Brian’s Best – Playoff addition
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To finish my look back at the season, I looked back at all the stories written about the impressive individuals I saw during playoff football. In trying to keep up with not always going with the obvious players all the…
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Continue ReadingTo finish my look back at the season, I looked back at all the stories written about the impressive individuals I saw during playoff football. In trying to keep up with not always going with the obvious players all the time, here is looking at you, Savion Hart Savion Hart 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Saint Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN (obviously the most impressive player during the St. Thomas Academy vs. Alexandria game). I have compiled a list of guys who impressed me with their performance on the field and guys I wasn’t specifically going into the game automatically watching.
Tate Gage Eagan RB
What I said then:
Gage dominated the entire game. He is more physical than he looks; he used that physical play early on a run up the middle to pick up a third and short. The junior scored his first touchdown on a six-yard touchdown run off the read option. Running behind Loes and Hendler, he picked up twenty yards. He has a great combination of speed, quick feet, patience, and more power than you would think based on his size. He showed two of those traits on his 44-yard touchdown run up the middle. He broke a tackle just past the line of scrimmage and used his speed for the rest of the yardage. He capped off his night with a 41-yard touchdown run.
The junior was one of the more versatile runners I watched throughout the season. He looks like a prototypical scat back, but Gage routinely lined up in the traditional fullback position – taking carries between the tackles and acting as a lead blocker. He accounted for just over 900 yards on the ground with seven touchdowns in the regular season. One thing that stands out to me when watching more of this season is his footwork. When he lines up at fullback, he is only about one yard in the backfield, but he makes multiple cuts within that one-yard area to find space on his inside runs.
Alex Gross Hill-Murray RB
What I said then:
Gross showed both power and quickness during the Pioneers’ victory. He took advantage of the excellent blocking on the interior for fifteen yards. Then, he was stacked up near the line of scrimmage, but Gross powered his way for five yards. After a five-yard touchdown run, he used quick feet at the line of scrimmage to make something out of nothing. On a sweep, the defender had him lined up, but a spin move faked out the tackler. After getting past the first man, he powered his way to more yards. He showed his speed on a 46-yard touchdown run off the right side. Later, he made a series of moves at the line of scrimmage to find space on a nine-yard run. Late in the game, he put his foot in the ground to make a cut on a sweep and then broke a tackle for thirty yards. On defense, he played the option well and made a tackle for no gain. Then, he made a tackle in the red zone for a short gain.
A two-way player, Gross is a long athlete but has deceptive speed on both sides of the ball. On offense, he is most effective when he can make one cut and accelerate up the field. However, even though he is a long strider with an upright running style, he does not get knocked off balance easily. His speed – especially in small spaces – helps him as an outside linebacker/edge rusher. He also has excellent closing speed when chasing down plays from the backside. Unlike Gage, Gross typically lines up six or seven yards deep. This allows him to use his vision to find the best place to attack the line of scrimmage when carrying the ball.
Anton Kadlec Anton Kadlec 6'3" | 315 lbs | OL Hutchinson | 2024 State MN Hutchinson OL/DL
What I said then:
The best player on the field was Kadlec. The Tigers’ offense often ran behind the senior in the first quarter. He opened a big hole on the first play of the game and, in fact, most of the holes on the first scoring drive – including runs for 30, 43, and a seven-yard touchdown run. The Tigers didn’t throw much, but the pocket was perfect when they did. Kadlec and right guard Neppl blew open a hole to pick up fifteen yards on a fourth and one. Later, on a trap play off the right side, the running back ran untouched on a 31-yard touchdown run. Towards the end of the game, the right side opened another huge hole. The back wasn’t touched until he was fifteen yards down the field. On defense, Kadlec – a brick house causing havoc between the offensive tackles – was a puzzle the Eagles’ offense never figured out. Early on, he made a tackle on the inside for a short gain. Then, the senior got off his block and didn’t make the tackle, but he got into the backfield and slowed the back down for his teammates to make the tackle for no gain. He fought off double teams and got loose for two more tackles for short gains. On third and long, late in the game, he put a quarterback sack on the stat sheet.
