Dominant Defensive Performances: Week 3

Week 3 brought us multiple new athletes to our radars that college recruiters are going to want to know about. There is an impressive senior DL, a sophomore CB who may be on his way towards being the best in the state at his position, and a few others. Plus the numbers are off the charts. Multi-sack games, multi- INT games, and plenty of tackles and tape to show off the talent of this impressive group. Dive into this loaded group of athletes! Enjoy!    Stats: 6 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 2 Sacks   Talk about disruptive! Senior OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1394901' first='Seth' last='Wilson'] was living in the backfield of Brodhead in Week 3. Seth is an under the radar edge defender that is not only producing well, but brings a solid array of tools and traits to the field. The first being that long, lean frame that has room to fill out at the next level and the reach to be a pass rusher in college. In Week 3 we see Seth set a strong edge against the run consistently. He can take on blocks, disengage, and make the tackle. Wilson also showed some nice lateral agility on one of his pass rush clips that allowed the OT to barely glance a finger on him on his way to the QB. Don't sleep on the Platteville defender. Check him out!      Stats: 6 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack   In a big victory over Kettle Moraine, DE [player_tooltip player_id='1599701' first='Tony' last='Melaas'] was able to make a strong showing to put himself on the map. Tony repeatedly impressed with his use of leverage to win reps vs the Kettle Moraine talented OL. He did a great job of getting hands on and locking out to create some separation so he could find the ball and then shed the block to go pursue it. The senior DE plays with heavy hands that were able to shuck OL and TEs to the side so he could slip past them and get to the ball. The talented senior also made some high effort plays like making the chase down tackle across the backfield. I'm liking what I see from the senior DL. Take a look at the weekly highlights below.      Stats: 8 Tackles, 1 TFL   The sophomore LB put together a great Friday night in Week 3 as he led the loaded Verona defense in tackles on the way to a dominant 34-6 victory. The 2027 plays with a strong base of instincts and athleticism. Jackson is quick to read and react, attacking downhill against the inside run and laying stout hits on RBs that stop forward progression. I was really impressed with how fluid Jackson moved in space while in zone coverage. Also with how he understood to flow with the QB on a rollout, which led him right to one of his tackles. The sophomore is still growing and filling out his frame, but the athletic tools and mental processing are at great points early in his career. A name to keep an eye on going forward.      Stats: 12 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF   Jake has already been made an appearance in our weekly standout performers once this season. He has to be back again after his dominant play in Week 3. It is always impressive watching the Sauk Prairie lineman because at just 205 lbs the 6'4" junior is dominating at nose tackle. Not something you see very often, but it is because Jake is so good and consistent with his hands/length and his quickness off the ball and laterally make him so hard to get in front of for IOL. This week we also get to see clips of Jake at an off ball LB position too. At the second level Jake is able to show off his athleticism more with the range he can bring to the position and that lateral agility still shines as he picks through the front seven, avoiding blocks, and getting to the football. Buckles is a versatile DL/LB to know in the Class of 2026, and he is getting better and better.      Stats: 6 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 Blocked Punt   Preston was a big time contributor in the dominant River Falls victory over Superior. The senior safety showed off the speed and overall range on defense and special teams. On both of his INTs the senior DB did a great job of reading the QB and then attacking the catch point once the QB committed to the throw. Against the run, Preston was able to go from about 12 yards deep to the line of scrimmage to make tackles demonstrating his range and reliable tackling. It was a well rounded showing from the senior DB.      Stats: 13 Tackles, 1 TFL   Hudson is a factory that creates impressive front seven defenders. A new name to know in the Class of 2026 is LB [player_tooltip player_id='1610038' first='Liam' last='Mayer']. The 6'1" 215 lbs MLB is a force in the middle of the defense. He has impressive strength to make him stout against the inside run as he takes on blockers or shuts down any forward progression with his hard hitting tackles. The junior also plays with the lateral mobility needed to mirror RBs on the way to meeting them in the hole to make the tackle. Liam is an impressive LB prospect that has time to continue to develop his game and become a very good prospect by this time next year. Check him out.      Stats: 13 Tackles   After a hard fought battle, Tomah came away with their first victory of the season Friday night. A key contributor to that success was the sophomore LB [player_tooltip player_id='1226904' first='Adam' last='Brieske']. The 2027 LB was a force in the run game, especially between the tackles. Adam has the size and strength to be able to take on OL blocks, find the ball and then shed and get to the ball quickly. Friday night he showed a great nose for the ball as he found it very quickly, even while being engaged with a blocker. Brieske made multiple impressive tackles while still partially engaged with a lineman too. The size, strength, and instincts are developing well for the sophomore and the production is following it.      Stats: 8 Tackles, 2 FFs   Tristan is going to be a big riser at the end of the season when we do our rankings update. The senior safety is putting together a great early season including a dominant Week 3. Tristan has excellent speed/range for the position allowing him to be anywhere on the field to make a play in coverage or pursuit. The safety did a great job of playing with violent, active hands to force fumbles and break up passes. I also loved how fearless he plays against the run. Porter has no hesitation coming downhill and getting into the mess of the front seven to stop the run. Porter is athletic, and aggressive with well developed instincts. Check out this steal out of Milwaukee Academy of Science.     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Tristan14Porter/status/1832657408767729993 </div></figure>     Stats: 4 Tackles, 2 PBUs   The Catholic Memorial sophomore might be next up when it comes to conversations about the best CB in the state. The athletic traits that the young sophomore is showing this season are elite. He has excellent speed to run in his man's pocket deep downfield. His quick twitch reactive athleticism allows him to stick tight man coverage through route breaks. His acceleration to close on the ball is special and he has the ball skills to break up passes or take them for himself. The 2027 also doesn't shy away from contact and can be trusted to make the tackle in space. On top of the talent, the sophomore also makes plenty of high effort plays. The talent is there, the effort is there, and he is producing at an early age. This is a need to know prospect in the Class of 2027.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ZyaireSmith27/status/1832921427164406005 </div></figure>     Stats: 17 Tackles, 1 TFL, 4 Sacks   What an absolutely dominant showing by the senior DL out of Kohler HS in Sheboygan. The senior has a great frame for the next level and he needs the spotlight shined on him because he can't be flying under the radar anymore. The big OLB/DE is very stout against the run, setting a strong edge and usually making the stop on his own. Chase also plays with a very high motor and collected a lot of those tackles because of his effort and range at the edge position. The senior DL does a good job of using his hands to disengage from blocks too. Check him out.

Week 3 brought us multiple new athletes to our radars that college recruiters are going to want to know about. There is an impressive senior DL, a sophomore CB who may be on his way towards being the best in the state at his position, and a few others. Plus the numbers are off the charts. Multi-sack games, multi- INT games, and plenty of tackles and tape to show off the talent of this impressive group. Dive into this loaded group of athletes! Enjoy!