Milwaukee Hamilton vs Bay View: Game Recap & Players of the Game
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I kicked week three off a night early deciding to head to Milwaukee for Prep Redzone Wisconsin’s first live coverage of any Milwaukee teams. I hate that it took this long to get out there, but due to the pandemic…
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Continue ReadingI kicked week three off a night early deciding to head to Milwaukee for Prep Redzone Wisconsin’s first live coverage of any Milwaukee teams. I hate that it took this long to get out there, but due to the pandemic none of the Milwaukee teams were able to play a 2020 season. So, that put the Milwaukee schools high on my list of teams I wanted to watch, and I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to catch two teams with talented athletes on a Thursday night. It was a perfect night for some football too. No wind, no rain, cool temperatures. I even had to trade in the Prep Redzone polo for the hoodie. It definitely felt like football season! Let’s get into how this showdown played out!
Game Recap
For a game that saw 82 points scored total, this game got off to a slow, time consuming start. A huge part of that was due to the run heavy offense of Milwaukee Bay View. It made sense why they stuck to it so heavily. They have a pair of talented junior RBs in Latral and Montral Tillman. The combo perfectly balanced each other too. Latral stretched the field horizontally while Montral played with more power and did a lot more of the between the tackles work. After milking roughly half of the opening quarter with that run game, Latral Tillman got the scoring started with a 9 yard scamper around the right tackle on 4th down. A key to the night was that both teams weren’t set up well at kicker, so they both went for 2 all night and both attempted several onside kicks. After the failed two point conversion and onside kick, Hamilton got their scoring started as well. Led by a surprisingly powerful runner, Devin Rogers, Hamilton quickly moved down the field. It took Rogers two plays to pick up 51 yards. The second of those carries being a 29 yarder for the score that showed of Rogers’ vision to find the cutback lane. After the successful two point conversion, Hamilton ended the quarter leading 8-6 in what looked like it was going to be a battle of the ground games.
The second quarter is where Bay View’s biggest troubles started rearing their ugly head. The run game continued to work, but the offense was having trouble hanging onto the football. Multiple fumbles plagued Bay View’s offense in the second quarter, which killed a ton of their momentum and led to them being held scoreless in the quarter. Milwaukee Hamilton was quick to take advantage of the errors as they built a 24-6 halftime lead. Following Bay View’s first fumble, RB Chris Marshall bust onto the scene with some flashy, explosive plays. Between his explosive runs and QB Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI ’ powerful running, Hamilton moved down into the redzone. That’s where Devin Rogers came in and finished the drive with his second rushing score. After another one of the Bay View scores, Hamilton pushed it to 24-6 on an Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI 2 yard carry after Devin Rogers plowed his way down to the 2 yard line on a 46 yard carry. It was clear what needed to happen in the second half for Bay View to climb back into this game. They had to start taking care of the little things. Things like keeping the ball high and tight, and capitalizing on their 2 point conversions. At the half Hamilton was 3/3 on 2 point conversions while Bay View was 0/1.
The third quarter is where the onslaught of offense and points in. 28 combined points were put on the scoreboard in the second half’s opening quarter, and it was the big names of the night that had the biggest part in it. The first score came when Hamilton QB Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI dropped back, and lobbed an 18 yard pass up to stud WR Daeshon Benson Daeshon Benson 6'6" | 220 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2022 State WI , who until then had been making his biggest impact at safety. Bay View was quick to respond to the 6 points by Hamilton with 8 of their own when QB Jaylan Nelson went deep on the first snap and found WR Amare Turner for the 38 yard score. It was awesome to see that as soon as it seemed like we might have a game on our hands the studs stepped up. On Hamilton’s next drive WR Daeshon Benson Daeshon Benson 6'6" | 220 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2022 State WI took a quick bubble screen from his QB, broke through an arm tackle attempt, and then sprinted into the endzone from 35 yards out to ensure Hamilton stayed in control of this game. This third quarter was Bay View’s QB Jaylan Nelson’s quarter, though. He again went to work on their next possession. The quick twitch athlete was able to find Jadawn Price for the 20 yard score. Both teams ended the quarter also going 1/2 on their 2 point conversion attempts giving us a 38-20 score going into the final quarter of play.
The final quarter was all Milwaukee Hamilton’s. They were able to run their way to several scores on the backs of what turned into a three- headed monster as Owen La emerged as a dangerous weapon out of the backfield to close out the game. I believe the first TD of the quarter was technically a pass from Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI to Owen La as he came across in a jet sweep motion, took the shovel pass, found a seam, and broke into the endzone from 14 yards out. The fumbles again reared their ugly head for Bay View as they turned it over deep in their own territory. Hamilton electric playmaker, RB Chris Marshall, quickly got the offense to the Bay View 10 before QB Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI punched it in from 7 yards out. Hamilton rounded out the scoring, and initiated a running clock, after they forced a turnover on downs. Athlete Owen La make quick work of the drive as he broke free around right tackle and raced 53 yards for the score. This gave us our final score of Hamilton: 62 Bay View: 20. Again, it was the little things in the second half. Bay View couldn’t overcome their fumbling issues and went 1/3 on two point conversions, while Hamilton never turned it over and went 7/8 on two point conversions. Now it’s time to highlight our Players of the Game!
