Defense Lifts GRCC To D5 Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grand Rapids was back at Ford Field for the first time in a few years, and they picked up right where they left off. They played incredible defense, only allowing 1 touchdown en route to a 21-7 win in the D5 state championship. In this article we're going to highlight a few players from each team that stood out in this defensive slugfest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533709' first='Kellen' last='Russell-Dixon']-</strong> <em>RB/DB, Grand Rapids Catholic Central:</em> Kellen was running on all cylinders as expected on Sunday. He ended the day with 140 yards rushing, averaging over 6 yards per carry, and was lockdown in the secondary. Of the entire weekend, he may have displayed the best contact balance of anyone. He absolutely refused to go down on first contact, and was extremely difficult for Corunna to contain. My thought after this one is whoever winds up with him at the next level is getting a good one that will absolutely make their team better! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='188030' first='Connor' last='Wolf']- </strong><em>QB, Grand Rapids Catholic Central: </em>I liked the way Connor was able to command the offense, and never force anything. He took the throws the defense gave him, and he was actually able to sneak into the end zone on foot for all 3 touchdowns. He managed the game with incredible poise and played mistake free football and put his team in the best position to win, and it was extremely impressive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Austin Baxter-</strong><em> LB/WR, Grand Rapids Catholic Central: </em>Austin was all over on defense. He was able to drop back into coverage and defended the pass well, and he led the team in tackles as well. He was able to avoid and fight through blocks to make plays. I was surprised to see how easily he flowed sideline to sideline, stringing runs along and making play after play. It was a really impressive display from Austin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaden Edington-</strong> <em>RB/LB, Corunna</em>: Jaden was a very bright spot for the Cavs. He was a the leading tackler defensively, and was the leading back offensively. He ended the day with 10 tackles, including a TFL, which was impressive against a tough front for GRCC. He is extremely strong, and is a very disciplined linebacker. I think he would make a D3 team better defensively. I definitely hope he gets that chance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='250056' first='Wyatt' last='Bower']- </strong><em>QB/DB, Corunna: </em>Wyatt has been known for his offensive talent, but Sunday was a heck of a display of defense for him, wrapping up 8 tackles along the way. He hit some really nice throws and was finding the open guys when he had the chance. Though he got a big banged up, he still gritted out a gutsy performance. Wyatt is still an absolutely incredible ball player win or lose and I am pumped to see what he can accomplish at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1124515' first='Tarick' last='Bower']-</strong> <em>WR/DB, Corunna: </em>Tarick was banged up a bit during this one, but he still made a couple big plays, including an impressive display of awareness when he made a catch and immediately ducked to make a man go over top of him and bust it up the sideline. Statistically, it wasn't his best game, but what he showed athletically was more than enough to know this dude will be for real at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->