Mankato West vs. St. Thomas Academy – offensive standouts

Yards and points were hard to come by on the snowy Saturday afternoon when Mankato West and St. Thomas Academy locked horns in the AAAAA state quarterfinals. When the points came, they came in the form of big plays. In one of the best games I had seen all season, here are the individuals who made the biggest offensive impact during <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/11/traditional-state-powers-put-on-a-show-in-the-quarterfinals/">West’s 21-14 victory</a>. [player_tooltip player_id="49906" first="Walker" last="Britz"] <strong>Mankato West RB</strong> Britz was the workhorse of the Scarlets’ offense, grinding out tough yards and keeping the chains moving. He did most of his work between the tackles. His most impressive run was a run up the middle. The offensive line gave him the first three yards, but he kept his legs turning and ended up dragging tacklers for an extra five yards. [player_tooltip player_id="19005" first="Love" last="Adebayo"] <strong>St. Thomas Academy RB</strong> Adebayo was one part of a two-headed running back monster for the Cadets. He used his speed around the left side for a first down. His footwork allowed him to make a nice cut to pick up a first down. His power was displayed when he broke tackles leading to a first down run. [player_tooltip player_id="49868" first="Ryan" last="Haley"] <strong>Mankato West RB</strong> While Britz was the grinder on the ground, Haley was the game-breaker. A tough run up the middle picked up ten yards, and then he nearly closed out the game with an explosive run late in the game for a 50-yard gain. He bounced the run outside and used his speed to get down the sidelines before being brought down. <strong>Savion Hart St Thomas Academy RB</strong> Hart was the other part of the two-headed running attack the Cadets used. His speed around the corner led to a long touchdown run. He showed power, breaking tackles for seven yards and then running up the middle for twenty yards. His vision and feet allowed him to bounce a run to the outside for a first down. <strong>Peyton Goettlicher Mankato West WR</strong> Goettlicher only caught two passes, but they were game-changing catches. His first catch was a straight fly pattern for a 70-yard touchdown. Later in the game, he caught a deep seam route. Just as he caught the ball, he got absolutely crushed but held on to the ball for 25 yards. <strong>Grady O’Neil St. Thomas Academy QB/WR</strong> O’Neil spent time at quarterback and receiver. He took a high shotgun snap at quarterback and turned a possible disaster into a positive play. O’Neil did it again later in the game, turning a big loss into a short gain by making multiple defenders miss. Early in the fourth quarter, he caught the last of his three catches for a 26-yard touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id="49920" first="Zander" last="Dittbenner"] <strong>Mankato West QB</strong> Despite the snowy, wet conditions, Dittbenner threw an accurate deep ball. He didn’t throw it often, but when he did, the throws were in big spots – including three touchdown passes. His biggest throw of the afternoon was a 21- yard touchdown pass on a 4th and three. He calmly fired a pass over the middle for the eventual game-winning touchdown. <strong>Brady Haugum Mankato West WR</strong> Haugum caught a high-pressure catch on a fourth-down crossing route for a touchdown. He used his size to break at tackle that sprung him into the open field as he sprinted into the end zone. <strong>Quick hits</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="18425" first="Mekhi" last="Collins"] <strong>Mankato West WR</strong> - touchdown catch deep down the sidelines Thomas Adams <strong>St. Thomas Academy WR</strong> - catches a deep out for a first down on a fourth-down