Twitter Mania: Week 1 Defensive Standouts pt. 1

IHSA Football got kickstarted here last Friday for Week 1 of the season and there were many impressive performances. To cover as many of your performances we posted a tweet on Twitter asking you to drop your highlight tape showcasing your performance from your Week 1 games. Without further ado, here are Twitter Mania’s Week 1 Defensive Standouts from across the state. <hr /> Logan Will Mascoutah 22' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/loganwill22">Twitter</a> Stats: 10 tackles, 2 sacks Eval: When Mr. Will is blitzing just now that it's going to most likely result in a sack as he's able to time it down well as shown through his Week 1 highlights. This young man fills holes in run support, holds QB spy, and gets pressure on the Quarterback. What I like the most about Mr. Will is how he stays square as he's closing the gap between him and the ball carrier because as the ball carrier tries to make a move to get past Mr. Will he's not falling for it. Rather, he's staying in front of the ball carrier leaving him with nowhere to go except to be tackled where he's at. Mason Pawelko Geneva 22' DB <a href="https://twitter.com/MasonPawelko">Twitter</a> Stats: 1 PBU, 1 INT, 7 tackles, 81-yard punt return TD Eval: Mr. Pawelko had himself a game in Week 1 with the following stats above. He has the closing speed to cover sideline to sideline where he will flip his hips to force the incomplete pass downfield and attack downhill to make the open-field tackle when the ball carrier is running E/W. This young man also stays with his man in coverage by staying on the receiver's hip pocket and has quick reaction time by coming down with an interception off of a tipped pass. Roger Belt Richards 22' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/RB3DAWG">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Belt holds down the middle of the defense for Richards and upon watching his Week 1 film you see why. He takes on blocks head-on, occasionally running through them, when he's attacking downhill to make the tackle. This young man fills holes in run support and attacks on each play in his film. If you have the ball, he's coming full speed to bring you down. What I like most about Mr. Belt is how quickly he's able to diagnose the play and upon doing so how quickly he gets to the ball carrier to bring him down. [player_tooltip player_id="179159" first="Ethan" last="Pytlak"] Naperville Central 22’ LB <a href="https://twitter.com/EthanPytlak">Twitter</a> Stats: Pick 6, FF, fum rec Eval: This young man had quite the performance in Week 1’s contest being a stat sheet stuffer on the defensive side of the ball. Once Mr. Pytlak diagnoses the play as a pass he gets to his coverage drops quickly. As he did throughout his highlight tape, he ended up undercutting a route for an interception then accelerated quickly into the endzone. This young man also delivered a heavy blow to a receiver running an underneath crossing route forcing a fumble on the play. If you’re going to be running a route in Mr. Pytlak’s zone you need to keep your head on a swivel as he’s attacking downhill to lay the hit on you once you secure the catch. [player_tooltip player_id="155241" first="Jayshon" last="Lemon"] Morton 22’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay1Lemon">Twitter</a> Stats: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU Eval: Mr. Lemon covers sideline to sideline with his closing speed and almost came away with an interception on the night by undercutting a route. Once he diagnoses the play as a run he attacks downhill making the open-field tackle near the line of scrimmage. There’s also a play in his film where he’s dropped back into coverage and the Quarterback decides to pull the ball down to scramble. Mr. Lemon recognizes this and covers ground quickly to make the tackle forcing the chains to go to the next down instead of letting the chains reset with a 1st & 10. Trystan Anderson Buffalo Grove 22’ DE <a href="https://twitter.com/ttandersonn">Twitter</a> Stats: 8 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFLs Eval: Mr. Anderson holds his gap responsibility at the snap of the ball. Once he diagnoses where the ball carrier is going he gets off the block with his use of hands and makes the tackle on the play. This goes for both outside the tackle as well as inside the tackle runs. During passing situations, he uses a swim move at the point of attack getting an inside penetration putting pressure on the Quarterback resulting in his teammate coming away with an interception. [player_tooltip player_id="133662" first="Omari" last="Rhinehart"] Mundelein 22’ ATH <a href="https://twitter.com/omarimrhinehart">Twitter</a> Stats: 8 carries for 97 yards (1 TD), 7 tackles, 1 fum rec Eval: This young man attacks downhill with his closing speed to make the tackle once he diagnoses the play. He also doesn’t give up on the play by taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. What standout the most about Mr. Rhinehart is his ability to change gears quickly once he diagnoses the play. [player_tooltip player_id="156765" first="Ethan" last="Gallagher"] Lockport Township 22’ LB <a href="https://twitter.com/Ethan_G10">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Gallagher gets into the backfield quickly once the ball is snapped and takes backside pursuit to bring the ball carrier down for a loss on the play. When he’s taking his read step he stays square putting him in a good position to defend against the pass or run. Once he diagnoses the play, he fills holes in run support or will pop his hips to find the nearest man in coverage to guard downfield. Isaiah Johnson Marian Catholic 22’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/NoflyzoneZay">Twitter</a> Stats: 1 INT, 1 PBU, 4 tackles Eval: Mr. Johnson stays with his defender downfield and doesn’t allow the reciever to get to his hips to break him off at the top of the route. This in turn allows him to go up for the 50/50 ball which results in him coming down with the interception and returning it for a touchdown. This young man also has the ability to cover ground quickly by changing gears in an instant. This was showcased in his film where there was a receiver wide open for an instance but Mr. Johnson had other plans by sprinting over there forcing the Quarterback to overthrow the receiver so it wouldn’t get intercepted. He also gets it done in run support by attacking downhill and getting off of blocks to make the tackle. [player_tooltip player_id="155505" first="Brandon" last="Tennicott"] Riverside Brookfield 22’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/BrandonTenn">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Once Mr. Tennicott diagnoses the play he plants his back foot into the ground to attack downhill making the open-field tackle in run support or he will flip his hips to stay with his man in coverage where he’s able to get a hand in there to deflect the pass. [player_tooltip player_id="143779" first="Tyree" last="Morris"] Thornwood 