5A All-State Team: DEs – LBs
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Cody Wittig HEIGHT 6'2" WEIGHT 249 POS DL CLASS 2025 Cody Wittig School: Chatfield Wittig is a beast on the defensive line. He’s a junior out of Chatfield measuring in at 6’2 250 pounds. Wittig had a great season to…
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Continue ReadingCody Wittig
Cody Wittig
Wittig is a beast on the defensive line. He’s a junior out of Chatfield measuring in at 6’2 250 pounds. Wittig had a great season to notch under his belt. He accounted for 100 total tackles (44 solo, 56 assisted), 13.5 TFL, 5 sacks, and 4 FF. Wittig has solid athletic ability. He won’t blow you away with his speed, but his technique. Demonstrates good mental processing by identifying gaps and rushing them. Witting has a high motor and competes at a high level consistently. He’ll help his teammates finish tackles as well. Wittig is a very strong defensive lineman. He can create pressure and get tackles while being double teamed. He’ll overpower the two offensive linemen and make the tackle for a loss. He has a very good bull rush, and in combination with a low pad level to knock the OL on their feet. Good spin moves too. Wittig’s a good run stopper and does well as a power rusher. He’s a fantastic player, and the tape speaks for itself.
Nkongolo Wa-Kalonji Nkongolo Wa-Kalonji 6’4″ | 185 lbs | DL Grandview | 2024 State CO is another defensive beast. He measures in at 6’4 185 pounds. This kid can play! Throughout the season, he accounted for 108 total tackles (32 solo, 76 assisted), 11 TFL, 5 sacks, and 2 pass deflections. Wa-Kalonji has elite athletic ability, due in part to elite speed, acceleration, and change of direction. For example, he came off the block and within seconds he caught up to the receiver 10 yards away and tackled him. He’s a lengthy rusher combined with very good strength that makes him a formidable opponent. On multiple occasions, I saw him throw the tackle the ground and either stuff the run or pressure the QB. He sheds blocks very easily and runs through the offensive line. He plays at a high level consistently. High motor who doesn’t give up on plays and continues playing after the whistle. Wa-Kalonji has a nasty spin move. Also, has a good bull rush to knock OL on their butt. He also has the athletic ability to go into coverage and cover TEs. Phenomenal player.
Johnson killed it this past season as a defensive tackle for Ralston Valley. He measures in at 6’3 260 pounds. He accounted for 89 total tackles (24 solo, 66 assisted), 2 TFL, 3 sacks, and 10 pass deflections. Johnson has good athletic ability due to good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. He’s got good competitive toughness due to a high motor and playing through the whistle. He doesn’t give up on the play. Even when he’s on the other side of the field, he’ll run them down and make the tackle. Plays at a high level consistently. He’ll use his low pad level to get underneath the OL and use his very good strength to overpower the OL. Good bull rush to knock them off their feet. Very good block shedder. Will tackle while being blocked. Johnson will try to strip the ball and hit the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands. A lengthy player who uses that to his advantage with the amount of passes he’s deflected at the line of scrimmage.
One of the starting edge rushers on the 5A All-State Team. Ochoa had a great senior year for Castle View. He’s got good size for an edge rusher. Measuring in at 6’4 244 pounds. Throughout the season, he accounted for 61 total tackles (42 solo, 19 assisted), 11.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 30 QB pressures, 2 FF. Ochoa has very good athletic ability, due to very good speed, acceleration, and good change of direction. Demonstrates very good competitive toughness. He’ll play through the whistle, and chase the ball carrier down, even when he’s on the other side of the field. An example of this competitive toughness was when he lost his helmet on the play. He kept going and got a strip sack. Impressive. Good mental processing is shown by him correctly reading the read options. Ochoa has a low pad level and uses his good strength to overpower the OL. He’s a good block shedder and sheds them with ease. Good pass rusher. Able to bend around the edge and in combination with a good bull rush to consistently put pressure on the QB. He’ll switch between going inside or outside of the tackle leading to unpredictability. Good run stopper too. Will run through multiple blockers to get to the ball carrier.
Another edge rusher for the 5A All-State team. Crowe dominated this past year for Denver East. He accounted for 101 total tackles (65 solo, 36 assisted), 29.5 TFL, 15 sacks, 7 QB pressures, 7 pass deflections, 2 FF. Good size for an edge rusher, measuring in at 6’3 220 pounds. Crowe has a very good athletic ability. In part due to very good acceleration/quickness off the LOS, speed, and good change of direction. He has very good mental processing too. An element of his game that really stood out to me was his ability to correctly read the read option and create TFLs. Crowe’s shown good competitive toughness and plays through the whistle. His good strength is evident right when you throw the tape on. Throwing down offensive linemen with ease and would consistently run through them. He uses a low pad level, and shifty feet to beat the OL and get the TFL. Good pass rusher. Good bend around the edge, mixed with a good bull rush/spin move makes him a formidable opponent for the offense. Good at stopping the run and will shed blocks with ease. Deserving to be the 5A All-State team.
Highlights
Starting MLB for the 5A All-State team. Holloway had a stellar year for Denver East. Solid size for a LB at 5’10 190 pounds but this kid can play. In his senior year, he had 177 tackles (120 solo, 57 assisted), 28 TFL, 2 sacks, 9 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles. Holloway was all over the field. If the ball carrier was getting tackled, Holloway was contributing in some way shape or form. Demonstrates very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, good speed and change of direction. Reminds me of a heat seeking missile. He’s shown good mental processing throughout his play. He’ll identify the gaps (playing RB helps with gap knowledge) and rush the correct ones. Holloway will also follow the QB’s eyes and lead him to making a play. He’s a strong tackler and wraps them up like a bear. He’s a hard hitter causing the ball carrier to stop in their tracks. Holloway is an excellent run stopper. Demonstrates good competitive toughness by playing after the whistle and not giving up on plays. Holloway is also used as a punt return and showcases his very good athleticism.
Highlights
Logan Kundred
Logan Kundred
Starting MLB for the 5A All-State team as well. Kundred balled out for Chatfield. The 5A leading tackler deserved to be on this list. He’s got good size for a MLB at 6’0 195 pounds. Throughout the season, Logan accounted for 204 total tackles (99 solo, 105 assisted), 11 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF. Kundred was all over the field, and consistently next to the ball carrier. He’s able to do that thanks to his good athletic ability. He’s got good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. Demonstrates good mental processing. Logan will identify the gaps and rush the correct ones. He’s always watching the QB’s eyes and following them to make a play. Strong tackler, who will stop the ball carrier in their tracks. He’ll utilize his low pad level to out leverage the OL or TE. Kundred is consistently playing at a high level. He has very good competitive toughness in multiple ways. He’s all over the field assisting his teammates and will continue to play after the whistle. He won’t give up on plays and gives it his all.