Harper Woods edges South Christian 33-27 in D4 Final

The Harper Woods Pioneers rode a hot start and made one last defensive stand to extinguish South Christian's fierce comeback effort. In the beginning, it seemed like Harper Woods had it in the bag, then, with a few scheme changes, South Christian stormed back. This game had several standout performances, and I'm excited to share my thoughts about this one!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Harper Woods</h2>   QB | [player_tooltip player_id='1148711' first='Nate' last='Rocheleau'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12712508/Nate-Rocheleau">Hudl</a>   This was my first time seeing the sophomore QB in person, and he surely showed some promise. He had his ups and he had his downs, sporting 59% completion with 210yds and 2TDs. One of those throws went for a 90-yard touchdown. I like his fit in the offense. His timing is good, he can read a defense, and he's had some good performances this season. There were some instances where I thought he was playing rushed, and his accuracy suffered. Still, great work from a Sophomore QB. Quarterback is one of those positions where you have to be pretty phenomenal to even have a shot at D2 ball, and for now, I give Nate a future D3 grade.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/QB1-crop-1537x1009-1700956850.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1096080" style="width:320px;height:auto" /></figure>   RB | [player_tooltip player_id='603737' first='Donald' last='Adams'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16256905/Donald-Adams">Hudl</a>   STATS: 17 carries, 174yds, 2 receptions, 23yds   Donald had himself a day running the football. Especially the first quarter, he was seeing the field extremely well and breaking tackles left and right. He's a skilled back who isn't the best athlete I've ever seen, but he has great contact balance and sees the field very well. In addition, there were a few good pass pro highlights, and he ran quite a few routes. He's an excellent jack-of-all-trades running back. Check out the tweet below for a few second-half highlights!   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1728548444145430774 </div></figure>   ATH | [player_tooltip player_id='547739' first='Dakota' last='Guerrant'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19388168/Dakota-Guerrant">Hudl</a>   STATS: 4 Receptions, 84yds, 1TD   Dakota is considered to be one of the top freshman in all of Michigan. The speedy athlete received his first offer from Michigan back in May, and his stats this season back up his recruitment. Today, he looked like a budding prospect with some minor flaws; nothing that surprised me either way. It's apparent that he's an excellent athlete for his age, and his production should only go up from here. With a few great offseasons and possibly growing into a leadership role in a few years, he'll be one of the top prospects in the midwest.   [player_tooltip player_id='899580' first='Vory' last='Peacock'] & [player_tooltip player_id='251295' first='Willie' last='Powell']   A bit of an extra because these are players who I know played well, I just wish I watched them more. Willie is a big senior LB who totaled 6 assisted tackles. Most of these tackles are likely near the sidelines, as South Chrisitan abandoned the inside running game pretty early on.   Vory is an EDGE rusher who caught my eye last winter. He totaled 6 tackles and 0.5TFLs this game. The stats indicate a great game, and I'm going to have to look into the film soon and see.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">South Christian </h2>   QB | [player_tooltip player_id='1290463' first='Carson' last='Vis'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16386618/Carson-Vis">Hudl</a>   STATS: 30-44, 441yds, 2TD, 1 INT, 17 Rushes, 72yds, 1TD   Vis totaled 513 AP Yards. That's good, right? I honestly didn't think much of Vis as a passer until now. How well can he read a defense? That I don't know- but there's no doubt he can extend a play and throw an accurate ball to his receivers. There were a few throws where his timing was on point as well. The fact of the matter is that Vis is a high IQ player with that playmaker gene. There were several plays where he was able turn nothing into something, and almost stacked up to a last-second win. Super tough kid who reminds me of last year's QB Jake DeHaan in a lot of ways- though Vis is a better passer, and not as talented at running it.   WR | [player_tooltip player_id='610770' first='Jake' last='Vermaas'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15040172/Jake-Vermaas">Hudl</a>   STATS: 10 receptions, 196yds, 1TD   Vermaas quietly accounted for nearly half the pass yards for South Christian. The thing is, I'm not surprised whatsoever that he had the day that he did. Jake excels at running clean routes, and he's one of the best contested catchers I've ever seen. Jake does have a few things to work on- blocking is a big one. Though, even with a few flaws, he has enough great or elite traits to warrant several Division 2 offers in my opinion. I wouldn't be shocked if a MAC team threw their hat in the ring either!   Edit: It's also notable that Jake was being tagged and double-covered for a lot of this game. Harper Woods head coach Rod Oden said himself that they were making sure Jake didn't have a chance to make a play on that final drive. When the opposing coach goes out of his way to call you out as a threat, you know you're doing something right.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1728543758516355539 </div></figure>   WR | Austin Tiesma | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15040180/Austin-Tiesma">Hudl</a>   STATS: 8 Receptions, 120yds   #8 for The Sailors stepped up in a huge way as a late-game receiving threat. His chemistry with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1290463' first='Carson' last='Vis'] was apparent, as they connected for several well-timed balls. He was a reliable WR2 all game long, and my gut tells me he's a D3 guy if he wanted to continue being a receiver in college. Good route-runner, good after the catch, and I don't have enough to go off to judge his contested catch, footwork, etc.   DL | [player_tooltip player_id='665540' first='Camren' last='Vansolkema'] | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15165876/Camren-VanSolkema">Hudl</a>   STATS: 2 Tackles   I watched Camren more than any defender this game, and that's because I wanted to see how he'd do against a great offensive line. Overall, I think he did well. I need to look back at the tape, but there were several instances where I saw him decisively win with power. His bull rush won on multiple occasions, and I saw him in the backfield more than once. Although the stats don't show it, he was winning, and he was getting double teamed quite a bit. His energy was a bit down in the 4th quarter- but I could say the same thing about just about everyone. I know Camren works his tail off in the offseason, and I think a school like Ferris or GV would be perfect for him.

The Harper Woods Pioneers rode a hot start and made one last defensive stand to extinguish South Christian's fierce comeback effort. In the beginning, it seemed like Harper Woods had it in the bag, then, with a few scheme changes, South Christian stormed back. This game had several standout performances, and I'm excited to share my thoughts about this one!