D7 State Final: Reedsville vs Coleman Recap & Players of the Game

The state finals played out November 18-19 in Madison, WI at Camp Randall Stadium. We began with a showdown between 12-1 Reedsville and 13-0 Coleman. It was a battle of rushing attacks and clock control offenses. Despite it being the smallest division in Wisconsin this game fielded several athletes that I wanted to get my eyes on live. Each of those top players stepped up for their teams. We will dive more into that in the Players of the Game section. First, let’s quickly recap how the game played out for anyone who wasn’t able to attend or watch it on TV! Game Recap The game played out exactly how I expected. It was all about the rushing attacks, and controlling the clock. Reedsville compiled 244 total yards, and all of them came on the ground. There were only 13 total possessions between the two teams; six for Coleman and seven for Reedsville. The lone score of the first quarter came after ATH Brennen Dvorachek blocked a Coleman punt and recovered the ball at the Coleman 9. It only took one play for the top prospect in this matchup to punch it in. Senior RB/DB [player_tooltip player_id="118502" first="Westen" last="Liebzeit"] took the carry between the tackles, broke through arm tackle attempts, and <a href="https://twitter.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1461367350654115841">scored the 9 yard TD</a>. After the score the game turned to the defenses as they would bend, but they wouldn’t break. Each team would go on a long, time consuming drive. However, Coleman’s ended on a turnover on downs and Reedsville’s ended on a punt. The next big play came when Brennen Dvorachek forced a fumble and [player_tooltip player_id="118502" first="Westen" last="Liebzeit"] scooped it up. The final score of the first half came on the ensuing drive when QB/ATH Brennen Dvorachek punched it in with a 2 yard carry up the middle. Reedsville’s playmakers weren’t finished making defensive plays in the first half, though. They had their backs against the wall when Liebzeit was able to pick off a pass right at the goal line and return it out to midfield. Unfortunately, they couldn’t turn it into points as Coleman’s defense was able to block a 30 yard field goal attempt as the half ended. Reedsville started the first half with success early. Dvorachek was moving the offense with his legs, but a fumble recovered by Coleman’s Trent Mongin swung the momentum in Coleman’s favor. On the next Coleman drive, junior RB Will Beiber continued the solid game he was putting together. He used his speed and vision to get out on the edge and set up his blocks for consistent chunk plays. The drive was able to take a lot of time off the clock, but it ended in a turnover on downs. The second half was milking away quickly, and it continued to do so as FB/DL [player_tooltip player_id="31270" first="Cole" last="Ebert"] started going to work between the tackles on offense. He fought and drug defenders for chunk yardage, and 4th down conversions. The 4th quarter started with Reedsville moving into the redzone and right up to the goal line. The offense was stuffed on a 3rd & goal leading them to settle for a 23 yard field goal from [player_tooltip player_id="118502" first="Westen" last="Liebzeit"] giving Reedsville a 17-0 4th quarter lead. Coleman only was able to get the ball one more time the rest of the 4th quarter and it ended with a turnover. After the turnover, Reedsville ran out the final 6 minutes of the game securing the State Championship! Players of the Game [player_tooltip player_id="118502" first="Westen" last="Liebzeit"], ’22 RB/DB Reedsville Stat Line: 11 Carries, 63 Yards, 1 TD, 2 Tackles, 1 INT, 23 Yard Field Goal The 5’11" 175 lbs senior made an impact in all three phases of the game, scoring in two of them. On offense I was impressed with him as a ball carrier. He has a very good blend of power and elusiveness that allows him to be a threat between the tackles and out in space. Westen found success in both areas in the championship game. Arm tackles were not close to being enough to bring him down, and his acceleration allowed him to capitalize on his vision to find the seam between tackles and set up blocks out in space. On defense, Liebzeit proved to be solid in the change of direction and awareness parts of his game. Both were key in his goal line interception. Liebzeit was the top prospect to know from this matchup. Brennen Dvorachek, ’22 ATH/QB Reedsville Stat Line: 20 Carries, 128 Yards, 1 TD, 6 Tackles, 1 FF The 6’4" 200 lbs senior is an impressive athlete for Reedsville. His decisiveness allowed him to be very effective in the option attack that they were utilizing. There was never any hesitation in his reads, and he played off reaction to what he saw. Some of the pitches he made were very impressive as he would wait until the last minute to get rid of it to his pitch man, and his fakes allowed him to create separation leading to more yards than expected on plays. As a ball carrier, Brennen