Fort Wayne Defensive Standouts: Regionals

Sam Erman November 16, 2021 @ 07:00 AM

We’re highlighting a few standout performances on the defensive side of the ball from Fort Wayne’s regional matchups. [player_tooltip player_id="98089" first="Blake" last="Heyerly"] - Adams Central - LB - 6’1" 205 lbs We mentioned what he did on offense but his defensive performance was arguably just as good. The defense suffocated South Adams all night and never let them get going. Heyerly was a big part of that as he was flying all over the field. He was able to sit back in a zone most of the second half and break up passes. He finally made a nice interception and returned the ball 20-yards while setting up the offense in scoring position. He finished the night with 11 tackles, a sack, and an interception. Ryan Joyce - Brebeut Jesuit - LB - 6’1" 186 lbs Joyce and his defense were hitting hard all night and made Norwell’s offense struggle. You could tell Joyce and the defense got into the heads of the Norwell offense when they started changing how they called the game. Joyce and the defense took advantage and got more aggressive. Joyce punched the ball right out for a fumble and got the ball back on Norwell’s first drive of the second half. Joyce finished the night with 8 tackles and his FF as Brebeut Jesuit got the win. Ayden Billard - Norwell - LB - 6’1" 170 lbs Billard and his defense struggled most of the game but that didn’t stop Billard from making his impact from being felt. He was all over the backend of the field and led the defense in tackles on the night. He also lit up the receiver over the middle and forced a fumble. Norwell got the ball back and scored on the ensuing drive. Billard finished the night with double-digit tackles and the fumble. George Quandee - Zionsville - LB - 5’9" 175 lbs Zionsville dominated the game early on and the defense is what gave the team juice and energy. They were flying all over the field and making big hits all night and it started with Quandee. He laid out a receiver and that gave the defense the jumpstart they needed. Late in the game, Quandee also read the QB’s eyes and made a nice interception, and returned it down to the 20-yard line. He finished the night with an interception, 2 PBUs, and 7 tackles.