From what I could find, Kadlec finished the season with 41 tackles and four sacks. Those are solid numbers for an interior defensive lineman, but his worth to his team was much more than what he put on paper. On both sides of the ball, the senior was an absolute mauler. He routinely took on two blockers to free up his teammates; sometimes, that wasn’t enough to keep him out of the play. Even when pass blocking – usually more of a finesse technique, the senior’s strength and balance would still result in defenders on the ground. He is quick off the ball and makes getting to the second level and squaring up a smaller defender look easy.
Teddy Knapp Teddy Knapp 6'4" | 225 lbs | DL St. Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN St. Thomas Academy DL
What I said then:
Starting late in the second quarter, Knapp was all over the Cardinals’ offensive line and was a big reason the Cadets’ defense dominated in the second half. Knapp got off a block and made a tackle for a short loss. He used quick penetration to pick up a second tackle for loss. Working laterally down the line of scrimmage from his defensive end position, he made a tackle for no gain on the inside. He would continue his dominating second half, beating a blocker and getting penetration for a tackle for loss and again for another tackle for no gain.
Knapp finished the season with 54 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Regardless of whether he lined up inside the tackles or as an edge rusher, his quickness off the ball was too much for most offensive linemen to handle. His success getting off the ball was more than just a result of his speed. The senior also uses his hands exceptionally well – keeping blockers’ hands off him and using sort of a swim move. Knapp can’t all be about quickness as a 3-4 defensive end and a tight end in a run-heavy offense. He is physical at the point of attack on defense and gets a good push in the running game, setting the edge for his running backs.
Ayden Helder Ayden Helder 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Stewartville | 2024 State MN Stewartville QB
What I said then:
Most of the offense ran through the arm of Helder. He showed his arm strength early with a strong throw to the outside. He was clutch on a fourth and five completion. He has a quick release – highlighted on a short throw to the outside. Then, he showed he doesn’t just hurt defenses with his arm. Helder ran the ball for a first down. His arm was highlighted again when he hit a deep post to pick up a first down on third and long. After another quick throw to the sidelines for a first down, the senior didn’t see an open receiver, so he tucked the ball away and ran for twelve yards and a first down. After an eight-yard touchdown pass, Helder was perfect on a pair of deep crossing routes. His best throw might have been late in the game – a throw down the boundary for a touchdown.
Helder had a great playoff game and one of the better seasons you will see from a quarterback. His stats look like Madden 23 stats on Rookie level. He finished the season with over 2400 passing yards, but check out how efficient the senior was. He had a 71 percent completion percentage with a school record 42 touchdown passes and – this is not a typo – TWO interceptions. Helder put the ball in the air 236 times with only two interceptions. He also scored four touchdowns on the ground and rushed for just over 400 yards. His arm strength jumps off the screen, but he also moves well in the pocket – sidestepping defenders, rolling out, and having an overall good pocket presence.
Mason West Mason West 6'5" | 200 lbs | QB Edina | 2026 State MN Edina QB
What I said then:
Another of the Hornets’ super sophomores, West showed poise beyond his years. He put the ball in a tight window to Sonny Villegas on the sidelines for 50 yards. He showed confidence and arm strength when he put a ball in another tight window to Meyer Swinney Meyer Swinney 6'4" | 210 lbs | WR Edina | 2025 State MN , who made a contested catch on the goal line. On 4th and three, West to Villegas picked up a first down on an out route. The sophomore found Trillion Sorrell Trillion Sorrell 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Edina | 2025 State MN on a crossing route for 30 yards. West found Villegas on third and ten in another critical spot for a first down. Late in the game, he hit a crossing route that picked up a first down and was thrown in-stride so this receiver could get out of bounds. After a solid throw to the sidelines, West used his legs to find the end zone. On the game’s final drive, he showed a veteran’s poise. The sophomore hit a crossing pattern for 20 yards, and then – when conserving time was just as crucial as yards, his pass not only picked up a first down but allowed his receiver to get out of bounds. West capped off the potential game-tying drive with a throw to the outside for 21 yards and a touchdown with 16 seconds left.
West finished his sophomore year with stats a senior would be jealous of. He threw for over 2600 yards with a completion percentage of 65 percent and 28 touchdowns with nearly a 3 to 1 touchdown to interception rate. He already has a big arm, but his ability to move in the pocket is almost as impressive as his arm strength. At this point in his career, no one will mistake West with Lamar Jackson as a runner, but West already has great instincts in the pocket. He can move just enough to avoid rushers while staying in the pocket and make plays outside of the pocket on either designed rollouts or to buy himself time.