Week One Top Performances: Class of 2023
Today, we dive into the junior class to see who went off in Week One. As a reminder, remember that if you are a junior and want to be highlighted in the Top Performers article with your class make sure…
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Continue ReadingToday, we dive into the junior class to see who went off in Week One. As a reminder, remember that if you are a junior and want to be highlighted in the Top Performers article with your class make sure you have your highlights and stat lines posted, and tag @PrepRedzoneWI or @MJNFLDraft by Tuesday mornings. That is where I pull all of the student athletes included in these articles from! Also, at the end of this article I will include some impressive stat lines from athletes that I highly suggest following. They just didn’t have film up from their Week Ones when I went through them. Now on to the action. Week one looks like it was the stage for a lot of juniors to bust onto the scene as they made their first starts on varsity as upperclassmen. Let’s take a look at what each junior showed us!
Jerry Kaminski Jerry Kaminski 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Sun Prairie East | 2023 State WI , QB- Sun Prairie
Stat Line: 19/26, 343 Yards, 3 TDs, 31 Rushing Yards, 1 TD
We are starting this article off with a bang! Kaminski fully burst onto the scene in week one. With him now firmly at the helm of the Sun Prairie offense, I have high expectations for the offense’s production. While facing one of the more talented teams in the state, Jerry showed off a complete game. The first thing that jumps out on tape and in the stats is the accuracy and timing. Both are traits that stood out during the Sun Prairie scrimmage, but to see it with everything on the line fully ensures that the talent and ability are there. It was accuracy and timing to all levels of the field. Whether he was hitting slants or perfectly dropping it over an LB up the seam you can see Kaminski’s ability to place the ball right where he wants it. He does it with the required velocity as well. He isn’t just gripping and ripping every pass. Jerry has shown that he understands when he needs to use touch and when he can let it rip. Then you add in that he can tuck it, break contain, and pick up chunks on the ground and you get a QB that defenses are going to have trouble containing all year. Great start to the season. Check out the tape. Definitely one of the best QBs in the Class of 2023. Jerry’s Week One Highlights
Omar Surveyor Omar Surveyor 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR Greenfield | 2023 State WI , WR- Greenfield
Stat Line: 3 Receptions, 93 Yards, 1 TD
It’s quick film, but Omar showed off the ability to make splash plays out wide. The 6’1″ WR’s first highlight shows off his large catch radius as he fully laid out, extended, and hauled in the pass with soft hands. On all three receptions, I was impressed with Surveyor’s ability to sell his routes in different ways. His first reception he used a nice head fake to get the DB to bite. His second reception he sold that he was going to block, then flew past the DB for the score. On the third reception, we got a look at his pure route running as he was able to get through the route quickly thanks to his ability to flip his hips and carry his speed through the break. Solid week to start the season, and a kid to keep an eye on this season as Greenfield will need several new playmakers to step up this season at WR. Omar’s Week One Highlights
Najeh Mitchell Najeh Mitchell 5'9" | 175 lbs | ATH West De Pere | 2023 State WI , RB- West De Pere
Stat Line: 22 Carries, 124 Yards, 2 TDs, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards, 2 Returns, 59 Yards
If all goes as expected, Najeh will have established himself as one of the state’s most dangerous playmakers by the end of this season. The 5’9″ 170 RB is well on his way to that after his week one performance. He already blew me away in the offseason posting a laser verified 4.38 40 yard dash, and now he is showing off all the ways he can use that speed and how well it translates to his play on the field. Mitchell is an absolute menace out in space. That speed I mentioned looked impossible to contain in his highlights. Carry after carry Najeh’s was able to easily break contain if the inside running lanes were clogged, and on designed outside runs or passes to the flats he proved to be the far superior athlete as he either simply outran defenders or was able to shake them with ease with his exceptional quickness and lateral agility. The more this dude plays out in space the more electric he is. You can tell he sees the field well and is able to be very patient because of his superior level of athleticism. Very impressive week one. He is well on his way to becoming a potential D1 recruit. Najeh’s Week One Highlights
