Menomonie vs Rice Lake: Game Recap & Players of the Game

Week 7 took me to my northern most matchup of the season. A conference showdown between Menomonie and Rice Lake under the lights on the campus of UW- Stout. The head to head comparisons of the two teams had me very excited, and the environment surrounding the event was off the charts as Menomonie was celebrating their homecoming. On the field, this game had everything I look for coming into a game. Teams that are very successful in what they do, next level talent, and players that have been flying under the radar. Let’s get into how the game went, and then dive into those hidden gems! <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Game Recap</strong></span> The games I have attended this fall have a knack for starting off with a bang, and Week 7 was no different as Menomonie’s defense came out and forced a fumble on the first snap of the game. The defense recovered it and set up their offense with great field position. Menomonie wasted no time getting their dominant run game going. The drive lasted 5 plays. Each of them a run. The 5th carry ended the drive when RB <strong>Nick Haviland</strong> broke through the line for the <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1444091925708017664">1 yard score</a> on 4th &amp; 1 giving them the early 7-0 lead. Rice Lake took the field for their second drive and found far more success than their first drive. Rice Lake, just like Menomonie, came in wanting to establish the run. They used that run game to move into Menomonie territory, but the drive halted after a couple of missed throws and then a sack on 4th down by a swarm of Menomonie defenders. Menomonie looked to use their second drive to take command of this game. It looked like they would do just that after 30 yards of penalties on Rice Lake put Menomonie’s offense deep into Rice Lake territory. Rice Lake didn’t fold under the tough circumstances. Instead, they held Menomonie to a field goal attempt from 30 yards out that sailed just wide left as the opening quarter expired. Menomonie’s defense continued it’s dominant performance after the missed field goal. The front seven of the Mustangs constantly was getting multiple defenders into the backfield for TFLs, and pressure on the QB when Rice Lake went to the air. They forced another quick punt on Rice Lake’s third drive of the game. Menomonie’s offense continued having success on their third drive of the game. They continued controlling the game with their strong run game that milked the minutes away. The passing game got a little involved on this drive as a <strong>Reed Styer</strong> boot pass put the Menomonie offense down on the Rice Lake 3. From there, Menomonie went back to RB <strong>Nick Haviland</strong>. Nick plowed his way in from 3 yards out for his second score and the 14-0 lead with 4:37 remaining in the half. The next drive for Rice Lake looked like a strong one until the unit lost a massive piece to their success on offense and defense. It was on a third down pass attempt. WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id="118313" first="Alex" last="Belongia"] reeled in a deep pass down the sideline, and just as he was coming down a Menomonie safety delivered a massive shot that left Belongia down on the ground. It looked like it was a hit to the head, and the injury actually ended Alex’s night. It was very clear to see how much effect his presence has on the performance of Rice Lake. They looked like a completely different team the rest of the game without Alex. After the loss of Belongia, Rice Lake eventually turned it over on downs. This gave Styer and the Menomonie offense 2 minutes to try to punch in another score before halftime. After a couple carries moved Menomonie 13 yards, Styer took off on a scramble to pick up a huge chunk. Then Styer dropped back and found his WR <strong>Lucas Smith</strong> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1444104727063584771">wide open down the field</a>. Smith was able to keep his balance and get into the endzone for the 21-0 lead. That’s where we went into the half. The third quarter started with me scanning for Belongia on the sideline because it was clear that if Rice Lake wanted a shot at staying in this game he was needed. Unfortunately, he didn’t take the field to start the second half and Menomonie was able to find even more success on offense after not needing to worry about the rangy safety. Menomonie started it off on the ground. RB/LB <strong>Brooks Brewer</strong> picked up 38 yards down to the Rice Lake 10. QB <strong>Reed Styer </strong>finished the<a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1444113519247495168"> drive off with his legs</a> this time as he scrambled in from 5 yards out on 4th &amp; goal. After a quick 3 &amp; out by Rice Lake’s offense, Menomonie took the field with great field position after a roughly 25 yard punt return. It was going to be run, run, run some more on this drive until RB <strong>Parker Schultz</strong> punched in a TD fro m6 yards out. The 35-0 lead started a running clock with 3:05 remaining in the third quarter. The quarter ended with Rice Lake punting the ball back after a 3 &amp; out. The running clock paired with the dominant ground game of Menomonie led to a 4th quarter like I have never seen before. Menomonie’s drive burned the entire 4th quarter. Rice Lake never got the ball back. Menomonie started backed up near their goal line and slowly drove down into Rice Lake territory while the clock ticked away. Eventually Menomonie got to a situation where they could kneel out the clock giving us our final score of Menomonie: 35 Rice Lake: 0. