Prep Redzone Illinois: 6A All State Defensive Edition

The season is over and we're back at it with the All-State Awards for 8A-1A to highlight these student-athletes accomplishments this season. It was a grueling 9 Week Regular Season and one heck of a road to IHSA State for those that made the playoffs. After reviewing the film of the Top 40 teams in the class of 6A, we're diving into the 6A All-State Defensive Edition. Without further ado, let's dive into it. <hr /> 1st Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="65768" first="Xavier" last="Slayton"] 6'3 230 22' Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/SlaytonXavier">Twitter</a> Mr. Slayton fires off the ball and uses his hands at the point of attack, this results in him slipping blocks to disrupt plays in the backfield. This young man does a good job working gap to gap where he can disengage blocks to make the tackle on the play where he can also plug gaps up forcing the ball carrier to bounce the play outside to the perimeter. He doesn't give up on plays as he takes the backside pursuit to trail the play straight down the line of scrimmage resulting in him coming away with the tackle as the ball carrier tries to hit the cutback lane. In his pass rush, he does a good job of batting the offensive lineman's hands down and turning the corner on the offensive tackle when he's lined up on the edge. Upon doing so, he gets pressure on the quarterback and flushes him out of the pocket forcing him to work out of platform. If he isn't able to get to the quarterback he will put his hands up resulting in passes being deflected at the line of scrimmage. DL Almarion Bell 6'3 245 22' Harlem <a href="https://twitter.com/AlmarionBell">Twitter</a> Mr. Bell can shoot gaps to disrupt plays in the backfield quickly, this all has to deal with his quickness of the ball paired with his ability to use his hands at the point of attack. When doing so, he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage as he works gap to gap and disengages blocks to make the tackle on the play. He does a good job holding his gap control to plug up the running lanes forcing the ball carrier to use his vision to get out of a sticky situation. In his pass rush, he does a good job of slapping the offensive lineman's hands down to close space before slipping the block which results in getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. He can also take backside pursuit when the quarterback is working out of platform to come away with the sack. DL [player_tooltip player_id="155319" first="Tyler" last="Wilms"] 6'1 225 22' Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/tylerwilms">Twitter </a> Mr. Wilms uses his power to push the offensive lineman back into the quarterback pocket forcing the quarterback to work out of platform. He can also use his hands during his pass rush which he uses to gain leverage on the offensive lineman and get pressure on the quarterback. In run defense, he uses his hands at the point of attack to shed the block and disrupt plays in the backfield. This young man can also work gap to gap. Here, he can hold gap control fighting against down blocks to remain gap sound before disengaging blocks to make the tackle on the play. DL Justin Scott 6'5 300 24' St. Ignatius <a href="https://twitter.com/justinscott_99">Twitter </a> Mr. Scott takes pursuit angles to make the tackle downfield and works laterally straight down the line of scrimmage when he takes backside pursuit. He does a good job working gap to gap as he can disengage blocks to make the tackle at the line of scrimmage meeting the ball carrier head on. This young man uses his hands at the point of attack and simply overpower the offensive lineman at times to clog up running lanes as well as disrupting plays in the backfield on a consistent basis. He finishes plays by continuing to get after it through the whistle as he rallies to the ball and gets his hands up when he's within arms length of the quarterback to cloud his vision of the field (results in PBUs & INTs). LB [player_tooltip player_id="20840" first="John" last="Weidenbach"] 6'1 225 23' Benet Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/ijohnweid6">Twitter </a> Mr. Weidenbach triggers downhill quickly in close space where he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage as well as disengaging blocks to make the tackle on the play. When working laterally, he uses his quickness to limit the opposing quarterback to turn the corner when scrambling as well as limiting the ball carrier to turn the corner - both of which happen as he does a good job flowing to the ball. When in zone coverage, he can undercut routes in the hook/curl to come away with pass breakups and triggers downhill getting pressure on the quarterback as the quarterback escapes the pocket trying to extend the play. LB [player_tooltip player_id="155389" first="Aaron" last="Winters"] 6'3 190 22' Belvidere North <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronwinterss">Twitter </a> Mr. Winters uses his lateral quickness to cover ground quickly resulting in him getting pressure on the opposing quarterback as the quarterback is escaping the pocket. He triggers downhill quickly in close space where he can shoot gaps as well as slip blocks to disrupt plays in the backfield. This young man does a good job working gap to gap where he can meet the ball carrier at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play. When he's in zone coverage, he can peel off his hook/curl responsibility towards the flat where he cleans up the play making open field tackles. LB [player_tooltip player_id="139592" first="Terry" last="Elias"] Jr 6'0 195 22' Crete Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/TerryEliasJr3">Twitter</a> Mr. Elias fills holes in run support where he triggers downhill quickly in close space as he can either meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage for no gain on the play or slips blocks to blow up plays in the backfield coming away with tackle for losses. This young man has the lateral quickness to limit the ball carrier to turn the corner as he covers ground quickly to cover sideline to sideline. Translating this to his pass coverage, when he's in the hook/curl and reads the quarterback's eyes he quickly triggers to the flat to clean up the play resulting in either an open field tackle or pass breakup from the hard hit this young man delivers upon contact. DB [player_tooltip player_id="37524" first="Toriano" last="Pride"] 22' East St. Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/toriano2x">Twitter</a> Mr. Pride stays on the receiver's hip pocket when in man coverage, pair this with his smooth and fluid transitions and you have yourself a corner that can either attack the ball at the highest point to come away with interceptions or go up for 50/50 balls resulting in pass breakups. This young man gets hands on when pressing and doesn't get broke off at the top of the route when looking at his film. Upon diagnosing the play, he can make the tackle in the flat where he peels off his man coverage to deliver hard hits forcing pass breakups. In run support, he triggers downhill quickly to make open field tackles and disengages blocks to secure tackles on the perimeter. DB Rahmello Law 5'11 170 22' Champaign Centennial <a href="https://twitter.com/mellolaw03">Twitter </a> Mr. Law can change gears quickly as he returns interceptions for touchdowns. This is seen when he's in man coverage as he stays on the receiver's hip pocket putting him in a good position to undercut the route for interceptions. When in zone coverage, he can peel off his deep third responsibility to the flat where he delivers hard hits forcing pass breakups. He uses his smooth and fluid transitions to stay with the reciever on deep shots downfield, this in turn limits his chances of him being broken off at the top of the route keeping him in a good position to make a play on the ball. In run support, he triggers downhill quickly to make open field tackles and can disengage blocks to make tackles on the perimeter. DB Peyton Webster 5'11 165 22' Springfield <a href="https://twitter.com/PeytonWebster5">Twitter </a> Mr. Webster undercuts route for interceptions when in zone coverage and can react quickly to tipped passes to secure interceptions as well. When in man coverage, he can jump routes to come away with interceptions as he has good eye discipline to diagnose plays quickly. This young man attacks the ball at the highest point and delivers hard hits upon contact with the reciever, both of which results in pass breakups. Upon diagnosing the play, he triggers quickly to cover sideline to sideline as he covers ground quickly to make the play on the ball showcasing his skillset as a coverage safety. 2nd Team DL [player_tooltip player_id="119097" first="Jordan" last="Tooles"] 6'0 215 22' Richards <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanTooles">Twitter </a> Mr. Tooles uses his power to throw the offensive tackle into the ground during his pass rush and can drive the offensive tackle back into the quarterback pocket, both of which happen with him using his hands at the point of attack resulting in getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. This young man fires off the ball and has a quick first step which he uses to close space between him and the lineman which is especially seen with his speed rush as he sinks to gain leverage as he's turning the corner on the offensive tackle. In run support, he works gap to gap and can disengage blocks to make the tackle on the play. DL Avery James 6'2 210 22' Hampshire <a href="https://twitter.com/Avery_James1">Twitter </a> Mr. James holds gap control as he works gap to gap and fights off being washes down to remain gap sound. This young man takes backside pursuit straight down the line of scrimmage as he flows to the ball and makes the play as the ball carrier tries to hit the cutback lane. He can disengage blocks to make the tackle on the play at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play as well as using his lateral quickness to extend plays horizontally limiting the chances of the ball carrier turning the corner. This also gives his teammates time to rally to the ball. In his pass rush, he uses his hands at the point of attack where he bats the offensive lineman's hands down and slips the block to get pressure on the quarterback. DL [player_tooltip player_id="103081" first="Frank" last="Wilson"] 6'4 250 22' East St. Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/frankwilson_0">Twitter</a> Mr. Wilson is quick off the ball which he uses to his advantage when shooting gaps, this results in him disrupting plays in the backfield off his penetration. This young man can disengage blocks to make the tackle at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play when working gap to gap. He uses his hands at the point of attack to shed blocks putting him in a good position to make a play on the ball. This translates into his pass rush where he uses his hands to slap the offensive lineman's hands down as he closes space before turning the corner to get pressure on the opposing quarterback. LB Brock Uihlein 6'2 210 22' Lake Forest <a href="https://twitter.com/BrockUihlein">Twitter</a> Mr. Uihlein triggers downhill quickly in close space as he's able to meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage. When working gap to gap, this young man flows to the ball and disengages blocks to make the tackle at/near the line of scrimmage for no/little gain on the play. In zone coverage, he triggers quickly from his hook/curl responsibility to the flat once he diagnoses the play where he secures the open field tackle. He also has a quick reaction time which he uses to come away with an interception off a tipped pass. When he comes on a blitz, he's able to cover ground quickly as he slips the block resulting in him coming away with a quarterback sack. LB Bjourn Mayes 6'1 210 22' Kenwood Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/Bmayes2004">Twitter </a> Mr. Mayes can undercut routes when in man coverage resulting in interceptions, when he does he changes gears quickly to either set his team up in good starting field position or return it for a touchdown. When in man coverage, he stays on the receiver's hip pocket limiting the chances of him being broken off at the top of the route and in zone coverage he can peel off the hook/curl to finish the play in the flat by securing the open field tackle. He triggers downhill quickly in close space where he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage and works gap to gap. This young man uses his closing speed to cover ground quickly in both air and ground defenders, both of which he flows to the ball to make the play. LB [player_tooltip player_id="165475" first="Tye" last="Niekamp"] 22' Normal Community <a href="https://twitter.com/NiekampTye">Twitter</a> Mr. Niekamp triggers downhill quickly in close space as he can either meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage or slip blocks to disrupt plays in the backfield off his penetration. When he works gap to gap he disengages blocks to make the tackle on the play and uses his lateral quickness to limit the ball carrier's chance to turn the corner by covering ground quickly. If the ball carrier clears the first level in the run game, this young man can secure the open field tackle as he squares up to the ball carrier. If he's in zone coverage, he can peel off his hook/curl responsibility as he triggers to the flat to secure the open field tackle there. LB [player_tooltip player_id="20923" first="Tayo" last="Idowu"] 22' Richards <a href="https://twitter.com/tayoidowu8">Twitter</a> Mr. Idowu uses his lateral quickness to limit the ball carrier's chance of turning the corner as he uses his closing speed to cover ground quickly. This young man triggers downhill quickly in close space where he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage and when he works gap to gap he disengages blocks to make the tackle. If the play is going away from him he takes backside pursuit where he comes away with the tackle as the ball carrier tries to hit the cutback lane. When in zone coverage, he can peel off his hook/curl responsibility where he triggers to the flat to make the open field tackle. If he's sent on a blitz, he can shoot the gap resulting in him getting pressure on the opposing quarterback and flushing him out of the pocket. DB Ka'ron Mines 6'1 190 22' Crete-Monee <a href="https://twitter.com/RonTheGreat13">Twitter </a> Mr. Mines stays on the receiver's hip pocket when in man coverage limiting the chance of him being broken off at the top of the route and has smooth transitions which he uses to cover sideline to sideline when at safety. When he's in man coverage he does a good job of attacking the ball at the highest point as well as undercutting the route to come away with the interception. This young man isn't afraid to press as when he does he gets hands on quickly which disrupts the timing of the route with the quarterback. In run support, he can disengage blocks to make tackles on the perimeter and showcased he isn't afraid to lower his shoulder when delivering hits either. DB [player_tooltip player_id="20928" first="Ahmad" last="Robinson"] 6'0 176 22' East St. Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/2_AhmadRobinson">Twitter</a> Mr. Robinson uses his smooth and fluid transitions to stay with the reciever on deep shots downfield. When this happens in man coverage this young man is already in a good position to make a play on the ball as he stays on the receiver's hip pocket. Upon doing so, he can undercut the route to come away with an interception or get his hand in the receiver's basket to force a pass breakup. He also jumps routes for pass breakups in the flat. In run support, this young man triggers downhill quickly where he can either make open field tackles or force a fumble off a hard hit upon contact. DB [player_tooltip player_id="65879" first="Noah" last="Taylor"] 6'1 190 23' Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/nbt2234">Twitter</a> Mr. Taylor plays the alley well in run support as he triggers downhill quickly to make the open field tackle. He takes good pursuit angles as he can come from the opposite field to make a touchdown saving tackle showcasing his effort. In zone coverage, he uses his eyes to diagnose the play quickly and triggers to said reciever. Upon doing so, he lays a heavy hit upon contact forcing pass breakups. This all has to deal with his smooth and fluid transitions as one he plants his foot he triggers quickly to make a play on the ball. When going up for 50/50 balls, this young man can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the interception. Honorable Mention DL Justino Benitez 6'0 180 22' Belvidere North DL [player_tooltip player_id="155318" first="Michael" last="Stricker"] 6'4 240 22' Lemont <a href="https://twitter.com/mikestricker04">Twitter</a> DL Brady Goodman 6'4 200 23' Lake Forest <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyGoodman88">Twitter </a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="155390" first="Nick" last="Bennett"] 5'10 168 22' Wauconda LB [player_tooltip player_id="118837" first="Wade" last="Abrams"] 6'0 200 22' Cary Grove <a href="https://twitter.com/wade_abrams">Twitter </a> LB K'Vion Thunderbird 6'1 205 23' Kenwood Academy <a href="https://twitter.com/KvionTbird05">Twitter</a> LB [player_tooltip player_id="65808" first="Brock" last="Skaggs"] 6'2 240 22' Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/skaggs_brock">Twitter </a> DB [player_tooltip player_id="154037" first="Camden" last="Maas"] 6'3 190 22' Normal Community <a href="https://twitter.com/CamdenMaas">Twitter </a> DB [player_tooltip player_id="139446" first="Dallas" last="Brown"] 6'1 190 22' East St. Louis <a href="https://twitter.com/618Dallas">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>. 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