Maliq Crawford Maliq Crawford 5'11" | 165 lbs | WR Brookfield Academy | 2023 State WI , WR- Brookfield Academy
Stat Line: 6 Receptions, 101 Yards, 2 TDs
This is my first time getting a good look at Maliq, and I am impressed by what I saw. On a few of his receptions you don’t see the route, but the amount of separation between himself and the DBs around him are outrageous. Especially the second TD on his film. Crawford definitely has a nose for the soft spots in zone coverage. Maliq’s other TD on the day demonstrated his ability to go up and high point the ball over a DB, and you see some elusiveness after the catch on a lot of the receptions. Strong start for the junior. I’ll be keeping an eye on his this season. Maliq’s Week One Highlights
Colin O’Neil Colin O’Neil 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Cashton | 2023 State WI , ATH/RB- Cashton
Stat Line: 22 Carries, 116 Yards, 1 TD, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards, 3 Tackles, 2 Pass Breakups
Colin first caught my attention with his play as a sophomore. You could see he had potential on both sides of the ball, so I made a mental note to keep track of him this fall. It didn’t take long for him to have the type of game that would earn him a spot in the Top Performers. O’Neil is an athlete that is quicker than he is fast. When he can play between the tackles, read blocks, and utilize his short area agility and quickness he thrives. Something new in this season’s week one film is that he is being moved around the formation a lot more. Not only is he at RB, Colin is also lining up out wide. They are doing their best to get him in situations where he can win. His work at DB was solid in his film as well. He showed some nice recovery ability and is active at the catch point as he breaks up passes. Smaller school kid to keep an eye on. Colin’s Week One Highlights
Deven Soerens, LB- Cedar Grove- Belgium
Stat Line: 8 Total Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 Reception, 27 Yards
In addition to his defensive work, the 5’10” 185 lbs junior OLB let us see some nice burst as he came off the edge to block a couple of punts in week one. The #1 thing I’m most impressed by is his play while setting the edge against the run. He isn’t the biggest kid, but his ability to take on and stop pulling linemen, and also make the tackle, flashed a couple times on film. His high motor and pursuit also allowed him to make plays outside of what his original responsibility was. This is my first time hearing about this kid. Between his hot start on defense, and an impressive reception out of the backfield that demonstrated solid power and balance, you can bet I’ll be keeping an eye on him. Take a look.
Nate King Nate King 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR West Bend East | 2023 State WI , WR- West Bend East
Stat Line: 6 Receptions, 140 Yards, 1 TD
I love doing these articles each week because it allows me to watch kids that I haven’t been able to check out a ton. Nate is one of those. He debuted as a top 50 talent in our rankings update this past winter, and he looks like a solid recruit so far in his high school career. The 6′ 175 lbs WR has shown he can find success inside and outside as a possession receiver. King wins with route running, concentration at the catch point, and his play strength after the catch. All three of those traits were on display this past week. His TD reception was definitely the highlight of his game as he was able to fight through some contact and haul in the deep pass with one hand, maintain his balance down the sideline, and then sprint into the endzone. Love when a kid grabs my attention like King did. I’ll be doing my best to follow his season. Looks like a solid possession WR. Nate’s Week One Highlights
Anthony Corona Anthony Corona 6'2" | 210 lbs | DB Wilmot | 2023 State WI , LB- Wilmot Union
Stat Line: N/A
