Grafton vs Greendale: Recap & Top Recruits of the Game

For our Week 8 live action coverage we chose to make the trip down to Greendale, WI for a Woodland conference battle between 6-1 Grafton and 5-2 Greendale. These two teams field some of the most prolific offenses in WI as Grafton puts up 42+ per game and Greendale averages well over 30 PPG. With all the high powered offense on the field, you can rest assured there was a slew of talented athletes on the field for us to scout and highlight. Check out the Game Recap section to see how the battle played out and ended up. Then jump down to see which athletes you need to get your eyes on and have on recruiting boards. Enjoy!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   The battle started with fireworks on the defensive side of the ball when Greendale's impressive sophomore LB/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1336913' first='Will' last='Picago'] jumped a route in the redzone to intercept a Grafton pass. The sophomore set up Greendale in great position after a return out to midfield. Greendale and their QB [player_tooltip player_id='773284' first='Landon' last='Lopez'] capitalized on the turnover. They put together a drive through the air, showing off the deep accuracy and arm strength from Lopez. It was Lopez who finished the drive too when he <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1844897161592570094">fired a missile </a>into a tiny window to WR [player_tooltip player_id='1599875' first='Devin' last='Isaj'] for the 7-0 lead with just over 1 minute to play in the first quarter.   Grafton was quick to respond. They used their perfectly balanced offensive attack of QB [player_tooltip player_id='262094' first='Brady' last='Hilgart'] and RB [player_tooltip player_id='942613' first='Tommy' last='Lutz'] to make their way down the field and into scoring position. After again making their way into the redzone, Hilgart was able to drop back and find a wide open [player_tooltip player_id='402812' first='Ian' last='Cornelius'] in the corner of the endzone to tie things up at 7. The defenses did a great job vs these explosive offenses overall. They forced the offenses to earn tough yards on the ground and the passing offenses weren't able to find explosive scoring plays. However, as the first half came to a close we saw Grafton's offense again put together a drive that worked all the way to the goal line. That is where the powerful RB [player_tooltip player_id='942613' first='Tommy' last='Lutz'] was able to <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1844905168053338169">plow his way in</a> for Grafton's first lead of the game, 14-7.   The second half was again all about the defenses as they flew around the field, got pressure on the QBs and only allowed the run games to pick up 1, 2, 3 yards at a time. That was until Hilgart and the Grafton offense were able to work their way to the goal line for a second time. This time it was the QB [player_tooltip player_id='262094' first='Brady' last='Hilgart'] who punched it in with a <a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1844915431594918296">sneak up the middle</a> and the 21-7 lead. Following that drive, it looked like it was Greendale's turn for a long drive to the goal line. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they were stopped on 4th & Goal. That set the stage for the fireworks of the night when RB/DB Jeremy Dickerson Jr. found a seam and took off for a 97 yard rushing TD through the middle of the Greendale defense.   In the 4th quarter, Grafton widened the gap with a field goal that pushed the score to 31-7 with under 4 minutes to play. It was good to see the Greendale offense not give up. They were able to put together an explosive drive at the end of the game and capped it off when QB [player_tooltip player_id='773284' first='Landon' last='Lopez']<a href="https://x.com/MJ_NFLDraft/status/1844926054407815180"> snuck it up the gut </a>for the rushing TD. The Panthers were unable to recover the following kickoff, and Grafton was able to run out the clock to secure the 31-14 victory and hold onto their spot of 1st place in the Woodland conference.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Recruits of the Game</h2>    Stats: 8/14, 118 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Rushing TD   Brady wasn't needed to come out and deliver a 300 yard passing game to pull this victory off. What Grafton did need from him was to be someone would deliver the times he was called upon. The senior QB that almost every single time on Friday night. The poise he plays with in the pocket only comes from dozens of games worth of experience, and Brady has that. The 6'2" 200 lbs uncommitted passer is a great decision maker with the arm talent to earn a starting job at the next level. His control over ball placement always impresses on tape, and seeing it in person from throw to throw was great to watch. The senior QB is without a doubt a name to know.     Stats: 29 Carries, 214 Yards, 1 TD   Tommy was the one who was turned to and leaned on a lot of the night. The 6'2" 210 lbs senior RB has the frame to handle that expectation and workload. The big back plays exactly how you hope a kid with his size would play. His lower body strength to churn through arm tackles and overall contact balance to stay square through hits despite behind 6'2" is not easy to find. The senior also flashed agile, nimble feet through traffic on multiple occasions while running between the tackles. Tommy always seems to be gaining positive yards too. He doesn't dance in the backfield or try to stop/start in traffic. He is always attacking downhill and gaining yards or creating yards through contact. The senior is one of the best available RBs in WI.     Stats: 350+ Rushing Yards, 460+ Total Offense, 9.2 Yds/Att, 1 Sack on Defense   What a treat it was to watch James in action. The OT so easily carries his 6'4" 290-300 lbs frame. His blend of technique, flexibility, range, and power is rare and leaves no doubt in my mind that NDSU has a steal coming to town in 2025. James has heavy hands like that of a heavyweight boxer. He is quick off the line and turns that quickness into power on contact that always created a positive surge in the trenches. There was even reps where the senior would wash almost the entire DL down the line away from the designed run. His lower body has the bend to be able to give him the leverage advantage in every battle too. It was fun to watch him dominate the trenches Friday night.     