Top 10 2023s in Northern WI

Last summer a college coach who had recently accepted a new position reached out looking for the go to schools, and the top athletes in his new recruiting area in northern WI. That led me to doing a three part series diving into the Top 30 senior athletes in northern WI. I want to go back to that and do a two part series looking at the Top 10 juniors in northern WI, and then the Top 10 juniors in southern WI using our Class of 2023 rankings. To help draw the picture, my dividing line between northern and southern WI is HWY 10. Let’s check out the Top 10 seniors from the north! <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>10. [player_tooltip player_id="304378" first="Troy" last="Dietzler"], DL- Ashwaubenon</strong></span></h3> The 6’6" 265 lbs DL out of Ashwaubenon kicks off our countdown of the Top 10 juniors in northern Wisconsin. You can instantly check off the measurables box. Troy has more than enough length, and his frame looks like it is ready to pack on a large amount of muscle that will make him a force in the battle for the neutral zone. One of Troy’s top strengths is his balance and body control. He has the evidence on film of being able to take contact from multiple angles and continue to work through the traffic without being thrown off his path. His stamina can’t be questioned either. He played on both sides of the line last fall, and has plenty of examples of his down and cross field pursuit. Another area I want to see him improve is his pass rush. As a junior, Troy seemed to rely on his bull rush and high motor to get after the QB. If he can put together a few reliable pass rush moves, and counters he will skyrocket his value to coaches at the next level. If he can take a jump in the strength category, and develop more pass rush moves Troy will see a big rise up this list, and the rankings overall. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>9. [player_tooltip player_id="31384" first="David" last="Gauderman"], LB- Wittenberg- Birnamwood</strong></span></h3> Next up we have the 6’2" 230 lbs small school standout. We have been a big fan of David’s for the past few years. His ability to read and react is one of the first strengths that  jump out to me. Playing out on the edge, David is faced with a lot of different looks whether blocking patterns or run/pass diagnosis among other things, and he quickly identifies what is going on and reacts in ways that allow him to make the play. Gauderman looks like a true three down option as he has proven success against the run and pass while playing out on the edge. He has the strength that allows him to negate the strength of much larger offensive linemen in the run game and maintain his leverage. He also has the first step explosiveness and 1 step lateral agility to win with speed against the pass and run. The one key weakness in his game is that he doesn’t have elite length, so to counter that he needs to keep working on making those strengths, like the first step quickness and leverage, even better so he can negate not having elite length. Excited for his final high school season. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>8. [player_tooltip player_id="304364" first="Josiah" last="Azure"], LB- Bay Port</strong></span></h3> The 6’2" 220 lbs OLB is a fun one to watch. He checks off the most improtant trait for his position with flying colors. The ability to get after the QB. Azure applies consistent pressure thanks to a great first step and burst to close on the QB, as well as ball carriers in the backfield. Josiah has demonstrated the bend and ankle/knee flexibility to be able to elude and get underneath the larger OTs that he faces. Don’t let the athleticism take away from his strength on the edge. He has demonstrated consistently that he can take on the blocks of pulling linemen and stop them in their tracks with aggression. Lastly, Josiah is a violent tackler. He is able to turn his play speed and burst to close into impressive pop and power at the point of contact. He strikes with memorable force, and has proven to be very productive. The only part of his game that we don’t get a good look at is his coverage abilities, but that doesn’t look like it is something he is asked to do. When you are as good as he is at coming off the edge it wouldn’t be the best idea to have him dropping back anyways. This kid needs more buzz than he currently has. One of the best edge defenders available. