Dogs On the Defensive Line Week 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were a plethora of top-notch offensive performances on the first Friday of the regular season. But the defensive side of the ball saw plenty of standouts as well. Today, we take a look at who some of the top defensive linemen were in Week 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evan Gerber, 6'5, 215 pounds, Senior, Culver Academies</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evan Gerber is a dominant defensive end for Culver Academies. He can beat the tackle across his face or around the outside. Gerber gives relentless effort. Gerber uses good leverage to get around the edge. Culver pulled off a close win over Arsenal Tech in Week 1, 17-14. Gerber earned Player of the Game honors. He recorded ten solo tackles and a dozen stops overall. Gerber had an outstanding nine tackles-for-loss with five sacks. He posted four quarterback hurries, one pass defense and one forced fumble. Add in four receptions and 48 yards and it becomes easy to see that Gerber was in the zone in the season-opener.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nazir Wilson, 6'4, 198 pounds, Sophomore, Calumet New Tech</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Calumet New Tech got their season off to a winning start by dominating Bowman Academy 56-20. In that game, Defensive End Nazir Wilson made plays and set the tone for the defense. Wilson had a pair of solo tackles and four in total. Three of his four tackles went for loss. Starting just his sophomore year, Wilson has given plenty of reason for optimism. Teams will need to watch out for Nazir Wilson next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant Hayworth, 6'5, 210 pounds, Senior, Concordia Lutheran</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Concordia Lutheran started the year with an important road win over Fort Wayne South Side. In their 32-18 victory, Senior Grant Hayworth led the defense. Hayworth totaled seven tackles with four of those being solo. He recorded two-and-a-half sacks. Hayworth also defended against one pass and forced one fumble. Grant Hayworth will be crucial for Concordia Lutheran in the Summit Athletic Conference this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashton Pesetski, 6'2, 220 pounds, Junior, Fort Wayne Carroll</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashton Pesetski can be impactful as a defensive end or nose guard, and he certainly brought that impact to Carroll's first game. The Chargers cruised to a big road win at Bishop Luers, 42-3. Pesetski tallied six tackles with a third of those being solo. Half of his tackles were tackles-for-loss. Pesetski notched two sacks and one forced fumble. The performance was a huge start to the season for Ashton Pesetski. The convincing win was a massive start for Fort Wayne Carroll.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hunter Wallace, 6'3, 270 pounds, Senior, Delta</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Delta grinded out a win over their in-city rivals, Muncie Central, this past Friday. Making plays for their defense in the close win was Hunter Wallace. Wallace can line up as a defensive tackle, defensive end or offensive tackle. He started his senior campaign with three solo tackles and five in total. Wallace secured three tackles-for-loss and two sacks. It was a big win for Delta, and after a performance like that, it is fair to say that Hunter Wallace will be an impact player throughout the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brayden Monroe, Sophomore, Greencastle</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive Tackle Brayden Monroe had himself a very productive game as Greencastle shut out Indianapolis Crispus Attucks 42-0. Moore had a half-a-dozen tackles. He was consistently disruptive, recording two sacks and two tackles-for-loss. Monroe jumped on top of a fumble. Those facts make it simple to understand why he was named the Defensive Player of the Game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->