Game balls for Palmer Ridge in Week 6

It was a thrilling game in Class 4A between Palmer Ridge and Montrose to open league play in the 4A Southern 1. Though Palmer Ridge came up short 28-21 on Friday, they will still be a threat to make it back to the state championship game with the talent on its roster. There were a number of players who had impressive performances in the game, and Prep Redzone has a few game balls to hand out to the players who shined. <h3><strong>Ethan Twesme, 2022, 6’0, 220, TE/DL</strong></h3> There are athletes that you see on the field and claim that they are a true football player. Twesme fits that mold and contributed in all three phases. He is a tight end who can put his hand in the ground and come off the ball to do some run blocking, and he can get open on routes up the middle of the field and has good hands hauling in passes, one of which was a touchdown. On defense, he rotated along the defensive line and was able to make his presence felt, and he recovered a fumble in the red zone that prevent Montrose from going up double digits in the first half. He is even the team punter and did a good job flipping field position when called on. Twesme had a big night for Palmer Ridge. <h3><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22673" first="Anthony" last="Costanzo"], 2022, 6’3, 206, WR/DB</strong></h3> The UNLV commit is a favorite for his quarterback to throw to. He is a solid athlete who runs well in space and does a good job in his breaks and stopping on his routes to get himself open. When a play broke down and his quarterback was rolling out, he did a good job finding the open space and setting up a nice window to throw to. Then there is his skill set in the short passing game where they get him the ball and allow him to break a tackle in space and run up the field for extra yardage. While he made most of his plays on offense in this game, Costanzo is also a reliable safety for the Palmer Ridge defense with great ball instincts who can play against the run and the pass. <h3><strong>Will Lottes, 2022, 6’1, 260, OL/DL</strong></h3> The Palmer Ridge offensive line was solid, and they have a number of division I recruits to watch. One player that is perhaps underappreciated but playing well this season is Lottes from the center position. He did a good job with his down blocks to create a seam for his running back to run behind, and he did so at times against a bigger defensive tackle from Montrose. The pass protection was also there up the middle, where he did a good job of picking up blitzers and playing with a great base. Teams will be drawn to the tackles that Palmer Ridge has, but Lottes proves they are just as strong up the middle as they are on the outside. <h3><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22762" first="Joshua" last="Gerlach II"], 2023, 6’2, 195, DB</strong></h3> With his length and speed, Gerlach has the ability to cover plenty of ground from his secondary position. He had to make some tackles on the back end, but the safety proved he can bring the contact against a bigger running back when needed. He also forced a fumble in the first half, showing good ball skills as well. Drawing interest from Wyoming and a few other FBS and FCS schools, he is an intriguing defensive back prospect who seems to make plays against the run and the pass in each and every game for the team.