Best Defensive Performances of the 2021 State Championships

This past weekend we had a ton of amazing defensive performances in the state championships at every position on the field. From rising edge rushes to DB’s who rose to the occasion, here are 11 of the best defensive performances in the State Championships <strong>Beal City MLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14606589/Josh-Wilson">Josh Wilson</a></strong> Wilson had himself a giant performance as his team came up just short in the state championship. Wilson had a total of 13 tackles, an incredible amount even against a team that runs non-stop. <strong>Hudson SS <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12793837/Bronson-Marry">Bronson Marry</a></strong> Marry had the game-sealing interception in what was a defensive showdown. He displayed great coverage skills and had a total of 6 tackles, plus a tackle for loss. <strong>De La Salle DE <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12866025/Mason-Muragin">[player_tooltip player_id="226712" first="Mason" last="Muragin"] </a></strong> Muragin has had plenty of well-deserved attention coming his way lately. He’s one of the best defensive ends in the 2023 class and displays a plethora of great speed/finesse moves. He played some great senior tackles this past week, and he won most of those 1 on 1 battles. This guy is going to be a problem last year, and he posted 6 tackles including a 6-yard TFL. <strong>Lansing Catholic DE/MLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11524848/Mason-Knippen">[player_tooltip player_id="30291" first="Mason" last="Knippen"] </a></strong> It was another one of those defensive battles, and when it came down to it, Knippen stopped the run incredibly well all game and forced Michigan Collegiate to pass, and he even balled out there too. He posted 8 total tackles with 1 TFL with a big interception. <strong>Michigan Collegiate MLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16461999/Elijah-bush">Elijah Bush  </a></strong> Posting 9 tackles and a whopping 3 tackles for loss, Bush carried the defense on his back and held Lansing Catholic to just 16 points. The class of 2024 athlete is set for a breakout year next year. <strong>Unity Christian MLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10020341/Ryan-Shinabery">Ryan Shinabery  </a></strong> Shinabery has played sensationally all season and had an outstanding 16 tackles against Chelsea. He’s incredibly aggressive, with a knack for finding the ball and destroying whoever has it. What a year it was for him and Unity Christian, and Shinabery surely did everything he possibly could for a dub. <strong>Belleville DE <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13758826/Jashawn-Greene">JaShawn Greene  </a></strong> It’s incredibly hard to gameplan against a veer offense, and to have really any huge standout defenders when going against a veer offense, but Belleville had multiple standouts who absolutely balled out. Greene was a monster posting 8 total tackels, with 3 tackels for loss, 1 sack, and a forced fumble. He was unblockable and uber aggressive, helping his team run away for their first state championship. <strong>Belleville OLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14672901/Aaron-Alexander">[player_tooltip player_id="93771" first="Aaron" last="Alexander"] </a></strong> The Michigan commit was extremely versatile and dominant on the defensive end, totaling 4 tackles, a 12-yard sack, 2 pass breakups, and a batted down pass. It’s the most versatile performance of the weekend, and he has a very bright future ahead of him in Ann Arbor. <strong>Grand Rapids Catholic Central LB [player_tooltip player_id="30137" first="Nolan" last="Ziegler"]  </strong> The Notre Dame commit (still 100% committed) was the MVP for the 3-peat cougars. Totaling 13 tackels with a tackle for loss, Ziegler was seemingly all over the field making plays all night on both sides of the ball. <strong>DeWitt DB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13141836/Bryce-Kurncz">[player_tooltip player_id="241259" first="Bryce" last="Kurncz"]  </a></strong> Facing the best quarterback and receiving core in the state, Kurncz had a great game which included 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 RedZone forced fumble, a pass breakup, and a sack. He truly did everything he possibly could for his team, but they fell a yard short from defeating King. <strong>Detroit King MLB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11472563/Blake-Bailiff"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="30213" first="Blake" last="Bailiff"]</span></a></strong> Lots of great performances and a true team effort from King, though Bailiff had the best statistical performance with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. He’s aggressive, high IQ, quick, and incredibly strong. It was a great day for him and an amazing way to cap off his high school football career.