Success on the field and the track -Part two

Last week, I put the spotlight on some of the best track athletes in the 2023 class from Class A and AA. Today, for my final track and field/football story, I am shifting my focus to the big school class and the athletes at those schools that dominated the football field and the track.   [player_tooltip player_id='188150' first='Hayden' last='Bills'] DL/TE Rosemount   1st Class AAA discus   Bills – who committed to the Arizona State track team - won the discus state title last season by recording the fourth-longest throw in Minnesota high school history. Watching his football highlight package from his senior year is almost comical how he throws opponents around. On defense, playing primarily at defensive end, his power got offensive linemen off balance and going backward. His quickness off the ball – combined with that power – allowed him to split double teams against the run and pass. Watching him drive hapless defenders to the sidelines or into the ground as a tight end made for one of the most impressive highlight packages I have seen in a long time.   [player_tooltip player_id='19020' first='Elinneus' last='Davis'] DL Moorhead   3rd Class AAA discus   Davis might have the strongest lower body in this class. He is a prototypical run-stuffing interior defensive lineman – with a twist. Like most upper-level defensive tackles, Davis takes on double teams, forces the interior of opposing lines to move backward, and eats up any runner who tries to run through his gap. What separates him from the rest of the good interior defensive linemen is the same thing that I am sure made him one of the best discus throwers in the state – his footwork. For an athlete his size, his lateral movement will make him a force on the University of Washington's defensive line.   [player_tooltip player_id='112052' first='Martin' last='Owusu'] DL Prior Lake   11th Class AAA discus   Like Davis, Owusu has the lower body strength, knee, and hip bend to take on double teams, push the pocket and make running at him normally a fruitless venture. Also, like Davis, Owusu's lateral movement allows him to patrol more than a two-gap responsibility assigned to many defensive linemen without the senior's talent. His quickness off the snap jumps off the screen with the Minnesota commit, partly because of the footwork that also makes him a top discus thrower in the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='112137' first='Devin' last='Jordan'] DB Eden Prairie   3rd Class AAA high jump, 11th long jump   Jordan does a little bit of everything from the safety position for the Eagles. He has good anticipation as a deep safety and has excellent range and hands to make plays on the ball. The senior is a sure tackler both in the open field and when he drops down into the box. He plays in the box like an undersized linebacker – good instincts and is not shy about throwing his body into the ball carrier.   [player_tooltip player_id='208274' first='Grayson' last='Spronk'] RB Prior Lake   8th Class AAA 100M   Spronk has excellent vision from the running back position. He has the strength and explosiveness to pound a defense between the tackles, but his vision allows him to bounce runs to the outside, where he can use the speed that got him into the finals of the 100 meters. He is most effective when he can make one cut and get up the field, but he is more physical than most guys with his straight-line speed. He can bounce off tacklers in addition to running past them.   [player_tooltip player_id='295960' first='Charlie' last='Gleason'] DL Stillwater   9th Class AAA discus   Gleason is explosive off the snap from his defensive end position. He keeps his pad level low and uses his hands well to get off blocks. His hands also help him keep distance from the blocker he is engaged with – making it much easier for him to deal with backs that cut back or bounce runs wide. His power off the edge allows him to bully blockers if they do not get him squared up. He has an impressive motor – allowing him to run down plays from behind and beat blockers to the spot taking away the angle they would need to block him.   [player_tooltip player_id='112053' first='Kade' last='Gilbertson'] LB Rosemount   9th Class AAA 4X100, 4th 4X200, 2nd 4X400   Like his Irish teammate Bills, Gilbertson is a physical, fast defender. Instead of the defensive line, Gilbertson's physical football came from the linebacker position. He has great lateral quickness to play sideline to sideline. His footwork is sold in the passing game. His pass drops are smooth for such a physical player. At his best – however – Gilbertson is using his football instincts and is attacking the line of scrimmage, breaking down when he gets to the ball, and thumping and wrapping up ball carriers.   [player_tooltip player_id='19024' first='Michael' last='Haugo'] WR Moorhead   3rd Class AAA 4X100, 7th 4X200, 3rd long jump   With the speed to be on a state-place winning relay team and the leaping ability to finish in the top three in the long jump, it should come as a surprise to no one that Haugo uses his speed and leaping ability to be a problem for defenders. His straight-line speed – with some subtle footwork – forces defenders to lay off him. Once that happens, he is athletic enough to take advantage of soft coverage to catch a two-yard pass, make a man miss, and be off to the races.   [player_tooltip player_id='236878' first='Jonathan' last='Shrum'] ATH Farmington   8th Class AAA 4X200   On the football field, Shrum was the primary offensive weapon for the Tigers. He lined up at running back and quarterback throughout the season. His speed is an obvious weapon for the senior, but Shrum is tough to bring down in the open field. A threat in all three phases of the game, he can be a game-breaking kick returner and is a ball-hawking defensive back. His most eye-popping play of the season happened on the defensive side of the ball. He read an option pitch from his defensive back position, picked it off, then opened up that 4X200 speed and raced 85 yards for a touchdown.   [player_tooltip player_id='246030' first='Michael' last='Gross'] WR Eden Prairie   4th Class AAA 400, 1st 4X200, 5th 4X400   Gross was the Eagles' primary deep threat in 2022. However, his best work was done on underneath patterns. Because of his speed, he is often given a cushion underneath. The Eagles' offense took full advantage of that with short out patterns where he can show off his great footwork on the sidelines and his physical running style turning short throws into the flat into first downs as much with his speed as with his ability to break tackles. Once corners start to creep up to either take away the short routes Gross runs or get involved in the running game, that is when Gross' sprinter and middle-distance speed get him behind defenses for the deep ball.    [player_tooltip player_id='112080' first='Ot' last='Omot'] WR Park   8th Class AAA high jump   As the saying goes, if you are even, he is leavin'. Throwing deep to Omot is usually a good bet. If he gets a step on a defensive back, his speed will get him separation, but so will his frame and his high jump leaping ability. His height and ability to elevate make him a dangerous deep threat. He is not just a deep ball speed threat. He adjusts well to the ball and runs crisp routes underneath. He will be a quarterback's best friend in college as he is a big target and does a great job working back to his quarterback when a play breaks down.

Last week, I put the spotlight on some of the best track athletes in the 2023 class from Class A and AA. Today, for my final track and field/football story, I am shifting my focus to the big school class and the athletes at those schools that dominated the football field and the track.