It’s easy to be ready if you stay ready. That’s what Anthony did as he was needed to step up for an injured teammate and take over the MLB position for Wilmot Union against a tough opponent in Kettle Moraine. The 6’2″ 195 lbs LB looks the part, and had a solid night against the run. A large chunk of his highlights are him showing his ability to mirror backs and meet them in the hole at or near the line of scrimmage. He also showed off some range as he was able to pursue outside the tackle box and make tackles out in space. I will be interested in seeing how much playing time he has earned after the injury issues go away. Anthony’s Week One Highlights
Dadon Gillen, ATH- McFarland
Stat Line: 7 Receptions, 47 Yards
It wasn’t the start McFarland was hoping for, but they have a solid looking athlete in the 6’1″ 180 lbs WR/S in Dadon Gillen. On defense, Dadon showed us that he can be an asset against the run and the pass. Against the run, Dadon is an aggressive, downhill defender who can deliver solid hits and tackles. He can be an impact against the run from deep or he has the ability to step down into the box and avoid blocks while getting to the ball. Against the pass, I was impressed by his awareness as he picked up receivers entering his zone forcing the QB to hold onto the ball longer. As a receiver, Gillen has taken a step forward from last season. His ability to adjust to the ball if it’s off target came through, and he demonstrated that his route running can give himself quite a bit of space between him and DBs. Dadon’s Week One Highlights
Ben Kuenkel Ben Kuenkel 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Altoona | 2023 State WI , QB- Altoona
Stat Line: 6/8 104 Yards, 3 TDs, 3 Carries, 15 Yards
Talk about efficient! Watching half of your pass completions go for TDs will definitely get you in a groove heading into the rest of the season. I like the way Altoona used Ben in week one. The 5’10” 175 lbs QB is a solid athlete and they called a lot of pass plays that got him rolling out and on the move so he could transition right to his legs if the play broke down. Before going to his legs, Ben did a good job of scanning the field and finding his receivers then delivering accurate passes. He was dealing in the short- intermediate range. We might see some impressive stat lines in the air and on the ground from Kuenkel. Ben’s Week One Highlights
Evan Voss, QB/ATH- Black River Falls
Stat Line: 30/48, 330 Yards, 2 TDs, 19 Carries, 92 Yards, 1 TD
I get to take a look back on my alma mater with this one! Voss is an intriguing, under the radar athlete from Black River Falls. He spent his freshman year at WR, his sophomore year at QB, and has now kicked off his junior year at QB once again. There are quite a few ways to use Voss. He has 4.79 speed to pair with his 6’3″ 195 lbs frame, and he isn’t afraid to run with physicality when there is nowhere to go downfield. When you click on the tape, you can see he has a unique throwing motion, but he gets the ball out quick and he has good control and accuracy. The offense loves to spread it out with 4 receivers and attack the short- intermediate range with quick timing passes, and that seems to fit Evan’s skill set well. As you can see from the stat line, Black River Falls put a lot of responsibility on him and it should result in some impressive performances, and the film to match. Definitely an athlete to check out and keep tabs on over the next two seasons. Evan’s Week One Highlights
Drew Edmond Drew Edmond 6'1" | 200 lbs | RB Brookfield Central | 2023 State WI , RB- Brookfield Central
Stat Line: 28 Carries, 245 Yards, 3 TDs
What a coming out party for the 6’1″ 195 lbs RB out of Brookfield Central! In essentially his first varsity action, Drew wasted little time showing that he has the skill set to be a workhorse back against a very talented opponent in Catholic Memorial. It’s impressive film as the one cut back plays with very little wasted movements or jukes. He finds the hole, sticks his foot in the ground, and goes. His speed is the most difficult for me to grasp. He doesn’t appear to be a burner, yet he consistently picked up very big chunks with his straight line speed. The kid ran behind his pads well also. Edmond had no issue pushing the pile for a handful of yards if the hole never developed. Drew was an athlete we were excited about last season, and it’s great to see him find a key role as a junior. Big year coming for the back. Drew’s Week One Highlights
Other Noteworthy Performances
August Maurer August Maurer 6'3" | 210 lbs | DL Hortonville | 2023 State WI , DL- Hortonville
Stat Line: 10.5 Total Tackles, 2 Sacks, 5.5 TFLs, 1 FR
Justice Lovelace, RB- Indian Trail
Stat Line: 18 Carries, 163 Rushing Yards, 1 TD