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Players of the Game</strong></span> <strong>Menomonie OL</strong> This unit dominated all night long. They owned the line of scrimmage, and were able to reset it multiple yards downfield consistently. The two most impressive members, and next level type players, were ’22 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118541" first="Dominic" last="Johnson"] </strong>(6’3" 325 lbs) and ’22 <strong>Max Hildebrandt (6’4’’ 255 lbs)</strong>. Dominic fits the definition of a mauler. He used his immense size and strength to bulldoze open running lanes for his RBs and QB. Once he gets his hands clamped onto his defender he is going to remove them from the play. Hildebrandt impressed me with his athleticism. He was able to use his quickness to always get himself the proper leverage on his opponent and he was able to get to the second level with ease. His frame definitely has the room to continue adding the size and strength needed at the next level. I highly recommend checking out both of these linemen. <strong>Reed Styer, ’22 QB- Menomonie</strong> Very solid day for the 6’4" 190 lbs senior signal caller. Menomonie’s offense requires Styer to do a lot of reading and reacting whether he is leading the run game or pass game. He was in control all night on Friday night. He made the right choices in the option game, he showed that he was a dual threat at he QB position, and he found success attacking through the air in the short and deep ranges. We also got to see him make throws while on the run and from the pocket. He is a little more raw because of run heavy nature of the offense, but his natural tools such as his size, mobility, and arm talent should have the attention of the next level. I highly recommend checking him out. I also heard from one of our other scouts that Reed impressed him when he came across him during summer camps. Here is one of his highlights! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9963411/6133f2bcd21c6605acd682b8">Reed Week 1-3 &amp; Scrimmage</a> <strong>Brooks Brewer, ’22 LB/RB- Menomonie</strong> The 5’11" 190 lbs two- way athlete was a regular when it came to who’s name was getting announced for each tackle on Friday night. Brooks proved to me that he has a nose for the football, and his ability to navigate the trash in the middle of the box allowed him to get there. The senior was flying through gaps all night, and he was wrecking havoc in the backfield all night long. His relentless motor and pursuit gives him sideline to sideline range as well. On offense, Brooks is a physical ball carrier who has enough speed to eat up green grass when he gets out in space. We got to see that on his 38 yard carry that set up one of Menomonie’s scores on Friday night. Definitely check him out. Potential D3 impact player. Here’s a link to some of his highlights! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9962957/613635bc3448e70998e00000">Brooks Weeks 1-3</a> <strong>Nick Haviland, ’22 RB- Menomonie</strong> Despite only checking in at 5’7" 170 lbs, Nick handled all of the short yardage carries. He scored twice on Friday night. One was a 1 yard dive up the middle and the second was a 3 yard dive up the middle. Haviland showed off the leg drive to help push the pile to pick up those tough yards, and his small stature allowed him to attack even the smallest running lanes. Nick was one of the players coming into the night that I wasn’t aware of, but he clearly has a big role on a very talented team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118313" first="Alex" last="Belongia"], ’22 WR/DB- Rice Lake</strong> <em>Stat Line: 2 Receptions, 30 Yards, 3 Total Tackles</em> I have been looking forward to watching Alex live. I have been calling this kid a steal and a massively under recruited prospect for months. The 6’2" 190 lbs senior didn’t disappoint with his play on the field before his injury. Alex has all the range you could want from your safety and is a reliable tackler when he meets the ball carrier. That range isn’t just from the safety spot either. In his short time on the field last night, Belongia lined up at OLB/slot several times and he would make tackles at the line of scrimmage near the opposite sideline after finding his way through all the trash that there is in the box. His read and reaction skills are some of his top traits and they put him in position to make plays. On offense, Alex was a better route runner than I expected. On film, it felt like he was winning with superior athleticism, but on Friday night he was creating separation with clean route running. He showed off strong hands too as he was able to hang onto the ball while taking that big hit that ended his night. It was easy to see how much the game changed once he left. I don’t think Menomonie had attempted a pass until he left the game. As soon as he was out they threw a TD on the next drive. Alex is a game changer. Loved seeing him land his first offer from Duluth on Sunday! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11432724/Alex-Belongia/highlights">Belongia’s Highlight Page</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209816" first="Elliott" last="Nolin"], ’22 RB/DB- Rice Lake</strong> <em>Stat Line: 9 Total Tackles</em> Elliott first caught my eyes a few weeks ago as a ball carrier and with his coverage skills. On Friday night the two- way athlete proved that he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work and make plays against the run game. That is how you stand out from other players at your position. Do the little things and the things, like make tackles against the run game, that others don’t want to do. The 6’ 175 lbs DB looked like a reliable tackler. Nolin is another prospect that seems to be under the radar a bit. He holds an offer from UW-River Falls and has received some interest from other D3s. Don’t miss out on this athlete. <strong>Christian Lindow, ’22 RB/LB- Rice Lake</strong> <em>Stat Line: 7 Carries, 19 Yards, 10 Total Tackles</em> This was a kid I wasn’t familiar with coming into the night, but I had his name pounded into my head by the end of it. I’m surprised he only ended the night with 10 tackles officially. It seemed like his name was getting called for every tackle on the night. Find the ball and eventually the 6’ 185 lbs LB was going to be there. The rangy, off ball LB is able to make plays from sideline to sideline, and is a physical tackler despite not having the prototypical size. D3 programs might find him worth checking out!