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>7. [player_tooltip player_id="304363" first="Boone" last="Kirst"], QB- Ashwaubenon</strong></span></h3> Checking in at #7 is the best QB in northern Wisconsin. The 6’4" 185 lbs signal caller has great height for the position, and a beautiful over the top throwing motion making it so the ball is coming out of his hand at the highest possible point reducing the risk of batted passes. I hope to see him bump his weight up with the addition of more muscle. The mechanics, when he is playing in rhythm and on time, are one of his top strengths. He is light on his feet, keeps them connected to his eyes, and his lower half works smoothly with the upper half leading to the ability to get the ball out of his hands quick and on time. Kirst is also mobile, allowing him to buy time, throw on the run, or pick up yards with his legs. Thanks to those smooth, quick mechanics, Boone is able to make accurate passes while under duress. To be successful at the next level QBs need to be able to calmly deliver passes with bodies around him, and even hitting him. Boone can do that. Looking at the arm, Boone throws the ball with little effort. He can drive the ball on closing windows or while off his back foot. He also doesn’t need to loft the ball when he goes deep. When it comes to his accuracy, it appears that he is able to have spot on ball placement to the short, intermediate, and deep levels of the field from a clean pocket as well as while he is under duress. If he can continue to fill out his frame, and take that next step in his clutch production so his team can build on the season they had last season, then expect a great year from Boone. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>6. [player_tooltip player_id="104563" first="Ethan" last="Doucette"], LB- Kimberly</strong></span></h3> Ethan checks in at 6’2" 220 lbs. Of course, to be successful at the level I believe he can play at Ethan will need to pack on the size. I know he is working on that, though based on what I have seen coming out of the Kimberly HS weight room. As for his play, Ethan has proven to have an innate ability for the off ball LB position and real production against the run and pass posting 88 tackles, 14 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 PBU, and 2 INTs. Doucette is a tough, competitive player who consistently shows his range through a combination of effort, play speed, and instincts. Speaking of those instincts, Ethan is quick to read and react to blocking, play diagnosis, and play flow. In reaction to what he sees, Ethan does a good job of taking the right angles allowing him to put himself in the right position to make the stop. From what I have seen, Ethan looks like he has the makings of a three down LB. However, to ensure that he can I want to see him improve his block shedding ability. This past year he relied on his next level one step lateral quickness to make linemen miss or use his acceleration to get past them before they can react. To succeed at a high level of college play he will need to prove he can disengage and shed those blocks as well. He checks off the coverage abilities as he appears to be a smooth mover playing behind  his initial alignment, especially in zone where he can continue to use his instincts, and read and reaction traits. Big year coming for one of the best LBs in the state. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>5. [player_tooltip player_id="104378" first="Brandt" last="Rice"], OL- Wausau West</strong></span></h3> The 6’5" 275 lbs OT kicks off our Top 5 juniors of northern WI. Brandt is new to the position after starting his career at TE. However, the early returns are exciting and have me pumped for his future development. The biggest areas of development are his overall technique for the position, and continue to fill out with the muscle and strength needed to be able to play at the D1 level. His pass protection will be the largest area of development because he doesn’t get a lot of work in that area on game days. As a junior, he saw Wausau West threw the ball 81 times in 10 games. Brandt has the pure physical skills to be a very good in the mirror/match part of pass protection. The athleticism Brandt possessed from his days at TE remain. He is able to recover from awkward body positions, and get his pads and weight back over his toes. That gifted athleticism also allows him to play with the knee bend and ankle flexibility to be able to change direction quickly making me believe he can be just as successful as a pass blocker as he is as a run blocker. As run blocker, Rice shines. He can reach defenders with quickness and range. He has the strength to drive level one out of the trenches, and he finishes his blocks with aggression. Expect vast improvements in his already strong game this season. