Week 6 Top Performances: Class of 2023

Before we get ready to dive into Week 7, let’s wrap up our week of recap by taking a look at the top performances from the Class of 2023 during Week 6. This week we have a little something from almost every position. We have multiple 200+ yard rushers, impressive trench monsters on both sides of the ball, a 200+ yard receiver and multiple other eye catching performances! Let’s not wait around. Let’s hit the film and see what these performances have to show us! [player_tooltip player_id="31392" first="Najeh" last="Mitchell"], RB- West De Pere Stat Line: 42 Carries, 212 Yards, 2 TDs, 33 Return Yards In one of their biggest games of the season, West De Pere went to their playmaker early and often on Friday night. Toting the rock a season high 42 times, Najeh shined with the increased workload. The instincts were better than ever as he was able to consistently find the lanes between the tackles and make defenders miss in very tight quarters over and over. Something that stood out more than it has in the past was his contact balance. Najeh did a great job of bouncing off tackle attempts and running through arm tackles. He also did a good job of falling forward when he was brought down. The defense knew it was going to the 5’9" 170 lbs back, and they still had a hard time containing him. Every week, it seems like Najeh gives another reason towards why he is one of the best athletes in the state of Wisconsin. Check him out! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14182148/614f40b03deb11082c528387">Najeh vs De Pere</a> [player_tooltip player_id="191982" first="Sawyer" last="Lichtensteiger"], DL/FB- West Bend East Stat Line: 4 Carries, 9 Yards, 9 Tackles, 3 TFLs I am wildly impressed by the strength demonstrated in Sawyer’s week 6 film. The 6’1" 210 lbs DE spent about half his film going up against Prep Redzone WI’s third best player in the state, and held his own. Sawyer’s mix of leverage and stoutness at the line of scrimmage made it very hard for Whitefish Bay to find success on the ground through his gap. That stoutness is supplemented by his quick hands that always seem to get a strong punch. He did a great job of disengaging from blocks so he could make tackles right along the line of scrimmage or behind it. This is a junior you are going to want to know. It’s my second time including him in these articles. Both times I came away very impressed. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12952252/614fa61564df48094c7258b7">Sawyer vs Whitefish Bay</a> Cortez LeGrant Jr., RB- Sun Prairie Stat Line: 17 Carries, 262 Yards, 1 TD Week 6 saw Sun Prairie in their toughest matchup of the season. They responded by setting the tone with a strong, reliable running game that also provided plenty of big plays for the offense. The leading rusher of that ground attack was Cortez. He ended the night averaging over 15 yards a carry, and the film perfectly highlights the electric, change of pace back. Cortez is such a decisive runner. There is never any wasted movements with the quick ball carrier. Even when he has to make a man miss, his lateral quickness allows him to make one juke to create separation or make the defender miss and then keep going downfield. It seems like every time he touched the ball he was going to find a way to take it at least 10 yards. Check out the film. This kid is getting better and better with each week! [embed]https://twitter.com/d_legrant/status/1441785447026364421[/embed] [player_tooltip player_id="104378" first="Brandt" last="Rice"], OT/DE- Wausau West Stat Line: Blocked for 260+ Yards of Total Offense, 2 Total TDs I think we have a kid that is about to become a fast riser on our hands here. We have him ranked as a TE in our rankings, but it looks like the 6’4" 250 lbs athlete is playing RT and DE for Wausau West now. I love the move, especially in the Wausau West run heavy offense. Rice is very athletic for the OL position, which allows him to fly out of his stance in the run game and get into the chest of his blocking assignment. Rice also has all the required strength to dominate in the run game. It’s short film, but there are still multiple examples of him driving his man downfield before finishing them into the dirt. The big man reportedly runs in the 4.8s. Definitely a very intriguing prospect that teams at the next level are going to want to start looking into building a relationship with. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12823932/6151cba519a5200f7047b712">Brandt vs Marshfield</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104408" first="Benjamin" last="Buxa"], OL/DL- Lakeside Lutheran Stat Line: 9 Total Tackles, 2 TFLs, 3 QB Pressures The 6’3" 270 lbs junior OT/DE is a very talented two-way trench monster. On offense, Ben has some of the most consistent technique I have seen. He keeps a wide, strong base, his hands are always ready to punch, he is light on his feet, mirrors pass rushers easily with his lateral movement, and in the run game has the strength to drive DL off the in one on one blocks, and bury DL in double team blocks. Despite his large frame, Ben is also surprisingly athletic at the DE position. He has all the strength needed to set the edge and be stout against the run, and once he reads pass he uses those active hands, quick burst out of his stance, and strength to get after the QB. It’s no surprise to see that he has already started receiving interest from the D1 and D2 levels. I highly recommend checking out this kid. A name to know. