Week 6 – Offensive Players of the Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A look at the three best offensive performances from Week 6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players of the Week</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='22753' first='Sam' last='Beers'], Air Academy Kadets (RB)(Sr.)(42) – I've written about Beers quite a lot recently, but it's impossible to not acknowledge the absolute tear he's been on the last few weeks. I wrote about it in my <em>Week 6 - Game Review</em> piece, but to reiterate, the Cheyenne Mountain defense couldn't do anything to even mildly slow him down. Looking at Beers' night against the Hawks, he accounted for a ridiculous 346 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns on 33 carries (10.5 YPC). I mean no disrespect when I say this, but the Wolves defense (and every other defense that's tried to stop Beers the last couple of weeks, quite frankly) was a little more than a speed bump for him on his way to an unreal night. When you put on the tape, you can see that Beers displays a very physical running style, supported by his strong core and lower body that allows him to power through smaller defenders and arm tackles with relative ease. He's an aggressive ball carrier that doesn't shy away from contact and often takes multiple defenders to bring him down. Displays adequate athleticism and foot speed, routinely pulling away from second and third level defenders if they take a bad angle. Beers is currently sitting at the number 11 spot for RBs and the number 97 player overall for the class of 2023, but much like I stated last week and in my piece from yesterday, I don't think this ranking accurately reflects quite how dominant of a player Beers truly is. To say he's a one-man wrecking crew wouldn't be even remotely a stretch to say and he is, in my opinion at least, easily one of the most dominant tailbacks in the state with the tape and production reflecting that sentiment and more.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='376583' first='Austin' last='Bushlack'], D'Evelyn Jaguars (QB)(Sr.)(6) - Bushlack was easily the state's most prolific passer in Week 6. Bushlack was one of the bigger reasons, if not the biggest, that the Jaguars were able to pull out the tight, 29-27 win over the Platte Valley Broncos. Turning to the numbers from Bushlack's night, he went a remarkable 27 of 39 (69%) for 469 yards passing, 4 passing touchdowns, and a QBR 144.1 while also adding 15 yards rushing. When you look at Bushlack's night on film, Bushlack displays outstanding touch on deep ball and boundary throws, consistently dropping it on the outside shoulder of the receiver. Consistently gives his receivers the best chance possible to make a play on the ball on contested catches in the red zone or in tight window throws. Overall ball placement is good, as he shows the ability to consistently hit receivers in stride on short and intermediate level throws. Very savvy passer that can quickly work through his progressions while also displaying the ability to identify the coverage shell of the defensive backfield. Tall, long-armed passer (6'3, 190 lbs) with a smooth release. While not lightning-in-a-bottle athletically, he displays more than enough athleticism to move around in the pocket and by himself time to find a receiver downfield, while also presenting an adequate threat on the ground if the defense doesn't account for his legs and gives him enough room to takeoff. Bushlack is currently rated the number 19 QB and the number 170 player overall for the class of 2023 and the lower level of competition that the Jaguars play at (2A) could explain his lower recruiting profile. However, he is still an outstanding player and he'll look to finish the last half of his senior season strong for the Jaguars in the weeks ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='376789' first='Brady' last='Witherspoon'], Arvada West Wildcats (WR)(Sr.)(5) – Witherspoon is another player that I recently wrote about in a separate <em>Week 6 - Game Review</em> piece. In that article, I wrote that Witherspoon had the most dominant night of any player on either team in the Wildcats' tough 42-28 loss to the Chatfield Chargers. However, Witherspoon not only had the most dominant night of any player in that game, he was easily the state's most dominant receiver in general for Week 6. Looking at the stat sheet from Witherspoon's night against the Charger defense, he posted an incredible 212 yards receiving and 3 receiving touchdowns on just 9 receptions (23.6 YPR). If that isn't a lights-out game by a WR, I don't know what is. Turning to Witherspoon's film against Chatfield, you can see he is a tall, long, big-bodied receiver (6'4, 200 lbs), that knows how to use his large frame to overwhelm smaller DBs. Because of his size, he also displays the ability to consistently win contested catches by boxing out and high pointing the ball out of reach from most 2nd and 3rd level defenders, making him a force in the red zone on fades. Impressive athleticism given his large frame allows him to pull away from 2nd and 3rd level defenders if given enough space after the catch, in the open field. Shows outstanding awareness of where he's at on the field and great body control allows him to tight-rope catches along the sideline or along the back line of the endzone. Large, strong hands allow him to rip the ball away from defenders as well as allow him to secure the ball well working intermediate routes over the middle or when making contact with a defender at the point-of-attack. Witherspoon is currently ranked the number 20 WR and the number 178 player overall for the class of 2023. If he continues to dominate like he did in Week 6 against Chatfield, he'll certainly be deserving of more attention on the recruiting trail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->