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="31392" first="Najeh" last="Mitchell"], RB- West De Pere</strong></span></h3> Coming in at #4 is the top RB in northern WI. The 5’9" 170 lbs RB is a mismatch nightmare that will be able to provide a college program with an elite option as a change of pace/third down back. Najeh has some of the best instincts among all the running backs in WI. He runs without hesitations, and somehow always seems to know where the path to daylight is. He is great at making something out of nothing, and finds his blocks in traffic and out in space very well. His catching skills are what set him apart from the crowd. Najeh is just as natural plucking the ball out of the air as he is taking a hand off. He smoothly adjusts to the ball in the air and usually has created a ton of space because of his D1 level speed making it hard for defenders to stay close to him.His other standout trait is his playing speed. He plays at a different speed than the rest of the field, and he accelerates to that speed in a matter of steps. This dude ahs mad a  habit out of making the unusual plays that result in positive outcomes for his teams look easy. It is hard to find an area he needs to improve on. He seems to have a good understanding of his role and strengths, and does a great job of playing to them. I know he is undersized, but if he can make himself at least a serviceable pass blocker it would make him even more valuable as a third down option. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="104359" first="Zander" last="Rockow"], LB- Regis</strong></span></h3> Coming in as our #1 LB in northern WI is the two way standout out of Regis. The 6’1" 220 lbs athlete lines up all over the field for Regis, but he looks like he fits best at LB. The thick, powerful junior is a stout LB who has the strength to stack OL, TEs, and FBs at the point of attack. He plays with a low pad level, stays square, and uses leverage to defeat those blocks consistently. Rockow has a good bit of experience at DL allowing him to develop that stoutness, leverage, and block shedding skill set. Zander is also a reliable tackler. When he gets a ball carrier in his grasp the play is done. You won’t see any yards after contact when Rockow is making the tackle. Lastly, Zander is a playmaker. He makes the plays that his team needs in crutch time tow in games. He gets into the backfield creating a ton of disruption that changes drives and the outcome of games. As far as improvements go, I hope we can see him more at LB this fall. Along with that, I hope we get to see him in coverage situations. I believe when we see those scenarios we will only become bigger fans of his play. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>2. [player_tooltip player_id="104373" first="Will" last="McDonald"], DL- Hudson</strong></span></h3> The #1 DL from northern WI, and the state as a whole, comes to us from Hudson. The 6’5" 235 lbs DL has a bright future ahead of him. His combination of edge speed and strength make him a special athlete that already has D1 schools very interested. Will can get to the QB in multiple different ways. He has solid first step quickness that allow him to either shoot past OL or quickly get his hands inside where he can then lock out, disengage with heavy hands, and close on the QB. He also has made a lot of disruptive backfield plays thanks to his high motor as he chased down QBs and RBs from behind. Will is very disruptive. His ability to penetrate the line of scrimmage while knowing where the ball is is one of his top traits. Teams can’t expect to block him one on one at the HS level. They can barely do it with two men as highlighted by the video evidence of him using his strength to split double teams and make the tackle for no gain. If he can work on his already solid first step explosiveness it could help take his game to the next level. <h3><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>1. [player_tooltip player_id="146547" first="Thomas" last="Paasch"], OL- Green Bay Southwest</strong></span></h3> The #1 player in northern WI, and #2 player overall, is the 6’6" 295 lbs OL [player_tooltip player_id="146547" first="Thomas" last="Paasch"]. The first stregnth that jumps out is his hand use. Thomas always gets a strong punch that stuffs the opponent’s initial attack. He also has strong hands that allow him to clamp onto and control defenders. In the run game, Paasch is able to gain positive yards after contact with defenders. he can walk them off the line, stay upright, and generate movement. He also is a devastating down blocker who easily plows over unsuspecting defenders. In pass protection, Thomas has the anchor needed to negate his opponent’s strength with stoutness. Lastly, Thomas shows off his superior strength, and the temperament of mauler with his aggressive finishes into the dirt every chance he can. The one area that I believe Thomas can take his game to the next level is with his footwork. At points his feet can fall behind his upper half. If he can keep the top and bottom half always on the same page it will push him into that next tier of D1 level athletes. I’m pumped to see how he has further developed after ma<span style="font-size: 1rem;">king a big jump from his sophomore to junior year.</span>