Stats: 5 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 Sacks   New to my radar, and someone that recruiters will want on their radars, is junior OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1801536' first='Max' last='Glab']. The junior has an intriguing frame with solid length to be able to stay on the edge at the next level. Off the edge, Max flashed an explosive first step to get him the angle as he ran the loop to get pressure on the QB. When he wasn't running the loop around the edge, Max also showed that he is an agile athlete who can easily avoid blocks when running stunts or make OTs miss when countering off his initial move. Glab put himself on the map with his outing.     Stats: 4 Tackles, 1 Sack   It wasn't a highly productive evening for the stud junior LB, but Tyler made plays throughout the night that his defense needed. His sack came on a play where it looked like he was spying the QB and when he saw him sitting in the pocket Tyler attacked. Heinle showed off his range on that play and several others as he easily covered ground and got to the QB with his acceleration and closing speed. The natural instincts that Tyler has developed keep getting better and better. He did a great job of covering his zone in the middle of the field and pursued with a high motor to get to the ball when it was passed to the perimeter. Big things ahead for the 2026 LB.     Stats: 8 Carries, 143 yards, 1 TD, 5 Tackles   Another athlete who put himself on the map was senior DB/RB Jeremy Dickerson Jr. The senior started the night playing CB only. Out there the senior showed that he could run in man coverage with the bigger receivers and did a great job of battling at the catch point without drawing flags. Jeremy also has the quickness to be able to play with the more sudden athletes too. Jeremy really flashed when he stepped in on offense in the second half. He made the play of the night on his 97 yard TD run where he found the hole and outran the field to the endzone. It wasn't just that carry though. Jeremy showed that he could complement Lutz very well because he plays so differently. Jeremy is a quick back with lateral agility and burst to attack seams of daylight and make defenders miss in space. Give this versatile senior a look.     Stats: 19/28, 239 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Rushing TD   I was really impressed by the play of senior QB [player_tooltip player_id='773284' first='Landon' last='Lopez']. He has made big strides from where he was as a junior and is going to be on the rise when we update rankings after the season. Landon has a big frame that also comes loaded with arm talent. Landon has always had a pretty big arm, but watching him this week it is clear he has taken a step forward in that department. He was able to fire the ball into tiny windows where the ball had to get there right now and Landon had the velocity to get it done. The uncommitted senior's accuracy was impressive too. It was his ability to attack every level with that arm strength and accuracy that was so great to see. He was hitting receivers in stride, dropping the ball in a bucket over a shoulder, and firing it into tight windows all night. The pocket passer definitely needs more looks. Size, development, production, and talent are all there.     Stats: 6 Receptions, 94 Yards, 1 TD   An athlete who I had circled on this roster that I wanted to watch closely was senior WR [player_tooltip player_id='1599875' first='Devin' last='Isaj']. The 6'5" 200 lbs WR has an elite frame and an accomplished basketball background. Those two things show up on the field as he was able to use that size to protect the ball and secure catches away from his body all night long. His ability to track the ball and make catches through a sea of hands show off his concentration while taking the top off the defense. The big weapon also has effective speed that had him getting behind the defense consistently Friday night. Devin is a potential massive steal on the football side of things. Definitely give this kid a look!     Stats: 270+ yards Total Offense   We got a great look into the pass protection talents of the under the radar senior OL. Pierce has a massive frame at 6'7" 285 lbs that will be able to stay out at OT at the next level. The senior is still rather new to OT, and his development from 2023 was easily noticeable. He used his superior length to his advantage as he always made first contact and used that reach to steer edge rushers away from the QB. I was also surprised at how light on his feet Pierce was. That body control, balance, and footwork are where he has made his biggest strides. A team that puts some time into furthering his development will have potential for a massive steal on their hands. Give him a look.     Our final standout is junior DE [player_tooltip player_id='1476046' first='Deacon' last='Ward']. The 6'4" 220 lbs DE has a long, very lean frame that will be able to hold plenty more size and strength over the coming years. Deacon did a nice job on the edge either forcing the runner back inside or working off blocks and making the tackle himself. Ward did a good job of setting the edge vs the run game. Deacon was able to show some strength as he took on blocks without giving ground. The junior also showed off his agility and balance as he would work through the trash on the edge to get to the ball while avoiding blocks. Ward is a name to know among the Class of 2026.

For our Week 8 live action coverage we chose to make the trip down to Greendale, WI for a Woodland conference battle between 6-1 Grafton and 5-2 Greendale. These two teams field some of the most prolific offenses in WI as Grafton puts up 42+ per game and Greendale averages well over 30 PPG. With all the high powered offense on the field, you can rest assured there was a slew of talented athletes on the field for us to scout and highlight. Check out the Game Recap section to see how the battle played out and ended up. Then jump down to see which athletes you need to get your eyes on and have on recruiting boards. Enjoy!