D4 State Championship: Catholic Memorial vs Ellsworth
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We wrapped up Day One of the State Championships at Camp Randall with a showdown between a pair of 13-0 teams looking to end the season with a flawless 14-0 record and a state championship! The game played out like…
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Continue ReadingWe wrapped up Day One of the State Championships at Camp Randall with a showdown between a pair of 13-0 teams looking to end the season with a flawless 14-0 record and a state championship! The game played out like both teams were willing to do whatever it took to bring home that championship trophy! The star athletes all went off, and their was a great representation of talent from the senior, junior, and sophomore classes. College coaches looking to find athletes from any of those classes need to check out the Players of the Game below! Let’s first get into how this game played out!
Game Recap
The game got underway with early fireworks from the Catholic Memorial Crusaders’ top playmaker! Sophomore RB Corey Smith used his exceptional speed to get around the left corner and race untouched for the 41 yard score. It looked like it was going to be another Catholic Memorial weekly dominance from there as they recovered the pooch kick. Senior QB, and Notre Dame baseball commit, Rory Fox was able to cap off that drive with a 5 yard rushing TD putting Catholic Memorial up 14-0 3:51 into the game! Catholic Memorial was able to force a turnover on downs by Ellsworth on their first defensive effort, and ended the first quarter with Fox TD pass to senior RB Obacoso Allen Obacoso Allen 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Catholic Memorial | 2022 State WI for 27 yards on a swing route out of the backfield. Ellsworth was having a rough time getting any sort of rhythm. On their second drive of the game CM senior DB Marvell Lee Marvell Lee 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Catholic Memorial | 2022 State WI was able to come up with an INT. However, Ellsworth got their first spark when RB/LB, and Gophers commit, Max Grand Max Grand 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Ellsworth | 2022 State WI was able to bring down Rory Fox for a turnover on downs! Ellsworth took that momentum and turned it into an Ashten Quade 13 yard TD run where Ashten was able to really show off his elite level speed. The failed two point conversion left us at 21-6 early in the second quarter. As dominant as Catholic Memorial was in quarter one is how dominant Ellsworth was in quarter #2. Ellsworth senior ATH Jack Janke Jack Janke 6'1" | 200 lbs | WR Ellsworth | 2022 State WI was able to grab an INT. Janke capped off the following drive with a one yard score bringing us to Catholic Memorial leading 21-12 at the half.
The second half started back in Catholic Memorial’s favor as they once again recovered an onside kick to give their offense an extra drive over Ellsworth. At this point in the game Catholic Memorial was on drive #7 compared to Ellsworth’s 4 drives. Catholic Memorial wasn’t able to turn that extra drive into any points as they punted the ball away, downing it at the Ellsworth 4. The second half was all about the defenses as CM senior WR/DB Charlie Jarvis was able to snag an INT. Not to be outdone, Ellsworth’s defense was able to answer with a Max Grand Max Grand 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Ellsworth | 2022 State WI INT. Ellsworth then went on a massive 16 play drive at the start of the 4th quarter that unfortunately didn’t end in any points while killing a lot of clock as they eventually turned it over on downs.Charlie Jarvis put the final nail in the coffin by grabbing his second INT of the game late in the 4th quarter allowing his offense to run out the time giving Catholic Memorial the 21-12 win, state championship, and 14-0 record! This was CM’s third straight State Championship!
Top Prospects of the Game
Corey Smith, ’24 RB- Catholic Memorial
Stat Line: 11 Carries, 78 Yards, 1 TD
The 6’ ’175 lbs sophomore is one of the top sophomore prospects in the state, and we got to see why in the final game of the season! The long, ultra athletic ball carrier is a big play waiting to happen, and a natural playmaker. His long speed in the open field makes him impossible to chase down as he erases pursuit angles. His elusiveness and vision in the open field allow him to find the path of least resistance and then create huge plays with the game breaking speed. It’s easy to see why the FBS level has already shown interest in the special talent. I can’t wait to see how the young star develops this offseason. He is going to be even more of a problem next season.
Charlie Jarvis, ’22 DB/WR- Catholic Memorial
Stat Line: 2 Carries, 31 Yards, 8 Tackles, 2 INTs
The 6’1″ 195 lbs WR/DB is an intriguing prospect. The first time I watched Catholic Memorial this season Charlie made a huge impact as a receiver where he showed off the speed to stretch the field, and the physicality to generate a lot of yards after the catch in the short passing game. During the D4 State Championship Charlie made his biggest impact at safety. He showed off the range to go from deep safety to making TFLs out near the sideline. The range also allowed him to be a ballhawk in the secondary making it hard for Ellsworth to attack through the air. Jarvis was one of the most well rounded athletes on the field. He is also a talented baseball player. Lots of options for Jarvis at the next level. He’s a potential steal on the gridiron.
Rory Fox, ’22 QB- Catholic Memorial
Stat Line: 9/15, 80 Yards, 1 TD, 14 Carries, 89 Yards, 1 TD
The 6’2″ 180 lbs senior signal caller is a current Notre Dame baseball commit, so it looks like his football days are now behind him. It was a strong game to go out on as he did a good job taking what the defense gave him through the air hitting several short passes that turned into big plays after the catch. Fox also showed off the athleticism that will be key on the diamond at the next level. He was able to gash the defense several times both between the tackles and out on the edges. His acceleration really stood out on the night because when he decided to take off he was gone if Ellsworth wasn’t right there ready to contain him. Good luck at the next level, Rory!
