Success on the field and the wrestling mat – part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the winter sports' seasons in full swing, it is time to highlight some of the best multi-sport football players in the state. This series of stories starts by highlighting some of the best from the 2025 class who excel both on the football field and the wrestling mat. The wrestling ranking is courtesy of the most recent rankings on <a href="https://theguillotine.com/">The Guillotine</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["641140"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://theguillotine.com/2024/01/the-guillotine-high-school-rankings-class-aa-january-25-2024/u0022u003eThe Guillotine ranking 5th at 285AAu003c/au003ernrnWinkels made his first state tournament appearance last season. So far this season, the junior has stood on top of the podium in three in-season tournaments and placed second in a fourth tournament. On the football field, he is a throwback to those running back eating middle linebackers who dominate the game between the tackles. The junior is best when he can come downhill, make his read, and attack the ball carrier or lead blocker. He is physical at the point of attack, stopping the run and throwing a lead block from his fullback position on offense. Although he is most effective running north and south, Winkels has the athletic ability to stay square and scrape down the line of scrimmage. The junior is also the Packers' primary long snapper.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["945342"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://theguillotine.com/2024/01/the-guillotine-high-school-rankings-class-aaa-january-25-2024/u0022u003eThe Guillotine ranking 9th 285AAAu003c/au003ernrnA captain on the Stormhawk wrestling team, Derrick is a force on the interior of both offensive and defensive lines for Chaska Hawks. He displays solid lower body strength – especially with his straight-line blocking as he drives defensive tackles two and three yards off the line of scrimmage. Not all power, Derrick is quick around the corner when pulling and when getting up to the second level. He is quick off the line at defensive tackle and gets good arm extension to keep blockers off his body.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["245767"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://theguillotine.com/2024/01/the-guillotine-high-school-rankings-class-aa-january-25-2024/u0022u003eThe Guillotine ranking 4th 285AAu003c/au003ernrnBender made his second state tournament appearance and took 6th place at 195AA last season. Earlier this season, he won two in-season tournaments to solidify his high ranking. This fall, the two-time state entrant was one of the more physical players in the state. He is a huge linebacker who can overwhelm defenders as a blocking tight end. When he comes downhill from his inside linebacker spot on a run blitz, offensive linemen don't have a chance if they are not squared up – Bender can blow through touch blocks by even the biggest linemen. While best coming downhill, he has good lateral movement and speed for a linebacker with his size.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["945347"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://theguillotine.com/2024/01/the-guillotine-high-school-rankings-class-aaa-january-25-2024/u0022u003eThe Guillotine ranking 6th 145AAAu003c/au003ernrnSheehan made his second state tournament appearance last season and placed 5th at 145AAA. He has an in-season tournament title from the early portion of the wrestling season. This fall, the junior showed great power and quickness at the outside linebacker position. He is a physical tackler but is athletic enough to close on receivers in pass coverage. Undersized at linebacker, he makes up for it with good work with his hands – keeping blockers away from his body. He is athletic enough to not only play near the line of scrimmage but also to drop back and play safety or slot corner. His aggressive style helps him close on ball carriers quickly when coming from the outside. When in deep coverage, he breaks on the ball effectively.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["603454"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"u003ca href=u0022https://theguillotine.com/2024/01/the-guillotine-high-school-rankings-class-aaa-january-25-2024/u0022u003eThe Guillotine ranking 9th 172AAAu003c/au003ernrnMurphy made his second state tournament appearance last season. As an outside linebacker, he is physical at the point of attack. He sets the edge and gets off blocks efficiently. The junior has nice speed off the edge but also plays well in space. His footwork and upper body strength allow him to slide effectively down the line of scrimmage while fighting off blocks to keep contain, moving toward the sidelines, and closing down on inside runs. His ability to change direction allows him to recover quickly on defense and makes him an effective runner when called upon on offense.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65b5b0dcba785"} /-->