22’ LB <a href="https://twitter.com/TyreeMorris10">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Morris fills holes in run support to make the tackle after diagnosing the play. Upon taking his read step he gravitates towards the line of scrimmage giving him a step advantage to meet the ball carrier in the running lane. Sam Champs Armstrong 22’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/upnext_sjc">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Once Mr. Champs diagnoses the play he attacks downhill to fill holes in run support resulting in making the tackle on the play, if it’s a pass he opens his hips and finds the nearest receiver to cover downfield where he’s able to get his hands in there to deflect the pass. [player_tooltip player_id="120386" first="Eli" last="Shereshovech"] Buffalo Grove 22’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/ShereshovechEli">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Shereshovech has a great first play on his highlight film showcasing the effect he can have on a game. In this first clip, he bursts off the ball using his hands at the point of attack to beat the tackle and gets pressure on the Quarterback resulting in a pick 6 for his defense. It’s plays like these that are game-changers. In the rest of his highlight tape, he fills gaps in run support, holds backside contain, and takes pursuit angles to make chasedown tackles downfield. [player_tooltip player_id="145473" first="Andrew" last="Zook"] Yorkville 23’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewZook34">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Zook had a shorter highlight tape but he made it count as he was a force on the defensive line. He fires off the ball using his hands at the point of attack, utilizing a range of moves such as a bull rush, swim move, etc, to get into the backfield disrupting the play. Mr. Zook paired with [player_tooltip player_id="133959" first="Andrew" last="Laurich"] and company are a force on Yorkville’s defensive line unit. Be sure to keep an eye on them moving forward. [player_tooltip player_id="119351" first="Tyler" last="Wood"] St Francis 23’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerJWood3">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: In his highlight film, Mr. Wood filled gaps in run support and continued fighting through double teams to meet the ball carrier in the running lane. He had a shorter highlight tape for week 1 but look for more to come as the season progresses to get a better insight into how he can perform. Kyle Gettemy Yorkville 23’ LB Twitter Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Gettemy has a very short Week 1 highlight tape. In his highlight, he showcased that he can fill holes in run support and meet the ball carrier in the running lane. What I’m interested to see is what his full skillset encompasses as he gets more film each week. Jalen Ward-Mixon Joliet Central 23’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/leno0224">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Ward-Mixon isn’t afraid to make open-field tackles nor is he going to give up on plays. He takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and attacks downhill in run support. Blake Kersting Yorkville 23’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/BlakeKersting">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Kersting only had a handful of plays for his Week 1 highlights, that being said they encompassed a variety of skillsets that this young man has. For example, we got a glimpse of how he fills holes in run support meeting the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage stuffing the run as well as him taking pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield. This young man also almost came away with an interception in the first clip of his film by undercutting the hitch route just in time. [player_tooltip player_id="158022" first="Dalonte" last="Butcher"] Montini Catholic 23’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/DalonteButcher">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Butcher had a shorter Week 1 highlight tape. What he showcased was that he’s not afraid to come down in run support to take on a big running back like he did last Friday. That being said, we also got a glimpse into his closing speed and quick acceleration when he attacks downhill. Look for more of his skillset to come to light as the season progresses and he gets more film under his belt. [player_tooltip player_id="157980" first="Dash" last="Dorsey"] St Francis 23’ ATH <a href="https://twitter.com/DashDorsey">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: Mr. Dorsey plays on both sides of the ball, this week most of his highlights came on the defensive side of the ball. He kickstarts his highlight tape with an interception that he returns to midfield showcasing how quickly he can change his gears and accelerate. What I like the most about this young man is how he finished that play, by lowering his shoulder to run the guy over. It’s that aggressive playstyle that comes to light when watching his highlight tape, this is seen when he attacks downhill after diagnosing the play to make the tackle. In pass coverage, he’s able to hold his own one-on-one and get his hand in there to deflect the deep shot as shown later in his highlight tape further showcasing the value that he brings to his team. [player_tooltip player_id="133959" first="Andrew" last="Laurich"] Yorkville 23’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewLaurich">Twitter</a> Stats: N/A Eval: First play dominance from this young man where he’s quick off the ball using his hands at the point of attack beating not one but two offensive linemen before getting pressure on the Quarterback resulting in a sack. Mr. Laurich got there so fast the Quarterback didn’t even get a chance to read the defense. This young man is able to fill gaps in run support meeting the ball carrier in the running lane and get it done in the pass rush attack as well. Overall, Mr. Laurich is one to keep an eye on this fall with his aggressive attacking playstyle on the defensive side of the ball. Dalton Brown Edwardsville 24' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/brown3dalton">Twitter</a> Stats: 10 tackles, 1 INT, 1 fum rec Eval: Mr. Brown is a new name to me but wow after watching his Week 1 Varsity highlight tape I'm going to be keeping an eye on him moving forward. He times his blitzes so well that once the ball is hiked he's basically at the mesh point between the running back and the Quarterback. This young man fills holes in run support, gets to his pass coverage drops, and once he diagnoses the play he attacks. <hr /> We’re going to continue this trend of going to Twitter to highlight as many of you young men as possible each week to help you, the student-athlete, get your name out there further. Be sure to follow @jamaskane regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football, @PrepRedzoneIL, and @PrepRedzone.