Mount Horeb vs Stoughton: Recap & Prospects of the Game

The Badger- Small Conference schedule pitted two undefeated teams against each other in a Week 5 showdown between 4-0 (2-0) Mount Horeb/Barneveld and 4-0 (2-0) Stoughton. Hopes were very high for a back and forth battle between two teams that field their fair share of legitimate future college athletes. The stakes were high as the winner of this game was going to be in the driver's seat for the conference championship the rest of the season, so we were expecting each team's best punch, but did we get it? Read on to find out! Enjoy!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   The game started off very evenly. Both defenses were holding strong with a bend don't break mentality until the 3:54 mark of the 1st quarter when MHB senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='685947' first='Owen' last='Preimesberger'] started his outrageous night of highlights. The senior ripped through the heart of the Stoughton defense for the 30 yard score to take the 6-0 lead. It didn't take long before the senior RB took another handoff between the tackles, found the alley to daylight and was gone for a <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1837290064151556547">43 yard scamper</a> and the 14-0 lead with 9:30 to play in quarter #2. After another dominant defensive stop, MHB went to the air for more points in the second quarter. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1307501' first='Brooks' last='Hendrickson'] dropped back and delivered a dot to WR Owen Aeschlimann from <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1837293403307929624">9 yards out</a>. The flood gates really burst open when RB [player_tooltip player_id='685947' first='Owen' last='Preimesberger'] completed the first half hat trick with a <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1837295998768386075">39 yard rushing TD</a>! It looked like that is where we would enter the half, but MHB wasn't done. It took them all of one play with just a few seconds left to draw up a wild double pass from Hendrickson to WR [player_tooltip player_id='533166' first='Christopher' last='Kiel'] to RB [player_tooltip player_id='685947' first='Owen' last='Preimesberger'] for the <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1837298428683981281">25 yard score</a> and 37-0 halftime lead!   The 37 point lead put the game into a running clock situation, so it seemed like the second half would fly by with little to no change in the final score. However, Mount Horeb was far from done putting in work and establishing themselves as the best team in the Badger- Small this year. It started off with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1307501' first='Brooks' last='Hendrickson'] linking up with WR Owen Aeschlimann for a second time. This time from 37 yards out! After that score, MHB starting rotating in and replacing starters. That didn't slow down the scoring much, though as sophomore RB Owen Schultz punched it in from 11 yards out, helped by the OL pushing the pile to finish the play across the goal line. To cap off the night, MHB sent through a 39 yard field goal to give us our 54-0 final score. It was an impressive display of physicality and athleticism by Mount Horeb from their trench athletes to the skill positions. Big things are ahead for this team, and I expect to see the Vikings playing well into November this year if they keep playing as a team like they did in Week 5.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Prospects of the Game</h2>    Stats: 13 Carries, 171 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 Reception, 25 Yards, 1 TD   What a night for the senior. After spending last year as a backup, Owen has taken the starting job and not looked back. He took over this game from the jump, put it out of reach, and put together an impressive collection of highlights along the way. The work Owen did this game was impressive. the 5'9" RB dominated between the tackles. His vision is next level as he always found the right hole to hit and the burst through the hole, plus his ability to run through arm tackles flashed over and over. I'm actually shocked he ended with 13 carries. I thought it was 20+ because of how much he was dominating. Don't sleep on this kid. He is producing at a high level, and has the vision, burst, and balance to take over games. The highlights I caught of him are linked to the plays in the recap up above! Check them out!     Stats: 13/18, 127 Yards, 2 TDs   I was pumped to finally get eyes on the rising junior QB in this battle. They didn't need him a ton because of how dominant the run game was, but Brooks delivered any time they looked to him. He definitely has the big, strong frame you look for. The ball can come out of his hand quickly. They asked him to do a lot of short passing where his receivers could work after the catch and Brooks has the quick feet and release to get that done. The junior also showed the touch and accuracy on his deeper targets like the 37 yard TD he threw. It was good to see that Brooks could step up and deliver at any moment and didn't need 30+ attempts to make an impact.     