Jordan's Road Trip Round 3: Willowbrook Standouts

In this Round 3 Matchup, we have Willowbrook hosting Wheaton North. There's no doubt the weather played a part in this game as it was freezing cold, snowing on & off as well as wind doing the same throughout this contest. With that being said, it was mostly a defensive battle. Wheaton North got on the board first with a field goal with 5:54 left in the 1st quarter. From there, it was a defensive battle with both teams making stops until we catch a break in the 2nd quarter with Willowbrook hitting a field goal to tie the game with 8:40 left in the 2nd quarter. Wheaton North would respond with [player_tooltip player_id="20863" first="Mark" last="Forcucci"] getting into the endzone off a 1 yard QB sneak giving them the lead 10 to 3 with 3:41 left in the 2nd quarter. This would be the score heading into the half and things would stay quiet until late in the 3rd quarter when Tyler O'Conner gets an interception for Wheaton North as Willowbrook was in scoring position. Taking that opportunity away from Willowbrook meant Wheaton North could take time off the clock before giving the ball back to Willowbrook. Willowbrook had one final drive where penalties forced them to punt on 4th & long. As Wheaton North was driving down the field, Willowbrook's defense did a good job of forcing 3rd downs. The most crucial one comes on the play that sealed the game, Wheaton North hikes the ball on 3rd & short. Willowbrook's defense meets the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage looking as if it'll be marked short for 4th down but 23' RB Luke Beedle had other plans as he keep his feet driving just enough to gain the 2 yards needed for the 1st down. With no timeouts left for Willowbrook, Wheaton North goes into victory formation to close this one out to advance to the Semi-Finals for 7A. Final Score: Wheaton North 10 Willowbrook 3 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK0iVtK9m_I&t=8s">Game Highlights</a> <hr /> #7 [player_tooltip player_id="65847" first="Nick" last="Mabutas"] 22' WR/DB 5'11 190 <a href="https://twitter.com/NickMabutas">Twitter</a> Mr. Mabutas got it done on both sides of the ball for Willowbrook in this matchup. On offense, he's quick off the line of scrimmage where he can find the soft spot in the opposing defense. Once he secures the catch he gets upfield and can make the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness. There's also a play later in the game, which was called back, where he goes up for a contested catch between two defenders and high points the ball to come away with the completion. On defense, he comes down in run support and gets his hand in the receiver's basket for a pass deflection. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1459632216456187906?s=20 #72 Lucas Kusmierz 23' OL 6'6 270 <a href="https://twitter.com/lucas_kus">Twitter</a> Mr. Kusmierz can hold his own one-on-one on the outside during pass protection at right tackle. Upon doing so, he forces the outside rush and punches his hands onto the rushing defensive lineman to slow him down in his tracks. In the run game, he's able to get hands-on and keep his feet driving pushing the defensive lineman back to create a running lane for the ball carrier to run through. #2 Arthur Palicki 24' QB 6'3 192 <a href="https://twitter.com/PalickiArthur">Twitter</a> Mr. Palicki was a new name to me heading into this game, Willowbrook has a bright future with him at the helm of this offense. He's able to add zip on the ball making level 1 throws to his receiver and puts the ball into tight windows throughout this game, also have to give kudos to his receiving core as this young man trusts his guys to come away with the catch. If there's nobody open downfield this young man can pull the ball down to scramble. We got glimpses of this throughout the game, it wasn't until late in the 4th quarter when we got to see him break it for a big gain on the play weaving in and out of defenders - sadly that play was called back. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1459636888747319300?s=20 #4 Jaylon White 22' RB 5'8 170 Mr. White bursts through the line of scrimmage once he gets the handoff and keeps his feet driving in the process of doing so. Once he clears the line of scrimmage he then weaves in and out of defenders gaining extra yards on the play. He's a smaller back standing at 5'8 170, I consider him a speed back that can be utilized to create matchup problems for opposing defenses in the passing game and has the speed to turn the corner on outside zone runs. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1459635543814426635?s=20 #11 Vince Vassolo 23' WR 5'10 165 Mr. Vassolo is quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to gain leverage on the defensive back. Upon doing so, he can snap his route off and make the catch as the ball is thrown behind him leading him away from the defender. This young man can also make the catch in traffic and go up for 50/50 balls. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1459645559640399873?s=20 #3 Evan Stubblefield 22' RB 6'0 214 <a href="https://twitter.com/Evan__Stubbs">Twitter</a> Mr. Stubblefield is a hard runner that isn't afraid to lower his shoulder to play through contact. He has a big frame to him standing at 6'0 214 which he uses to his advantage to fight for extra yards on the play. This young man is also used in the passing game where he can catch out of the backfield and gets upfield upon securing the catch. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1459638877338144776?s=20 Notables #32 Adrian Gurerro 23' LB 5'8 185 #79 Ja'kwon Whitemore 25' OL 6'1 300 #10 Joe Tumilty 23' WR 5'9 165 <a href="https://twitter.com/joeytumilty?lang=en">Twitter</a> <hr /> Be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZJordan">@PRZJordan</a> regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/prepredzoneIL">@PrepRedzoneIL</a>. Want to be ranked? Fill out our FREE <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/">Prospect Player Index</a>, another tool to help you in your recruiting journey.