Players of the Game
Ethan Burns Ethan Burns 6'4" | 230 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2023 State WI , 2023 QB- Hamilton
Stat Line: 10/15, 197 Yards, 3 TDs, 3 Carries, 29 Yards, 1 TD
On the ground, I was pleasantly surprised by the running style. I guess I shouldn’t be now that I know Burns stands at 6’3″ 235 lbs, but he had several runs where he broke multiple tackles including one carry down the sideline where he simply tossed the defender off him. Through the air, Ethan showed off his ability to attack every level of the field, and he did a great job of targeting receivers in ways that allowed the receiver to play at their best. Examples of that would be like his jump balls to Daeshon Benson Daeshon Benson 6'6" | 220 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2022 State WI , or quickly getting the ball out of his hands to his explosive playmakers so they could use their athleticism to win. Looking at his mechanics, Burns has very long arms that allow him to really sling the ball. Those long arms do cause the release time to be a little slower, but it was never an issue during the game. Ethan is definitely a junior QB to watch in a deep 2023 QB Class.
Daeshon Benson Daeshon Benson 6'6" | 220 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2022 State WI , 2022 WR/DB- Hamilton
Stat Line: 6 Receptions, 130 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 FR on Defense
Benson had a strong night on both sides of the ball, but he shined on offense at his natural position; wide receiver. The big man definitely lived up to his 6’6″ listed frame and had the super long arms to match making him a huge target for his QB. That huge radius hauled in 60% of his QB’s total completions on the night. He did it in several ways too. The main way, of course, was in the 50/50 ball scenarios where he easily Moss’ kids with his superior catch radius. Benson did a good job of using all his length to high point the ball and keeping it away from defenders. Daeshon also showed off some solid straight line speed on his second TD. It was a bubble screen where he broke through one arm tackle and then won the sprint for 35 yards to the score. Benson brings the physicality needed to win at the position at the next level. He was a difficult tackle all night long.
Chris Marshall, 2023 RB/DB- Hamilton
Stat Line: 8 Carries, 114 Yards
Chris was one of the biggest breakouts of the night! The 5’8″ 155 lbs RB was an electric playmaker that made several plays that not many high school athletes can make. He was able to make those plays due to his combination of elusiveness, vision/instincts, and exceptional speed. All night long, Marshall stretched the defense laterally as he attacked the edges. Once he was able to get out in space he quickly found the lanes of green grass and hit the speed burst to leave defenders far behind him. I was also surprised by his contact balance for his size. Several times he bounced off tackle attempts of DBs downfield and kept moving forward. If you are looking for a change of pace back, or an athlete that can really threaten defenses out in space then make sure you check out the playmaker out of Hamilton. Also, add in that he proved to be a fearless tackler out in space at his DB position. Bay View ran the majority of the time so he didn’t have to do much coverage, but he shined making tackles out in space on backs his size or bigger. Great night for the exciting junior! Chris’ Week 3 Highlights
Devin Rogers, 2023 RB/LB- Hamilton
Stat Line: 6 Carries, 101 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Reception, 24 Yards
Another positive surprise for me was the play of Devin Rogers out of the backfield and from his LB position. I couldn’t find his listed size, but he looks to be in the 5’10” 180 lbs range. Devin is able to pack a lot of power into that frame as well. Whether it was as a lead blocker or as the ball carrier, Rogers was able to power his way to a ton of big plays. His contact balance is a key to his play style. Devin is definitely the tone setter on both sides of the ball with that physicality. Rogers isn’t just a power guy, though. He also was able to outrun defenders as soon as he got to daylight. You don’t average nearly 17 yards a carry without an aspect of speed in your game. Devin was also a solid MLB. He navigated trash well, and he used that strength to shed blocks so he could make several tackles. He showed off a high motor too as he pursued all over the field to make tackles. Check out his film! Devin’s Week 3 Highlights
Owen La- 2022 WR/RB- Hamilton
Stat Line: 2 Carries, 53 Yards, 1 TD, 2 Receptions, 38 Yards, 1 TD
Owen didn’t jump out too much until the 4th quarter, but once he did he really went jumped out! He was the athlete that came in at the start of the 4th quarter and put the game away for Milwaukee Hamilton. He used his speed to break contain, along with his vision to find cutback lanes to generate his big plays. Each of his 4 touches on the night were exciting plays that helped put the final nails in the coffin to secure the W. La is an athletic senior that should at least get some consideration from the next level. He capitalized on all his opportunities last night.
Latral Tillman, 2023 RB- Bay View
One half of the backfield tandem that caught my eyes for Bay View was Latral Tillman. Latral was definitely the back that was the dangerous one when out in space. A ton of his carries were sweeps that allowed him to get the defense moving laterally so he could quickly find running lanes or cutbacks and then use his acceleration and speed to burst through them for big plays. His TD to open the game was one of those where he was able to break contain and use his speed to win the race to the corner of the endzone. It’s worth keeping an eye on this backfield over this season and next to watch how these two develop.
Montral Tillman, 2023 RB- Bay View
The other half of the backfield tandem for Bay View was Montral Tillman. Montral is a little bit bigger, and he plays with a more imposing play style than his counterpart in the backfield. While Latral stretched the defense, Montral challenged them between the tackles with strong, determined runs. It took several defenders to finally drag him down on multiple attempts. Montral still has the speed to be dangerous when he breaks through the first two levels. His best play when given space was on a kickoff return where he flashed his speed as he brought the ball out to midfield before the KO unit was able to finally swarm him and bring him down. Name to know.
Jaylan Nelson, 2022 QB/ATH- Bay View
Jaylan is a senior athlete to check out! The 6’1″ 165 lbs QB/ATH has roughly 4.5 40 speed that he uses at his QB and safety position. At the next level, I believe Jaylan would fit best at the safety position. That way he can use his recognition abilities to read the play and then let his next level speed take him to where he needs to be. I was also repeatedly impressed by his physical play. He isn’t the biggest kid, but that never stopped him from lead blocking on offense, running the ball himself, or flying up field and making tackles. A team could get creative with the Bay View athlete. Just find a way to get that special speed on the field. Check out his highlights right here! Jaylan’s Week 3 Highlights