Obacoso Allen Obacoso Allen 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Catholic Memorial | 2022 State WI , ’22 RB- Catholic Memorial
Stat Line: 5 Carries, 26 Yards, 1 Reception, 27 yards,1 TD
The 5’10″ 185 lbs senior RB is one of the top under the radar prospects in the state. He currently holds a top 3 ranking in the senior RB class here in WI, and he flashed why he earned that spot in the championship game. He wasn’t able to get a ton of work on the ground, so instead he did his thing in the passing game showing off his value as a third down back. Allen has naturally soft hands, is a smooth route runner, and is elusive when he gets out in space. His straight line speed and agility make him a nearly impossible athlete to cover if you put anything other than a DB on him when he comes out of the backfield. College coaches, don’t miss out on this dude! Big time steal potential!
Marvell Lee Marvell Lee 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Catholic Memorial | 2022 State WI , ’22 DB- Catholic Memorial
Stat Line: 2 Tackles, 1 INT
The 5’11″ 160 lbs senior DB only saw 11 pass attempts that he had to play coverage against, but he still managed to haul in one for an INT. Lee is an intriguing athlete that is under the radar right now. D3 programs should have a lot of interest in his services. Marvell has the twitchy reactive athleticism to be able to play tight man coverage, and he isn’t afraid to come down and make a tackle against the run game out in space on the edge despite not being the biggest guy. I recommend giving him a look!
Catholic Memorial OL
This unit is full of present and future stars. They all have big frames, some of them massive, and they played great as a unit. You won’t find a better collection of five college prospects than this group. Multiple of the group I believe will be D1 athletes when their time to commit comes. Check out the tweet for names, size, and twitter handles! Don’t miss out on any of these dudes. They all should be playing at the next level, and there is something for every level of competition. If you are looking for OL help this is where you start!
The entire @cmhfootball OL deserves a shoutout, and they all deserve to be on a roster at the next level 🔥⬇️
‘24 @donovan_harbour 6’5” 315
‘22 @josiahNathanie1 6’ 265
‘22 @LoganErchull63 6’2” 255
‘23 @nathanlott19 6’ 265
‘22 @mcknightmorgan 6’3” 255Need to Know prospects
— Mark Johnson (@MJ_NFLDraft) November 19, 2021
Max Grand Max Grand 5'9" | 185 lbs | RB Ellsworth | 2022 State WI , ’22 RB/LB- Ellsworth
Stat Line: 12 Carries, 30 Yards, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards, 6 Tackles, 1 INT
The 5’8″ 185 lbs senior playmaker was fun to finally see live! The Gophers commit clearly has the D1 athleticism, and seeing it live only further assured that belief. It was hard for him to find running room against a dominant Catholic Memorial front seven, but Grand earned every yard with a mix of elusive and power running. Several times he made defenders miss in the backfield, and made a lot of something out of nothing plays. I was surprised by his defensive play too. That’s something we don’t see much of on his tape, but he used his speed to be a rangy LB that was able to get into the backfield and cause disruption as well as get to the ball in the pass game and create turnovers. Good luck at the next level, Max!
Jack Janke Jack Janke 6'1" | 200 lbs | WR Ellsworth | 2022 State WI , ’22 ATH- Ellsworth
Stat Line: 6/11, 66 Yards, 12 Carries, 53 Yards, 1 TD, 10 Tackles, 1 INT
The 6’1″ 205 lbs senior QB/WR/DB has done it all for Ellsworth over the past couple of seasons, and he has turned himself into a fast rising prospect for the next level! The senior has a solid frame for the WR or DB position at the next level. A frame that comes with an exciting blend of power and athleticism. Both of those traits were on display in the championship game as a runner, and from his safety position. On the ground, Janke was a physical runner who was able to turn his speed and big frame into power at the point of contacting creating a lot of yards after contact. On defense, Jack proved to be a rangy safety who was able to be a playmaker at every level of the defense. His range allowed him to get to every spot on the field in time to make play after play. His INT came when he was able to read the QB and put himself in position to be in the right place at the right time. I left very impressed with Jack’s potential. He has visited the Gophers a couple times, and holds a few D2 offers. Don’t miss out on him!
Ashten Quade, ’22 ATH- Ellsworth
Stat Line: 15 Carries, 88 Yards, 1 TD, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards, 3 Tackles
The 6’ 185 lbs senior was the breakout star of the game! College coaches need to know about this playmaker! He finished the season with 25 TDs on the year, and his athletic traits are severely underrated. The two time State Track & Field champion has elite level play speed. It caught me completely off guard when he first touched the ball. Quade’s acceleration is special, and he can transition it into impressive power when he has no other option than to lower the shoulder. A college program is going to steal this kid somehow, and when they get him the ball in space they will be very thankful they did. Ashten makes the unusual plays look easy because of his superior athletic traits. They stood out from the crowd. A crowd that includes several other impressive college level athletes. Know the name!
Ryan Matzek Ryan Matzek 6'1" | 190 lbs | LB Ellsworth | 2022 State WI , ’22 OLB- Ellsworth
Stat Line: 4 Tackles
The 6’2″ 195 lbs senior is an edge defender that the D3 level should put an eye on! Several times during the game Ryan’s ability to set a strong edge flashed. He was making those flash plays against arguably the best OL in the state. He did a good job of using his strength and length along with proper leverage to be able to set the edge. It wasn’t just setting the edge either. Matzek was able to use his active hands to shed the block and make tackles himself instead of turning the ball carrier back inside. Ryan is worth a look!