2022 Prep Redzone KY Awards: Defensive Player of the Year.

<!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">Now that the 2022 high school football season has come and gone, it is time to take a look back on another very exciting year. In the state of Kentucky in particular, there was an abundance of talent on display this past season. While it was a very hard thing to do, I have taken a close look at the top performers in every phase of the game and have decided on some end of the year awards for the 2022 high school football season. After covering my Offensive Player of the year, here are my finalists and winner of the 2022 Prep Redzone KY Defensive Player of the Year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Finalists</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["386162"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"My first finalist for this award is the 2022 6A sacks leader, [player_tooltip player_id='386162' first='Saadiq' last='Clements']. The senior defensive end had a dominant final season at Henderson County, finishing with 62 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, and three forced fumbles. As you can see from his stat line, Clements is a very impressive pass rusher. He has an explosive first step and uses his strength to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen. Once he gets penetration into the backfield, he has shown the ability to shed blocks quickly and finish at the quarterback. Against the run, Clements does a great job of reading the play and using his speed to run down plays from the backside. Saadiq is committed to Louisville where I see him developing into a key piece of their defensive line.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["490003"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Next up on my finalist list is a defensive back who finished tied for the statewide lead in interceptions. [player_tooltip player_id='490003' first='Liam' last='Hutson'] had an outstanding senior season at North Oldham, finishing with 58 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and nine interceptions. Hutson lined up at safety and did a great job of reading the play on the backside of the defense. Once the ball was in the air, Liam showed the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to catch interceptions in stride. After the interception, Hutson showed the speed to take it the other way, finishing the season with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. He also did a great job against the run, showing the ability to fill the lane and make tackles in the open field. Liam currently holds offers from Millikin and Hanover, and I expect more to continue to come his way as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["145017"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"In his final season of high school football,  defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='145017' first='Tommy' last='Ziesmer'] continued to show that he is one of the most talented football players in the entire state. Ziesmer played a huge role in Boyle County's 4A State Championship run, finishing the year with 83 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and three forced fumbles. Ziesmer is a very dominant pass rusher as he is able to use his explosive first step and speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Once he gets to the quarterback, he has shown the ability to finish at the quarterback with a ton of physicality. Against the run, Ziesmer plays with a very high motor, showing the ability to run sideline to sideline to make tackles all over the field. Ziesmer is committed to stay close to home and play at Kentucky where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense down the road.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["386166"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another senior defensive end that stood out to me this season is Great Crossing's [player_tooltip player_id='386166' first='Oryend' last='Fisher']. Fisher had a very impressive final season, finishing with 76.5 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He is a long, athletic pass rusher that uses his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge. Fisher does a great job of continuing to work to run down the quarterback when they escape the pocket and finishing once he gets there. Against the run, Fisher uses his speed to make plays all over the field and finishes tackles with a ton of physicality in the open field. Oryend is committed to West Virginia where I see him becoming a key pieced of their defensive front.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["490011"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Kangakole' last='Jean Aime'] is a player that jumped onto my radar quickly this past season. The senior linebacker had an incredible 2022 season, finishing second in the entire state with 145 total tackles along with 23 tackles for loss, six sacks, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He returned two of those fumble recoveries for touchdowns. Kangakole played in a stand up outside linebacker role and a ton of reliability against both the run and the pass. Against the run, he does a great job of reading the play and taking good angles to the ball, and is a very reliable open field tackler once he gets there. He also shows the ability to use his speed off the edge to blow by opposing offensive tackles as a pass rusher. Jean Aime also showed the ability to drop into coverage and make plays against the pass, finishing the season with two interceptions. Kangakole doesn't currently hold any reported offers but he deserves more attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63cc577c452bb"} /--> <!-- wp:heading {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <h2 class="has-medium-font-size">Winner: [player_tooltip player_id='145017' first='Tommy' last='Ziesmer'] - 2023 Defensive Lineman, Boyle County</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">This race was a very close one as all five of these players could make a good case to win the award. However, when I looked at the full body of work, [player_tooltip player_id='145017' first='Tommy' last='Ziesmer'] is the player that stood out the most. He has been one of the most consistently dominant football players in the entire state over the past few seasons and the role he played in the Rebel's 2022 State Championship run couldn't be ignored. Mark Stoops and the Wildcats got them an outstanding in-state commitment with Ziesmer as I truly see him developing into one of the next great pass rushers at Kentucky. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->