Prep Redzone Showcase MVPs – Running back

Prep Redzone Showcase MVPs &#8211; Running back

Brian Jerzak

April 30, 2022 @ 05:52 PM

Despite not feeling one hundred percent, Dassel-Cokato running back [player_tooltip player_id="105371" first="Monte" last="Gillman"] finished in the top five in two of the athletic tests at the Prepredzone.com Minnesota Showcase last Saturday. Those numbers and his performance in the one-on-one drills impressed the coaches enough to vote him the running back MVP. "The day went good," Gillman said. "Two days before that, I had a track meet, and I wasn’t feeling too well. I didn’t know how I was going to perform, but I am happy with what I did and had a good time." Gillman was looking to get some new data. Despite coming off a track meet, he still put up great numbers. "I wanted to see where I was with my times and everything. I hadn’t done anything like this in a while and wanted to see where I was." Gillman finished with the best 40 time and the second-best broad jump among running backs. Along with updated metrics, Gillman picked up some technique help as well. "I liked the coaching I got. If I made a mistake, the coaches would let me know and help me work on it. They helped me with my pass blocking. I kept dipping my head when meeting linebackers, and the coaches kept telling me to keep my head up." This offseason, Gillman focused on recovery as well as building his body. "I was doing wrestling, but I stopped. My body needed a break. I would head to the gym occasionally. I am in track now." Improving his leadership skills is a high priority this off-season. "I am looking to get all my teammates dialed in and be a leader." In 2021, the team completed the best season in program history. "We won state for the first time, and I got to play with my brother (Montana commit [player_tooltip player_id="22923" first="Eli" last="Gillman"]). We were a tight team and got along great." The younger Gillman was a two-way player on that state championship team. "I played running back and played some defensive back too. I think I will be playing running back and a lot more defense. They have been looking at me as a linebacker and cornerback. They like to put me one on one with people." Looking at his forty time, where he thinks he is best comes as no surprise. "I can accelerate and am quicker than most people. On defense, I think I am good at reading where people are going, cutting them off, and sticking with them."