Stats: 9 Receptions, 68 Yards, 1/1, 25 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD, 1 Carry, 6 Rushing Yards   Arguably the most talented athlete on the field last night was WR Chris Kiel. He is an athletic monster. The senior is so quick and shifty and able to make those sudden movements with power that you only see at the highest levels of college football. Kiel's ability to elevate and attack the ball in the air with strong hands made an appearance on a two point conversion where he soared over the DB for the catch and held on through the tackle. The trait that stood out most, though, was how hard he runs after the catch. They hit Chris on multiple quick screens and let him work. Time after time he would drag DBs or run through tackles until a gang of defenders finally arrived to bring him down. The power and explosive athleticism within his 5'11" 195 lbs frame is special. Kiel looked the part of WR1.     Stats: 360+ Yards of Total Offense   The entire offensive line for Mount Horeb absolutely set the tone and controlled this football game. They opened up hole after hole for Preimesberger to attack and leading the way is OL [player_tooltip player_id='1209396' first='Matthew' last='Mahoney']. The senior has a good base of power in his lower body and his upper body that allows him to make a strong initial punch and drive his man off the line in the run game. The footwork is there to be able to get himself in position to wall off DL or LBs and he took every chance he had to finish blocks with violence that I saw. Mahoney is a hidden gem in the OL group here in WI.     What a night for the MHB defense, and leading the way was the standout junior LB. Jack was a monster all night. He flew around the front seven, making tackles, TFLs, sacks, and getting pressure on the QB. Wilson is so disruptive because of the athletic traits he is blessed with. The junior has a good burst on his blitzes and has the strength to be able to shed blocks of OL or RBs in the backfield. Wilson has impressive lateral movement skills that did a great job of keeping him clean throughout the night as he was attacking downhill. It was impressive watching how consistently Jack was creating disruption in the backfield against the run and pass. He has a nose for where the ball is going to be thanks to next level instincts and was so quick to diagnose plays and react. The arrow is pointing up for this kid. He's an impressive recruit at the LB position.     Zach put himself on our radars last night. The senior LB makes a formidable duo with [player_tooltip player_id='402813' first='Jack' last='Wilson']. Zach has an elite frame at 6'4" 215 lbs and moves surprisingly well at that size. He was able to get pressure off the edge from the off ball OLB position, showing his range. The instincts caught my eyes too as he sniffed out screens or read the flow of the OL and perfectly maintained his gap while flowing. He was a hard hitting tackler too and did a great job of avoiding blocks through all the trash in the front seven. The senior also handled all the kicking duties including making a 39 yard field goal. Don't miss out on this kid!     One of the top steals in the Class of 2025 is [player_tooltip player_id='942600' first='Mason' last='Richter']. The 6'3" 215 lbs LB/DE/TE is a two way impact player that is producing at a high level again. He has 5 sacks on the year, while leading his team in receptions, TFLs, and sacks. Mason is a powerful athlete that can hold the edge against the outside run and also has a great burst off the line to give him a big advantage over OTs. The senior also understands how to use his size to his advantage in the receiving game, boxing out defenders at the catch and running hard after the catch. Don't sleep on the standout senior.     Jay wasn't able to get involved much in this game, but the senior WR is one of the top steals at his position and overall in WI. He is now listed at 6'3" 210 lbs and the kid has rare length for the position. His arm span is massive, providing a huge catch radius for his QB to target. Even at his size, the senior is a smooth athlete who easily accelerates and can quickly stack his CB on deep routes with the speed he has. It's time to extend this kid some more offers. His natural gifts are hard to find.     It was a rough night for Drew as he faced a lot of pressure from the MHB front seven. I'm not letting that affect me too much on my overall view of his talents though. Several times we saw the athletic QB do a great job of keeping plays alive with his mobility behind the line and beyond. All the while keeping his eyes downfield looking for someone to target. The senior was poised and battled all night long. He is going to continue to put up big numbers this season.

The Badger- Small Conference schedule pitted two undefeated teams against each other in a Week 5 showdown between 4-0 (2-0) Mount Horeb/Barneveld and 4-0 (2-0) Stoughton. Hopes were very high for a back and forth battle between two teams that field their fair share of legitimate future college athletes. The stakes were high as the winner of this game was going to be in the driver's seat for the conference championship the rest of the season, so we were expecting each team's best punch, but did we get it? Read on to find out! Enjoy!