Program Profile: Traverse City St. Francis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not common that I do program profiles during the season, but this one is unique. See, I didn't know much about St. Francis until a few weeks ago, when I first caught wind of their absolute dominance. This team is undefeated and only has one 1-possession loss, which was against Lumen Christi, a D7 semifinalist from last season. All in all, this team is the heavy favorite to win the D7 state championship, and I'm frankly blown away by the talent they have on this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quick Stats</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Record (as of 10/20)</td><td>8-0</td></tr><tr><td>Playoff Points</td><td>53.25 (1st)</td></tr><tr><td>Points Per Game</td><td>45.4</td></tr><tr><td>Points Against Per Game</td><td>14.9</td></tr><tr><td>Wins against Playoff Teams</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Point differential vs. Playoff Teams</td><td>210-80</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Needless to say, this is a dominant program. Now, I'll outline many of their best players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>QB | Wyatt Nausadis | 6'4" 190 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An all-star basketball player with a GVSU offer, Wyatt Nausadis has been doing incredible things on the football field as well. Thanks to his offensive line, he has massive holes to run through, and he makes the most of those runs. He's able to break tackles, stay balanced, and fight for yardage. His pass game is surprisingly great as well, as he throws the ball on a frozen rope and is able to deliver some good-looking balls. Oh, and he's a southpaw! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>DE/LB/TE | [player_tooltip player_id='300389' first='John' last='Hagelstein'] | 6'4" 200</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another insanely tall athlete from Traverse City, [player_tooltip player_id='300389' first='John' last='Hagelstein'], outmatches the vast majority of D7 linemen. Defensively, he's an extremely hard hitter that does not shy away from physicality. From shedding blocks to making aggressive tackles, he's got it. He's a defender who flies all over the field and reacts faster than most defenders I've watched (which is a lot). As a TE, he's an extremely vital and effective blocker with multiple pancakes and highlights of him driving defenders 10+ yards back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>OL/DL | Ryan Henning-Neuman | 6'1 220</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henning-Neuman is just one of many amazing linemen from St. Francis. Neuman, like his teammates, is an amazing run-blocker that has the ability to get to the second level, pull, you name it. Also, he's a stout defensive player that makes sure nobody gets yards up the middle. Henning-Neuman and the whole line seems to outmatch every D7 team in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>DB | Harrison Shepherd | 6'0 160</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not often that you have a D7 standout DB, but Shepherd is deserving of a shoutout. He brings a certain quickness to the St. Francis defense that is extremely valuable, but he's just as good of a tackler as anyone. His actual DB skills are hit or miss, as he's given up some passes but always makes a clean tackle afterward. His true strengths come with stopping the run and making sure no big plays occur, which he's incredible at. Nothing, no big runs or passes, will come against Shepherd. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>LB/RB | [player_tooltip player_id='300384' first='Joey' last='Donahue'] | 6'3 195</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Donahue is one of the best defenders in D7 and plays with great tenacity. In the run game, he's aggressive, aware, and generally has a high IQ. He's able to get a ton of TFLs and big hits. In addition, he's an impressive pass defender with a bunch of PBUs and interception opportunities. As a running back, he's an extremely hard runner that is no match for any DB to single-handedly tackle him. Overall, he's a key piece for this St. Francis team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Closing Thoughts </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Francis is a dominant team with countless key pieces who all seem to be tall, strong, fast, and love the game of football. This is the favorite for D7 and a team I hope to see first-hand very soon! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->