used his big frame to gain yards after contact, and he has the speed to be able to break contain and create big plays in space. On defense, Brennen was a rangy safety. Multiple times he made tackles at the line of scrimmage from his deep safety position, and he proved he could go sideline to sideline. He was a three level player on Thursday, and I believe he can be at the next level as well. Check this kid out! Hidden gem! Ryan Taddy, ’23 OLB- Reedsville Stat Line: 2 Tackles, 1 Sack The 6’2" 180 lbs junior edge rusher has had my attention throughout Reedsville’s playoff run. He has been a very consistent pass rusher during the run to a state championship, and he has shown traits that make him an athlete to have eyes on going into next season. He has solid length, and a frame that is ready to start adding more size to this offseason. Taddy’s first step explosion is the trait that stood out the most on Thursday in Madison. It allowed him to get into position to get the leverage advantage on the OT and on some occassions got him so much of a jump off the line that he barely needed to engage with the OT. Save this kid under names to know for next season! [player_tooltip player_id="31270" first="Cole" last="Ebert"], ’22 FB/DL- Reedsville Stat Line: 12 Carries, 55 Yards, 4 Tackles The 6’ 275 lbs senior is a massive athlete that needs to be known! He made an impact in the trenches on defense and as a ball carrier on offense. On offense, the big man was a north-south runner who was impossible to slow down without a squad of defenders on top of him. Multiple times he would break through arm tackles, and drag 2-3 defenders for several yards before he would be drug down. You can see his wrestling background shine through in his offensive and defensive play. His use of leverage maximized his power on both sides of the ball. College coaches need to take a look at Cole. He can make an impact for a team. Dain Totten, ’23 LB- Reedsville Stat Line: 5 Total Tackles I’m surprised the official count for tackles is only at 5. The 5’10’’ 170 lbs junior defender seemed to have his name called what felt like a dozen times. There is no arguing that Dain has a nose for the football, and he has the quick twitch lateral agility needed to be able to work his way through the trash between the tackles on his way to the ball carrier. I’ll be interested in seeing how the junior continues to grow over this next offseason. He could be a solid prospect this time next year. Jade Busse, ’23 OL/DL- Reedsville Stat Line: 244 Offensive Rushing Yards, 3 Tackles The 6’ 250 lbs junior made an impact on both sides of the trenches for Reedsville. On offense, Jade was a powerful run blocker who was able to reset the line of scrimmage downfield. His ability to get to the second level successfully was huge to providing his backs with running lanes to utilize. On defense, the big man was a major factor in shutting down the elite Coleman rushing attack. He was very stout, and was able to use leverage to make himself immovable. He and our next player of the game made it so that Coleman only found success on outside carries. A junior OL prospect that D3s should have on their radar for next season! Darren Wagner, ’22 OL- Reedsville Stat Line: 244 Offensive Rushing Yards, 2 Tackles The 6’1" 290 lbs senior was a key piece to the dominant, time controlling rushing attack. That big frame comes with the power to walk DL out of the trenches and into the second level. On defense, he partnered with Busse to shut down the inside gaps making it impossible for Coleman to get anything between the tackles. Wagner’s superior size and strength stood out in the matchup, and any D3 programs still looking for OL help needs to check this kid out. He could be a hidden gem. Will Beiber, ’23 RB- Coleman Stat Line: 12 Carries, 48 Yards, 5 Tackles The top prospect on the Coleman sideline was the 5’11" 160 lbs junior RB/DB. He was at his best as a ball carrier. That is where he was able to utilize his next level speed to break contain and do damage out in space. That long speed was a threat to pursuit angles all day long. I was impressed by the junior’s patience as well. He didn’t look to just try and fly past everyone. Instead he read his blocks and set them up with how he positioned himself behind them. Will was also a reliable option as a receiver out of the backfield. This is going to be a name to know next season. Look for his role to increase. Peter Kuchta, ’23 RB/LB- Coleman Stat Line: 7 Carries, 35 Yards, 3 Tackles The 6’ 175 lbs junior stood out the most on his 41 yard kick return late in the game. He demonstrated his big play ability, speed, and vision on the return. Those same traits flashed on offense during his handful of carries. Peter finished the season with the highest yards per carry average on the team with 11.2 yard per carry. This is an under the radar junior that should get coaches at the next level excited. He is a big play waiting to happen. I can’t wait to see how he develops this offseason.