Waukesha West vs Waukesha South: Game Recap & Players of the Game

Week 8 saw me make my way to Waukesha, WI to watch Waukesha West attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive against a Waukesha South team that has a good collection of talent from several graduating classes. Waukesha South came into the night ready to play spoiler, and end those playoff hopes. This set the stage for the cross- town battle to be worth even more than usual. Let’s get into how it played out, and see who came out on top in the showdown! Game Recap The defenses opened the game with strong showings as each one of them forced opening drive 3 & out punts. However, Waukesha West’s offense found their groove on their second drive of the night. Junior QB Brady Foster got things going with his right arm completing pass for 19 yards, and 14 yards on the drive. After approaching the redzone, the Waukesha West run game took over. Led by the powerful running of 5’11" 230 FB Jason MacIntyre plowed his way into the endzone <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1446633268225445892">from 4 yards out</a> for the 7-0 lead. Waukesha West’s defense ended the quarter by continuing their dominant performance. They once again forced a South 3 & out after DT Quinn Metzger got to QB [player_tooltip player_id="31415" first="Tak" last="Tateoka"] with heavy pressure forcing an incomplete pass. Rux caught my eye over and over Friday night. He will definitely be someone we highlight in the Players of the Game below! The second quarter was owned by West on both sides of the ball. They started the second quarter with the ball at their own 28. This is where West WR Brady Wilde started his special night. First, he gained 17 yards on a reception. Then, after a couple of successful boot passes from Foster, QB Brady Foster found Wilde on a deep drag across the middle of the field. After the catch, Wilde flashed his speed as he quickly pulled away from the DBs around him and put his team up 14-0 with 8:58 to play in the first half. From there the second quarter ticked away as both defenses forced 3 & outs; West actually forced two. With just over 2 minutes to play in the quarter Brady Foster and his West offense went to work. Foster picked up 14 yards with his arm on 3rd & 15, then he converted the 4th & 1 with a hard count. A couple pass completions later got West to the South 4. With :30 left, RB Jason MacIntyre made another key play on the night as he once again powered his way into the endzone for the 21-0 lead at the half. The second half was a tale of strong defensive efforts and forced turnovers. Both the West and South defenses got in on the takeaway fest that broke out in the third quarter. Before those defensive efforts, South’s offense came into the second half looking ready to get back into the game. RB/DB Giancarlo Williams had back to back carries that really got momentum onto the side of Waukesha South. His first carry gained 22 yards and his second carry went for 10+ yards as he picked up a first down. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to sustain a drive long term and South punted the ball away. South wasn’t going to roll over, though. Their defense dug in and, after a third down sack, forced a punt. This is where the turnovers started. On the first play of South’s offensive series, West safety Loyal Sheedy picked off a deep pass setting up the West offense near midfield. West looked poised to put this game away as they used their balanced attack of passing and rushing to get the ball down inside the South 5. That’s where our next turnover occurred. As West was about to bust into the endzone, a South defender punched the ball out and South DB [player_tooltip player_id="105032" first="Chris" last="Flowers"] was able to <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWI/status/1446654958519074816">jump on the loose ball</a> in the endzone for the touchback. As the third quarter came to a close, South was beginning their best offensive drive of the evening. South Junior RB Johnaye Harris started the strong drive with a big run out to the South 44. South QB [player_tooltip player_id="31415" first="Tak" last="Tateoka"] added a quick pass completion to the strong South run game that moved them to the West 25. Unfortunately, the West defense wasn’t done generating turnovers. The opportunistic defense jumped on a loose ball putting West’s offense back on the field. West RB Aex Schneider kicked off the drive with a carry for 23 yards. The run game continued to milk away at the clock until QB Brady Foster took to the air completing a 35 yard pass to Adam Sobczak. The Foster- Wilde connection capped off the drive with the duos second scoring connection giving West the 28-0 lead with 6:09 to play. The turnovers continued to rear their ugly head on the first play for South’s offense. Once again, South went deep on the first snap of the drive, and once again, it was Loyal Sheedy who came down with the interception. The connection of Foster- Wilde shined again on the next drive as they put their third TD of the night on the board. That score put us at the final score of the game. West: 34 South: 0 keeping West’s playoff hopes alive heading into the final week of the season! Players of the Game Waukesha West OL Stat Line: Protected for 225+ passing yards and cleared the way for 200+ rushing yards Led by [player_tooltip player_id="198516" first="Gunnar" last="Hanson"] and Samuel Werner, the Waukesha West OL dominated the trenches. This unit holds a huge amount of responsibility for how balanced the West offense has been able to be all season long. It continued in this game as they passed and rushed for 200+ yards each. The two prospects I listed at the beginning are the ones I want to spotlight in this section. [player_tooltip player_id="198516" first="Gunnar" last="Hanson"] is a massive 6’5" 300 lbs with the length and strength to match that immense size. Gunnar is at his best when he down blocks in the run game. When he crashes down on an unsuspecting IDL, Gunnar is able to easily drive him down the line and far away from the running lane behind him. I got an up close look at Hanson’s nasty side as he finished his defender into the ground on several reps. Gunnar clearly has the size, strength, and length to play OL at a very high level. As he continues to increase his body control over the next year I expect him to become a very fast riser on the recruiting trail. Check out his highlights from the game here and make sure you know this junior! