of the ball. Pound for pound, there is no doubting that Cole was the strongest athlete on the field last night. The 6’ 210 lbs FB and DE used that strength really well on both sides of the ball. As a ball carrier, Berghorn at most is a one cut back who would much rather run over you than around you. The defense had to have all hands on deck to bring down the tough runner. Berghorn ground and pound his way to 119 yards on 21 carries and a score. On defense, Cole was playing DE instead of LB and his strength once again shined. Rep after rep he would whoop his opposing OL with the speed to get inside hands and leverage and then used his strength to bull rush the OL back into the QB’s lap or into the RBs face as he tried to find a lane to hit. He was definitely the most disruptive DL on the night. The senior is a name to know this season. Versatile, strong, athletic. He checks all those boxes.
Seth Johnson, DB- Badger
I was really impressed by the play of 6’1″ 190 lbs junior DB from Badger. His solid play actually allowed Badger to take Huber off the field on drives so he could rest due to the fact that he is also the starting QB for the team. Seth did more than enough to not allow the level of play to fall off when Huber was off the field. All night long, Johnson did a really good job of staying with his receiver throughout the route and then was very disruptive at the catch point breaking up several passes on the night. My favorite part of his play was that he could drop the hammer on dudes. Not only did he break up passes, there were times he delivered hits that separated receiver from the football. I was very intrigued by the junior tone setter. Name to know going forward.
Jackson Braden, DL- Badger
A name to know over the next three seasons is DL Jackson Braden. The sophomore saw a lot of action along the defensive line last night, and came up with several key stops in the run game. The 6’4″ 220 sophomore held is own in the trenches and was apart of the unit that made it so difficult for Greendale to find a rhythm in the first half that they came out and attacked through the air in the second half far more than the first half. Braden is definitely raw, but he is going to be a kid to know as he starts to develop and pile up the varsity experience.