Verona vs Janesville Parker: Recap & Top Prospects
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Use code Johnson30 for 30% off a new subscription! Level 1 of the Playoffs sent me just south of Madison to the suburb Verona, WI. There I watched the conference matchup of Verona vs Janesville Parker. These two have met…
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Level 1 of the Playoffs sent me just south of Madison to the suburb Verona, WI. There I watched the conference matchup of Verona vs Janesville Parker. These two have met up for some great battles in recent years, so I couldn’t miss it. Especially with the amount of college talent that was taking the field. It was a perfect night for the game. Cool, barely any wind, full stands, and two teams very deserving of being there.
Verona got the scoring started on the night. Star junior WR/DB Tre Poteat went up and perfectly high pointed a pass in the endzone, showing off strong hands through contact to secure the catch. The drive was set up by a Garrison Codde Garrison Codde 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Verona | 2024 State WI INT on the first pass play of the game. So we were seeing the best of the best step up right away. It wasn’t until the first half was almost over that we saw another score. Janesville Parker got close a few times, but they just couldn’t put together a complete drive. A big reason why was the loss of stud WR/TE/RB JJ Douglas JJ Douglas 6'5" | 215 lbs | WR Janesville Parker | 2024 State WI , who suffered an apparent ankle injury in the middle of the 2nd quarter. Back to the second score of the game. It was the speedster WR Michael Valitchka Michael Valitchka 5'11" | 185 lbs | WR Verona | 2024 State WI of Verona who showed off more than the speed as he went up and made a great grab of the ball at the high point. That gave us a 13-0 Verona lead at the half.
The two defenses continued to control the game, but Verona’s offense found their rhythm mid third quarter. They drove down inside the JP10. From there, RB Chace Bredeson got outside and in for the score. Now up 19-0, Verona was well in the driver’s seat. They continued to shut down the Janesville Parker offense, giving the Verona offense plenty of attempts to widen the gap. They eventually pushed it to 25-0 early in the 4th when Tre Poteat made another TD grab. This time he made it over the middle, pulled away from the DB, and scored. With that, Verona took the 25-0 lead to the buzzer. Congrats to the Wildcats on the win, and advancing to the 2nd level. Also, congrats to Janesville Parker on a great season!
Prospects of the Game
Stats: 3 Receptions, 34 Yards, 2 TDs, 3 Carries, 13 Yards, 4 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 37 Yard, Punt Return, 45 Yard Kick ReturnrnTre was the top talent of the evening. That isn’t anything new for one of WI’s best recruits. The junior dominated all three phases of the game. He showed off speed and vision on punt and kick returns. Returns that set his offenses up with short field after short field. On defense, Poteat wasn’t targeted much, but watching him run stride for stride and changing directions with WRs was so impressive to see. He was also a reliable open field tackler. On offense, Tre was super aggressive at the catch point. He showed off a huge catch radius, going up for catches in traffic. Poteat also was dangerous after the catch with his agility/elusiveness. Tre is a complete prospect that will be playing FBS football.
Highlights
Stats: 9 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF, 2 INTsrnThe senior CB has long been one of our favorite athletes in the Class of 2024. In the offseason, Codde has dominated in the athletic testing of the camps circuit. During the season he has put the talent on display. Friday night was no different. Codde stepped up instantly with a quick INT to start the game. He corralled the overthrow and made a solid return. Later in the game, Garrison chased down a deep pass for his second INT. The senior really took a step forward in his ball skills. Turning last year’s PBUs into INTs this year. The senior is very quick footed and twitchy overall. He can flip his hips, change direction, accelerate quickly all to keep up with WRs. He is a need to know prospect in the Class of 2024.
Highlights
Stats: 4 Receptions, 41 Yards, 1 TDrnValitchka has caught my eyes earlier this season, but Friday night he gave me even more reason to push him up the rankings. The senior WR is a legitimate deep threat. He has the burst and speed to eat up cushion, stack the WR, and run away from the field after the catch. Michael also proved that he tracks the ball well downfield. His TD came on an endzone shot where he couldn’t just win with speed. He had to adjust to the ball, and go get it. Don’t sleep on the field stretching WR.
Highlights
Stats: 9 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FFrnStrasser seemed to be all over the field. The senior DB was making plays in the secondary and down near the line of scrimmage proving that he has the range to play the safety position. While he isn’t the biggest athlete, Lucas was one of the top tacklers of the night. He was aggressive, and knew how to attack ball carriers. Strasser was also opportunistic, knocking loose a fumble. He is an athlete you can count on in run support, but will also be able to roam the field from a deep safety position.
The top lineman of the night was Verona’s junior Dylan Hildebrand Dylan Hildebrand 6’4″ | 280 lbs | OL Verona | 2025 State WI . The junior has an intriguing skill set at the position. First off, he is absolutely massive at 6’5″ 300 lbs. Dylan isn’t just a big body, though. He has the athletic lower body with light feet that allow him to play laterally to position himself in the trenches. It also allows him to double team up to level two, and peel off to get an LB. He also is able to mirror pass rushers well. The top half is highlighted by heavy hands that gave a good punch, controlled the man, and helped generate a big push. Keep a close eye on the development of the Verona junior.
Highlights
Stats: 2 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBUrnVerona is printing talented DBs in the Class of 2024 and 2025. Another standout to know at the position is Miles Dawkins Miles Dawkins 6’0″ | 195 lbs | DB Verona | 2025 State WI . Miles plays a lot in the slot, and it fits the 6′ 195 lbs junior well. The big DB is strong and able to reroute WRs at the line. Dawkins has the quick feet to be able to cut with the quick receivers. He has shown good timing at the catch point to break up passes. Plus being out on the edge has allowed him to get involved in stopping the outside run. The rising junior does well against that with his size and strength. I’m excited to see him continue to develop over this next year, and see where he lines up throughout the games. I believe he could play slot or safety also.
JJ was as dominant as I have seen a player on Friday night. The massive athlete played angry, picking up a ton of yards after contact, breaking tackles, moving the pile, and requiring 5+ guys to bring him down. The senior plays WR/RB and defense for Parker. On offense, he was moving the team up an down the field. The defense knew he was getting the ball, but couldn’t slow the powerful athlete down. It wasn’t until a 2nd quarter injury that took him out for the game did Verona start to pull away. Big things area head for the talented senior, though, as he heads to Central Michigan next season.
Kim put together a strong final performance. He showed some strong return skills on special teams, and was generally tight with his coverage. On special teams, Paul played with soft hands, good feet, and a burst to hit holes and get to top speed quickly. On defense, Paul looked good in man coverage. He had the balance and body control to be able to turn, cut, or slide to stay with his man and also react to the breaks of routes. Kim was aggressive at the catch point, making it hard for WRs to focus on making the catch. Paul is one of the top uncommitted players at his position in the state. Give him a look.
Another player who impressed me was senior LB Keegan Skrzypchak Keegan Skrzypchak 6’3″ | 195 lbs | LB Janesville Parker | 2024 State WI . Keegan has a great frame to continue to build on in a college weight room. His 6’3″ 195 lbs is well built, but has room to continue to add size and strength. Keegan was all over between the tackles, making it very hard for Verona to get the inside run game going. Keegan uses his size and strength to keep himself clean from OL, plus that power ends plays quickly when he wrapped an offensive player up. I can see Keegan being used on the inside or outside at the next level. He will be moving up the rankings. Get your eyes on the senior.