Frankenmuth vs. Freeland Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was physical, as expected. 2 teams that pride themselves on solid defenses and outworking their opponent put on an impressive show in the midst of a cold rainy night. This article will be highlighting some of the best defensive performances we got to see on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Derrick Simmons,</strong><em> DL, Frankenmuth-</em> Starting in the trenches, Simmons had himself a game. Just focusing on his defensive play, he was eating up a ton of space on the interior, and was getting great push on the offensive line and disrupting Freeland and what they were trying to accomplish. He's an aggressive dude that stays low, and makes every tackle that comes his way. Multiple times through out the night he was firing off quickly and getting by the offensive lineman before he could even get off. It was an impressive night for the Junior and I am excited to see what else he can accomplish. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hagan Wascher, </strong><em>DB, Frankenmuth-</em> Hagan had himself a heck of a game on Friday, between the blocked punt, all of the tackles and all of the pressure he added to the Freeland offense. It was really impressive seeing him play sideline to sideline and delivering big hits all night. He was lockstep in pass defense but I was mostly impressed with how he played downhill in the run game. I am really happy to see the Junior making these kind of strides throughout the season, and am excited to see his next jump. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Riley Hubbard,</strong> <em>DB, Frankenmuth- </em>Riley is probably the one that raised his stock the most in this game. Coming away with a huge interception, multiple well defended receivers and displaying a clear football IQ, I was pretty impressed. I had seen him play before, but he really stuck out on Friday night. The rainy conditions didn't seem to bother him, showing sure hands in the wet weather, sure footedness and quickness from side to side. Frankenmuth will be relying on him more going forward, and I think that is the right guy for the job. He is looking like a true prospect for the next level now more than ever. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wil Smith, </strong><em>DB, Freeland- </em>Wil was probably my top performer for Freeland on defense. He also raised his stock quite a bit, showing a ton of willingness and ability to come up and make jarring hits, and was solid in the coverage as well. Frankenmuth came in with a game plan in the wet conditions to run the ball, and Smith was rackling up the tackles. I have a lot of notes of him chasing down the play, not giving up, and stuffing the run. I think he has potential at the collegiate level, but I would like to see him again sometime soon when the conditions are favorable to air it out, because I would love to see more pass defense from Smith. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->