D7 State Championship Preview: Dalton Versus Marion Local

Jared Luginbill November 30, 2023 @ 01:15 PM

Dalton will be playing in its first state championship game in school history. Marion Local enters looking to add to its 47-game winning streak and 13 state championships. Let's look at some of the players who could play key roles in the game.   Dalton   2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='123844' first='Colin' last='Pearson'] 6'1 175- Pearson executes Dalton's short yardage passing attack to a tee. Whether he's in the pocket or on the move he has a good idea of where he needs to go with the ball and is decisive in his decision making. He does a good job feeling pressure and using his legs to escape pressure. He can use his legs as a weapon too as he scored last week on a long QB draw call where he split the defense and took it to the house.   2024 RB/LB Greyson Siders 5'11 190- Siders is just a really good football player. He makes plays for the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball. As a running back he has really explosive one cut and go runner. He has the shake to make a guy miss and the leg power to absorb contact and stay on his feet. At linebacker Siders has a great nose for the ball. His read and react is fast and he can get in the backfield in a hurry. If they could get Siders in the backfield and create some negative plays that would be a big deal for Dalton.   2025 RB Sammy Tomlinson 5'8 150- Tomlinson is a smaller shiftier running back. While he can make guys miss, he doesn't dance. He too knows how to cut and get upfield. He seems to be the carrier of choice especially around the goal line as he has a nose for the endzone.   2024 OT/DT Grayson Lehman 6'4 290- Lehman has a big frame and good feet. He plays downhill and with good leverage. He can anchor and pass block, but you can tell the run game is where his passion is. He loves to finish. Lehman will be a big key for Dalton as they will need him to help set the tone in the trenches on both sides of the ball.   Marion Local   2025 RB Ethan Heitkamp 5'10 175- Heitkamp is a fullback who has a bruising north-south style of running. He keeps is pads low and is a load to take down. For a fullback he's also a threat in the pass game as he shows good hands and a knack for getting open.   2025 WR Victor Hoelscher 6'1 175- Hoelscher is probably the biggest offensive weapon on Marion Local has. He can hurt you both at the wide receiver position, punt return, and kick return positions. He has good acceleration and longs peed which play well both on offense and in the return game. He can also make a guy miss. He's a player that Dalton will definitely have to contain if they want to win this game.   2025 QB Justin Knouff 6'0 170- Knouff does a good job of executing the flyers offense. He's asked to do a lot within both the pass and run games. In the run game he's asked to run the zone read where he does a good job of making reads and pulling it to run when it's there. In the pass game they'll use him both from the pocket and rolling him out. They'll test all three levels of the field.

Dalton will be playing in its first state championship game in school history. Marion Local enters looking to add to its 47-game winning streak and 13 state championships. Let's look at some of the players who could play key roles in the game.