Providence Academy vs SMB-Wolfpack – Defensive standouts

Defense was the story Wednesday night. Providence Academy would give up one touchdown and one big play the entire game. The SMB-Wolfpack’s defense was just a shade behind the now undefeated Lions’ defense – giving up just two touchdowns. In the end, the Lions’ got a 13-7 road victory. There were a bunch of individual performances on the defensive side of the ball. Here are some that stood out. <strong>Logan Ahlers Providence Academy DL</strong> Ahlers was a force on the inside. He didn’t just make a mess of things on the inside so his linebackers could get all the glory. He took matters into his own hands. I saw six SMB runs up the middle that Ahlers either stuffed for a short gain or he made a tackle for loss. As a punter, he pinned SMB inside the twenty at least two times. [player_tooltip player_id="18423" first="Chase" last="Carter"] <strong>SMB DL</strong> Even when Carter was not making plays that would show up on the stat sheet, it was easy to see the Lions’ offense was aware of the Michigan State commit. The Lions were running plays to make Carter’s impact minimal. Even so, for short periods, he showed how dominant he could be. Carter made a tackle for loss; then he showed his speed running down a play from the backside for a loss. Later, he showed his explosiveness by blowing by his blocker and sacking the quarterback. From the backside, twice he came down the line of scrimmage to make a tackle for a short gain. Late in the game, he made one more tackle in the backfield. [player_tooltip player_id="49843" first="Jacob" last="Meissner"] <strong>Providence Academy DL</strong> Meisser was a monster on the offensive side of the ball, and he was almost as good defensively. He made a tackle on the outside, preventing what looked like would have been a big run. He broke through a block to make a tackle for a short loss. He was off with the snap on another play and was immediately in the backfield for a tackle for loss - the running back didn’t have a chance. Late in the game, his quickness of the line was on display again, immediately beating his blocker for a sack that basically ended the game. [player_tooltip player_id="112132" first="Brody" last="Rindelaub"] <strong>SMB LB</strong> First, Rindelaub stopped a run for a loss. Then, he scrapped down the line of scrimmage to stuff a draw play. He filled the hole to stop a run on the inside for a loss. He made another tackle for no gain, and then he prevented a sweep from getting outside, allowing his teammates to make a tackle for a minimal gain. [player_tooltip player_id="116260" first="Mark" last="McCarthy"] <strong>Providence Academy DL</strong> McCarthy was a problem for the Wolfpack in the passing game. Early, he put good pressure on the quarterback, forcing a hurried throw. Then, he forced the quarterback out of the pocket, trailed him across the field, and forced the quarterback out of bounds resulting in a sack for a short loss. His pressure later in the game forced an off-target throw. <strong>Ja'Rory  Purnell Providence Academy CB</strong> Purnell’s great coverage on an out and up route took away the primary receiver, allowing the pass rush to force the quarterback to throw the ball away. A few plays later, he had tight coverage on a deep ball down the sidelines. <strong>Quick hits</strong> <strong>Malcolm Humes SMB DB</strong> - read a screen pass allowing his teammates to make a tackle for minimal yardage <strong>Dane Borene SMB DL</strong> - stuffed an inside run <strong>James Wicht Providence Academy DL</strong> - tackle for loss on the inside, stuffed a run up the middle <strong>Judah Thomas SMB DB</strong> - defects a pass <strong>Josh Mogeni Providence Academy DB</strong> - forced a runner inside so teammates could make the tackle [player_tooltip player_id="19004" first="Peyton" last="Lange"] <strong>SMB DT</strong> - held down the middle, made two tackles for no gain <strong>Josh Mogeni Providence Academy DB</strong> - keeps contain, allowing McCarthy to make a tackle for loss Trenton Page SMB DL - blew up an inside run enabling his teammates to make a tackle for loss <strong>Abu Tarawallie Providence Academy DL</strong> - pressure on the quarterback forced a punt, blew up an inside run to force a punt [player_tooltip player_id="19032" first="Joey" last="Stolpestad"] <strong>SMB LB</strong> - multiple tackles, including a tackle on third and short <strong>Anthony Fahnlander Providence Academy CB</strong> - interception on a deep ball down the sidelines <strong>Grady Rannow SMB DB</strong> - read a halfback pass and stayed in tight coverage, causing an incompletion