Success on the field and the mat – Part II

With the football season wrapped up, winter sports are now taking center stage in the world of high school sports. However, we at prepredzonemn.com always have high school football at the center of our world. With that, I am starting a series of stories featuring football players who are multi-sport athletes. Here is part two of a two-part story focusing on wrestlers. The wrestling rankings were taken from the most recent Guillotine issue. [player_tooltip player_id="116207" first="Nate" last="Schwinghammer"] <strong>DL Bemidji Sr</strong> Schwinghammer is ranked tenth at a loaded – football-wise - 220AAA weight class. On the football field, he has offers from several Division II programs. Schwinghammer is an explosive edge rusher who can also move inside and put pressure on the quarterback. His speed allows him to sting out running plays and track down plays from behind. Schwinghammer has helped the Lumberjacks’ wrestling team to a ranking of seventh. [player_tooltip player_id="116271" first="Leo" last="Bluhm"] <strong>OL/DL St. Thomas Academy Sr</strong> The inside defender is ranked 4th in the 285AAA weight class. This weekend he placed third at the Minnesota Christmas Tournament - one of the top in-season high school tournaments in the nation. Bluhm anchored the defensive line of one of the best defenses in the state. He not only keeps linemen off his linebackers, but he also spends time in the backfield. He is explosive out of his stance on both sides of the ball. On offense, he is an athletic pulling guard who has the quickness to get across the formation and get into the open field to stay with smaller defenders. [player_tooltip player_id="116252" first="Gavin" last="Falk"] <strong>OL Edina Sr</strong> The Hornets are not known for their wrestling program, but Falk is one of a handful of Edina wrestlers trying to change that. One of last year’s Prepredzone Showcase standouts is ranked seventh in the 285AAA weight class. If it had been a typical season, Falk would have made a trip to the Xcel Energy Center as he finished in the top two in his section. Falk just placed first at the Monticello Invitational wrestling tournament. On the football field, Falk is a physical, athletic offensive tackle who has the power to inline run block and the athletic ability to get outside and to the second level. [player_tooltip player_id="49958" first="Gannon" last="Rosenfeld"] <strong>DL Mankato West Sr</strong> Rosenfeld is ranked second in the 195AA class. He got on the podium and took third place at State in 2021. He has offers from Division II schools in both football and wrestling. Playing most of the season with one injured hand, he was still one of the best edge rushers in the state. What separates Rosenfeld – however – is his ability to put pressure on the quarterback without neglecting his run responsibilities and his contain responsibilities. [player_tooltip player_id="116253" first="Anthony" last="Moe-Tucker"] <strong>RB Kasson-Mantorville Sr</strong> Moe-Tucker is ranked second in the 220AA weight class and has helped his team to a number two ranking early in the season. He is a two-time state entrant – taking fourth last season. Moe-Tucker is a tough in-between the tackles runner who will not go down with an arm tackle. He is not just a three-yards and a cloud of tiny tire pieces that everyone kicks up with all the new turf fields. The senior has open-field speed he will showcase when given space. Moe-Tucker recently committed to North Dakota to play football. [player_tooltip player_id="116254" first="Max" last="Balow"] <strong>LB Lake City Sr</strong> Balow is ranked second in the 285AA weight class. He wasn’t just given that ranking – he took it by defeating the pre-season number two ranked wrestler at the weight class earlier this season. Last year, Balow placed 6th at State and has committed to Augustana’s wrestling team. This weekend Barlow finished one spot ahead of Bluhm, placing second at the Christmas Tournament - which includes 36 high school programs from around the Midwest. As a linebacker, he is a physical, between the tackles linebacker who is athletic enough to get to the outside and drop and do good work in pass protection. Jackson Esping <strong>DL Minneota Sr</strong> Esping is ranked fifth in the 220A class and placed fifth at State last year. He anchored one of the best defenses in the state this year – playing defensive tackle on a defense that allowed an average of four points a game. That defense helped the Vikings to a second-place finish in Class A. I was able to watch him in the Prep Bowl, and even though they lost, he absolutely wrecked everything Mayer Lutheran’s offense was trying to do early in the game. Esping’s wrestling team is currently ranked fifth in Class A. [player_tooltip player_id="49858" first="Conner" last="Elliott"] <strong>RB/LB Apple Valley Sr</strong> Elliot is ranked seventh in the 220AAA weight class. He has helped Apple Valley climb back into the top ten – ranked sixth. Like Bluhm and Balow, Elliot wrestled in the Christmas tournament and took 8th in an over thirty wrestler bracket. Although the Eagles’ football team struggled much of the season, Elliot stood out – at least when I watched him run the ball early in the season against eventual section runner-up Hastings. Elliot – not surprising with his two-sport status – is a physical inside runner who uses a nasty stiff-arm to give himself space on the inside and in the open field.