Kasson-Mantorville vs Fridley – Defensive standouts

Kasson-Mantorville dominated in all three phases Thursday night during a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/11/defense-and-old-school-option-football-key-komets-victory/">42-7 dismantling of the Fridley Tigers</a>. The KoMet defense didn’t allow a score until the fourth quarter, after building a 36-point lead. The front seven – specifically – held Fridley’s offense which had scored over thirty points four of the last five games, to one meaningless touchdown. Here are the guys who I felt stood out in the AAAA state quarterfinal game. <strong>Brock Swanson Kasson-Mantorville DL</strong> Swanson made a pair of tackles for short gains – the second forcing a punt. Later, he strung out a run to the sidelines allowing a teammate to make the tackle. He was influential in the passing game, too – with quick pressure on the quarterback forcing him out of the pocket. He filled his gap and pushed a run wide, allowing his teammate to make a tackle for a short gain. <strong>Owen Bradford Kasson-Mantorville DL</strong> Bradford was a problem in the trenches all game. He started with a tackle for a short gain. On a third down, the senior exploded into the backfield, blowing up a run allowing a teammate to make a tackle for loss. He didn’t need any help from teammates when he stuffed an end-around for a short loss. Bradford showed good recognition reading a quarterback draw and making a tackle for a short loss. He was in the backfield one more time - pressuring the quarterback into a bad throw. <strong>Reese Tripp Kasson-Mantorville DL</strong> Tripp took up multiple blockers on the inside – keeping his linebackers free to make plays. He made some plays on his own too. He made at least four tackles at the line of scrimmage – shedding blockers and wrapping up running backs within two yards of the line of scrimmage. One of those tackles forced a fourth down and a punt. <strong>Kellen Wilke Kasson-Mantorville LB</strong> One of the guys who benefited from the defensive line play was Wilke. He complimented the defensive line with a strong game against the run – most recognizable – a pair of tackles at the line of scrimmage, resulting in short gains for the offense. <strong>Dominic Mann Kasson-Mantorville LB</strong> Mann showed good range – inside and outside the tackle box. He stuffed an inside run for a short loss and then was in the right place at the right time with a fumble recovery. He blew up a run forcing a punt to keep Fridley from getting back into the game on a third and short. <strong>Emmett Ricke Kasson-Mantorville DB</strong> Ricke made plays in the passing game and the running game. He came up strong in run support to make a solid tackle for a short gain. Later, he forced an incompletion with tight coverage on a wide receiver. <strong>Gavin Giesler Kasson-Mantorville LB</strong> Giesler helped set the edge against the Tigers’ running game. Most notably, early in the game, he made a one-on-one tackle on the outside. Then, the senior did it again, holding the edge and stuffing a sweep for a five-yard loss. Later in the game, he shot a gap to make another tackle behind the line of scrimmage. <strong>Quick hits</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="116253" first="Anthony" last="Moe-Tucker"]<strong> Kasson-Mantorville LB</strong> - tackle for loss <strong>Carieon Powell Fridley LB</strong> - tackle for loss <strong>Aidan Smith Kasson-Mantorville DB</strong> - tight coverage <strong>Kerome Thompson Fridley LB</strong> - stuffs an option run on the way to nine total tackles