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12745796/6163156d17620c0ee8d9ee53">Gunnar vs Waukesha South</a> Samuel Werner had a very good game Friday night. The 6’2" 250 lbs senior LT is an under the radar OL prospect that needs to be brought to the forefront. Similar to the offense overall, Werner has a very balanced skill set. In pass protection, Samuel showed me that he has solid lateral agility and reactive athleticism to be able to mirror pass rushers. He also proved that he has the anchor strength to sink his hips and stop bull rushers in their tracks. In the run game, Werner uses that agility to also be able to get himself into a position where he can always get proper leverage and his body between the DL and the running lane. He also has enough strength to drive defenders off the line. Check him out! Highlights from the night are here! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10874399/6163187f96768a0de47081ed">Samuel vs Waukesha South</a> Brady Foster, ’23 QB Waukesha West Stat Line: 14/20, 227 Yards, 3 TDs The 6’2" 190 lbs junior signal caller had a great night Friday night! He put on a full display of his abilities as a passer. He delivered darts to every level of the field both while on the run and from the pocket. Brady did a good job of playing with poise all night long. He stood tall in the pocket, and didn’t go to his running ability unless it was the play call. When it was the playcall, Brady definitely has the dual threat to his game. West utilized him on QB draws that allowed him to be a playmaker with his speed and vision, and they used him on a lot of bootleg passes where he was able to easily break contain deliver the pass or scramble. Foster has been a riser for me this season, and look forward to watching him continue to develop over the next year. Brady Wilde, ’22 WR Waukesha West Stat Line: 7 Receptions, 110 Yards, 3 TDs The 6’ 165 lbs senior WR has a nose for the soft spots in coverage. All night long, Brady was either sitting down in those soft spots or running into them making himself an easy target for his QB. After the catch, Wilde repeatedly proved to have the play speed to pull away from defenders in the open field. As a route runner while facing man to man coverage, Wilde used his route running to create separation. His ability to accelerate out of his breaks were the key to his success there. Check out the senior’s highlights from Friday! The go-to WR is flying under the radar. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10874382/6161aac99a9bdf07c067575b">Brady vs Waukesha South</a> Jason MacIntyre, ’22 RB Waukesha West Stat Line: 7 Carries, 33 Yards, 2 TDs, 4 Receptions The 5’11’’ 230 lbs senior FB was a force on the field Friday night. Every time Waukesha West found themselves in a short yardage situation, Jason was there to pick up the yards. There was no questioning how MacIntyre was going to pick up those yards either. He was going to attack straight ahead, lower his shoulders, and keep his legs churning until he got to where he needed to be or was finally drug down. Check out his highlights to see that tough running, but also check out his impact in the passing game. Jason was both a reliable checkdown option and an impressive pass blocker, including one rep where he flattens a free rusher. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10874384/61645b775eec2c06fcb5e377">Jason vs Waukesha South</a> [player_tooltip player_id="31443" first="Jack" last="Watke"], ’23 RB Waukesha West Stat Line: 20 Carries, 103 Yards The 5’9" 185 lbs junior RB carried the load for West, especially between the 20s. Jack was consistent all night long. Carry after carry, Watke was able to pick up 5+ yards to keep the offense in rhythm and in good down and distance situations. As a ball carrier, Jack showed off his natural instincts. He always was able to find the lane, hit it without hesitation, and most times would at least break through an arm tackle attempt. Watke finishes his runs strong as well. I also loved seeing his pass protection just like his teammate above. Jack is an RB to keep an eye on over the next year. Here are his highlights from the night! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12940894/61623acb0dbf96085817bd16">Jack vs Waukesha South</a> Loyal Sheedy, ’22 DB Waukesha West Stat Line: 2 INTs Loyal burst onto the scene in the second half when Waukesha South was forced to try and generate big plays through the air. Every time they did it seemed like Loyal was back there ready to take it away. Loyal demonstrated the ability to locate the ball in the air, and then go up and get it in traffic. Once he got the ball in his hands, Sheedy became a dangerous return man setting his offense up in great position to keep scoring. No film or Twitter for the senior DB, but a great Friday night! Quinn Metzger ’23 DL- Waukesha West Stat Line: N/A The junior DT was a force on Friday night! He proved to have a well balanced attack as he was able to make plays against the run and pass games of Waukesha South. Quinn also stepped up in key situations. He got after the QB to force incompletions on third downs with his pressure, and he made it very difficult for Waukesha South to get their inside run game going. Metzger proved to have the strength to take on double teams, and used his length to his advantage. Metzger was definitely one of the more impressively built prospects on the field Friday night. He’s a junior to have on radars. Giancarlo Williams, ’22 RB/DB- Waukesha South Stat Line: 11 Carries, 48 Yards I was very impressed by Gian’s impact Friday night, on both sides of the ball. Despite being undersized (5’9" 165), Giancarlo was one of the best tacklers on the field. He would come flying off the edge from his slot or outside CB positions and perfectly attack the lower half of the larger backs from Waukesha West. Williams’ closing speed made it difficult for West to be able to get a hat on him to keep him out of the backfield when he saw it was a run. Basically, all you had to do was find the ball on defense and Giancarlo was eventually going to show up. Williams also proved to be a shifty option in the backfield on offense. His lateral agility paired with his vision allowed him to generate a lot of yards that didn’t seem to be there when the play started. Give the senior a look! C.J. Johnson, ’23 DL- Waukesha South Stat Line: N/A The 6’1" 230 lbs DL/FB is a compact, muscular athlete to have on radars going forward. Despite not being the ideal size for the DE position, C.J. went toe to toe with a very good Waukesha West OL and was able to make several plays that caught my eyes. His blend of strength and lateral athleticism allowed him to capitalize on his natural leverage and either be stout at the line of scrimmage or shed the block and then make the tackle at the line or get pressure in the backfield. His ability to find the ball carrier as he works through the trash within the trenches stands out in his highlights from the night. Check them out right here! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12998126/6161a2ba02b1460484d17ca6">CJ vs Waukesha West</a>