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13047970/614f3265041df70a103c3a61">Ben vs Lodi</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104370" first="Andrew" last="Trandahl"], RB- New Richmond Stat Line: 25 Carries, 139 Yards, 1 TD Check out this explosive playmaker! The 5'8" 180 lbs RB has fun week 6 film to watch and it checks off a lot of boxes that you look for at the RB position. The compact RB is in the conversation for one of the strongest players in the state when it comes to pound for pound strength. It shows up on film too as he lowers his shoulder and runs clean through defenders. That compact frame also gives him a very low center of gravity making him very difficult to tackle. His timed 4.54 speed also translates to the field. Once he gets a lane, Andrew accelerates in the blink of an eye and then pulls away from defenders in the open field. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4765788/614f616204289a07d4efa095">Andrew vs Marshfield</a> Davion Thomas, WR/DB- Racine St. Catherine’s Stat Line: 8 Receptions, 222 Yards, 1 TD, 3 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU This is my first exposure to the 6' 170 lbs WR/DB, and I have been missing out! I am a big fan of Davion's route running ability. He is already a strong route runner. His ability to get into and out of his breaks without losing much of any speed allowed him to create a ton of separation in Week 6. I loved seeing his ability to succeed with several different routes as well. He took the top off the defense, ran curls/comebacks, double moves, and out routes just to identify a few of them. Thomas' ability to adjust to the ball stood out as well. On a couple receptions he had to either come back for the ball and fight through contact to haul in the pass. After the catch, Davion does a solid job of picking up yards by being elusive in the open field. Definitely check him out! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13135787/614f56f14207250efc5d2132">Davion vs Brown Deer</a> [player_tooltip player_id="104504" first="Jax" last="Hertel"], RB/LB- Big Foot Stat Line: 24 Carries, 174 Yards, 2 TDs, 6 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack Jax has an excellent build for both the RB and LB position checking in at 6'1" 205 lbs with the strength and athleticism to produce at either position at the next level. On defense, that blend allows him to be just as effective in space as he is setting the edge against the run. Hertel has shown that he is a very reliable form tackler and isn't easy to shake when he gets into 1 on 1 scenarios with an RB in the open field. He has proven he can take on blockers, shed them, and make the TFL. On offense, Jax dominates with a balanced attack. He has the speed to pull away from defenders in the open field, but he is at his best using his instincts, power, and contact balance between the tackles to wear out the defense, and pick up consistent chunks of yards. Hertel's power and balance have proven to be too much for individual defenders to stop, and if multiple defenders can't get there in time he is going to break it for a big play. Check out his great performance here! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13057584/61509a674207250efc5f3d38">Jax vs Hustisford</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31397" first="Jacory" last="Mcdaniel"], OL- Milwaukee Marshall Stat Line: Blocked for 113 Passing Yards, 318 Rushing Yards, 7 Total TDs Jacory checks in at an impressive 6'3'' 285 lbs and uses it to be a solid run blocker. McDaniel is at his best when he can be aggressive and attack as a run blocker. He has the nasty mentality you want to see as he finishes his blocks to the ground. Jacory used his superior strength to create quite a bit of push off the line of scrimmage opening up big lanes for his RBs. If Jacory wasn't putting his man in the ground then he was driving him 10 yards downfield. Check out the film. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13528011/614e430a3deb11082c50ffc8">Jacory vs Reagan</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31401" first="Jackson" last="King"], OL- Rufus King Stat Line: N/A Jackson is a mauler of an RT. He is looking to make sure his defender feels all 6'4" 315 lbs of him. He has some of the most naturally heavy hands that I have seen. Just this week alone he has multiple clips of his initial punch putting defenders on their backs. If the punch doesn't do the job, Jackson is gifted with some serious strength to create a lot of movement in the trenches. There are definitely things to clean up technique-wise, but the natural strength and size are very enticing and should earn him a lot of attention. [embed]https://twitter.com/jacksonking2023/status/1441855736154308615[/embed] Other Noteworthy Performances [player_tooltip player_id="104413" first="Drew" last="Edmond"], RB- Brookfield Central Stat Line: 16 Carries, 170 Yards, 4 TDs, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards AJ Holmgren, RB/LB- Saint Croix Central Stat Line: 26 Carries, 142 Yards, 2 TDs, 7 Tackles, 1 TFL Carter Kriewaldt, RB/LB- Freedom Stat Line: 26 Carries, 110 Yards, 1 TD, 7 Tackles