5 Takeaways: Lincoln Way East vs Minooka

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2^nd round of the IHSA state playoffs kicked off Friday night with a handful of games.&nbsp; The one we took in was Lincoln Way East at Minooka.&nbsp; The state's top team Lincoln Way East had to go on the road in this one and took care of business with a workman like effort winning 38-7.&nbsp; Here are our <strong>5 Takeaways: Lincoln Way East vs Minooka</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='800191' first='Jonas' last='Williams'] Throws for 5 TD's in Win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state's #1 junior looked like it on Friday night as he put on a show with 5 touchdown throws in the win against Minooka.&nbsp; Williams is everything you could want in a high-major plus QB and he will take the reigns in a couple years for the current top team nationally in Oregon.&nbsp; Great arm strength and zip on short and intermediate routes.&nbsp; Liked how he made quick decisions with the ball giving his weapons plenty of room to do damage!&nbsp; Excellent footwork in the pocket as his lower body and upper body were nsync all night long.&nbsp; As the game went on he started to get more accurate on the deeper passes including layering one over the defense and throwing a deep go route for the score.&nbsp; He had touchdown passes of 19 yards on a seam route, 11 yards to the tight end down the middle, hitting his back on a pass over the secondary for 27 yards, a short slant turned into a 60 yard TD, and then finished it off with the 41 yard bomb dropping it right in his receiver's arms.&nbsp; The mobility plays well.&nbsp; He only had to scramble once going for a first down.&nbsp; The rest of the night he was just buying time and keeping his eyes locked downfield finding options!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LWE's Plethora of Offensive Weapons</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of those pass catchers what a night they had with four different dudes nabbing touchdowns.&nbsp; Let's start with [player_tooltip player_id='819695' first='Zion' last='Gist'].&nbsp; The Western Michigan 2025 running back commit was solid on the ground, but it was ability in the pass game that was excellent in this one.&nbsp; Would line up in the slot for short curls then break them in the open field for yards after catch.&nbsp; Smooth route runner which was shown on his catch over the middle for a score.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1292272' first='Talan' last='White'] is a 2025 wide out that is one of Williams' favorite targets.&nbsp; Possession receiver that is shifty with it on short routes moving the chains.&nbsp; MJ Shley is another possession guy that makes guys miss in the open field.&nbsp; Sean Lefevour asserted himself early as a physical wide out with strong hands.&nbsp; Luke Vetter is a 5'11” senior that caught a nice 19 yard seam pass. Keagan Ruane went for over 100 yards alone just on his two TDs.&nbsp; The first was a short slant where he had to adjust to the ball.&nbsp; Once he did he turned and sprinted past the D for 60 yards.&nbsp; The second was a sweet go route where he faded toward the sideline catching it over his shoulder tracking it the whole way for 41 yards.&nbsp; Their highest ranked pass catcher is Miami (OH) tight end commit [player_tooltip player_id='830853' first='Trey' last='Zvonar'].&nbsp; He had one catch on the night for an 11 yard touchdown.&nbsp; Smooth getting off the line and used his frame and hands for an easy score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dominant Front Four Paces Lincoln Way East Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We saw Mt. Carmel's front three a few weeks ago dominate with prospects across the board.&nbsp; Well LWE might have the best front four in the state!&nbsp; It all starts with edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id='832141' first='Caden' last='O'Rourke'].&nbsp; The senior Northwestern commit has a great combination of speed, technique, and power.&nbsp; He was making plays in the backfield all night long.&nbsp; Consistent pressure on the QB.&nbsp; Big time edge rusher with a powerful punch.&nbsp; Best move was when he started on the edge standing up, blew right past the left tackle, hunted the QB down, and sacked him for a 14 yard loss.&nbsp; On the other side long and rangy 2026 edge [player_tooltip player_id='801702' first='Jacob' last='Alexander'] is just oozing with potential.&nbsp; Runs well sideline to sideline to make tackles.&nbsp; Can take a block and get off it to make a play.&nbsp; Once he was going up field after the QB then realized it was a screen and chased the back down.&nbsp; Big time athlete!&nbsp; Then there was 2026 defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1585163' first='Gage' last='Ladere'] who was a force in the middle as a three technique that could get to the QB with powerful bull rushes and his quick moves rushing right past interior lineman.&nbsp; He had a nice tackle for loss and then a body slamming sack.&nbsp; Ryan Stingely is the wide bodied run stuffer of the group.&nbsp; The 2026 6'0” 280 nose tackle is physical at the point of attack clogging things up and taking on blockers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Under the Radar LWE Prospects</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Believe it or not there were more standout prospects from Lincoln Way East.  Up front on the offensive line we liked their bookend tackles [player_tooltip player_id='1585183' first='Matthew' last='Connors'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1598833' first='Mason' last='Halliman'].  Connors goes 6'5” 255 pounds with solid frame and length.  Was excellent all night in pass blocking.  Halliman is a 6'5” right tackle who long levers and plus athleticism.  Warren Yanong is a senior outside linebacker that always seemed to be around the ball.  Good in coverage including getting a pick.  Makes plays flying to the ball against the run as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 Gonzalez Leads Minooka Prospects</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Minooka group was led by [player_tooltip player_id='1585126' first='Nathan' last='Gonzalez'] as the 2026 safety showed some intriguing tools in coverage.&nbsp; He had a few pass break ups along with an interception on the backend on a throw to the endzone.&nbsp; Good instincts and range.&nbsp; Also flies to the ball making tackles in run support.&nbsp; Keep tabs on 2027 defensive back Cash Marlow who flashed including batting down a pass in the endzone.&nbsp; Up front Hayden Kulousek is a 6'1” 240 pound defensive tackle who made some plays vs the run and got some pressure on the pocket.&nbsp; Really liked what we saw out of a pair of linebackers in 2025 Billy Mutz and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1168318' first='Brady' last='Kozlowski'].&nbsp; Mutz left it all on the field in his final game as he had a pair of sacks and tackle for loss while keeping Williams' run game in check all night.&nbsp; Kozlowski is a 5'11” 185 pound physical linebacker that got up the field causing an intentional grounding.&nbsp; On the offensive side for Minooka their best playmaker is [player_tooltip player_id='1292832' first='Ty' last='Couch'] as the slot wide out at 5'9” 150 pounds was good on gadget plays, caught passes over the middle, and was shifty with it in his hands after the catch.&nbsp; Also had a nice vertical route for 40 yards.&nbsp; The lone TD for Minooka came on a 25 grab from 5'10” junior wide out Kooper Fisher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->