Aquinas vs Columbus: Top Prospects to Know

There was no shortage of talent to watch during the back and forth battle between two of the best teams in WI. From the trenches to the skill players, this game brought out some of the most dominant and productive athletes that the great state of WI has to offer. We covered the recap of the game in our FREE recap article, now it is time to focus on that individual talent. There is a lot to discuss, so let's dive in!    Stats: 16 Carries, 58 Yards, 2 TDs   Not much to say that we haven't already over the years when it comes to the workhorse back out of Aquinas. Kyle is a combat, strong runner with a low center of gravity that was key to Aquinas being able to stay balanced on offense. White had to create yards after contact as the battles in the trenches were very even. Between the physical running and his vision and patience the senior was able to find the endzone twice in a game where every single point was needed. UWL has a good one on the way.     Stats: 7 Receptions, 155 Yards, 1 TD   The stat line doesn't begin to describe the day that Treyton had. The senior plays WR, DB, and handles kickoffs, and Bahr dominated at all three spots on Friday night. On offense, Trey was able to consistently get behind the defense for huge gains. That includes the go ahead TD in the final 2 minutes where he was able to high point and hang onto the ball through the hit and falling to the ground. The senior has natural ball skills and does a great job of playing it in the air. On defense, Treyton is a rangy safety that can thrive on the back half with those ball skills or you can trust him to attack the line of scrimmage vs the run or be able to line up in the box and play within that traffic. Bahr is a serious sleeper prospect to get eyes on.      Stats: 3 Receptions, 36 Yards, 1 2 PT Conv.   Logan is a very talented WR prospect to know in the Class of 2026. He has a fantastic frame to be able to use to create separation at the catch. His athleticism at the size he is a huge bonus. Logan has the quick twitch to be able to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage and can accelerate quickly off the line or out of breaks. Logan also flashed some impressive body control and awareness along the sideline to get his feet in while making the catch. I really was impressed with his body control through breaks too which led to plenty of separation being opened up. Lastly, the junior stepped up in key moments. 2/3 catches came on 4th down plus the 2 point conversion ended up being a huge piece of the 1 point victory in the end. Check out his highlights from the night.      Jon is one of a couple OL/DL who play on both sides of the trenches for Aquinas. The senior holds down the center position on offense and DE on defense. It was on the defensive side of the ball where Jon caught my eyes most this week. The battles he had with the OL of Columbus were fun to watch. Jon was able to win with strength as he held the line and used some quick hands to get off blocks to make the tackle. Jon's play on the DL made it hard for Columbus as they had to gain every yard. Despite the decent final rushing numbers, there was never any big breakaway runs and that was huge towards controlling the flow of the game and momentum.     Max was another two way athlete in the trenches. The senior plays DT and OT for Aquinas. On defense there were multiple flashes of his ability to either power his way into the backfield or at least hold the line of scrimmage and eat up blocks so that his LBs behind him could flow to the ball and make the tackles. On offense that same power showed up in the run game, but the biggest moments came from his pass blocking. Max was able to set a strong anchor and give his QB time, especially in the final minutes of the comeback. Huge night for the Aquinas OL/DL.     Waylon put himself on my radar with his showing on Friday night. The junior was everywhere and seemed to have his name called out for every single tackle. Find the ball and you were going to find Waylon nearby. Those instincts and quick processing are huge strengths to his game as he flew around the field and staying a step ahead so he wouldn't get held up on a block. His range and sound tackling were extremely impressive all night long. This is definitely an athlete I will be keeping an eye on.     Stats: 13/26, 224 Yards, 1 TD, 15 Rushing Yards, 1 TD   Jacob showed off the clutch gene Friday night. It was his right arm and his legs that got Aquinas back in this game and the victory. The senior did a great job of scrambling to buy time or on designed roll outs getting space to set and throw. In those big moments the accuracy always showed up. On 4th downs he put the ball in great spots and on those final two drives to retake the lead he was putting the ball where his man can go and get it without putting the ball at risk. Thornton is a gamer who stepped up when the lights were brightest.     The junior OL is doing a great job of developing his talent and his frame. Will now checks in at 240 lbs and is looking more and more like a next level prospect. There is still plenty of room to fill out at the next level. I really enjoy watching Flottmeyer in the trenches. He brings athleticism to the position. Whether it is pulling, getting to the second level, or simply using that quickness to get leverage and positioning on the DL in front of him. The junior is quick on his feet and has the body control to stay in a position where he can use his power at any moment in the play. He doesn't have to reset himself to attack. That power is also improving from last season as well. The arrow is pointing up for the 2026 OL.     Stats: 25 Carries, 174 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Reception, 28 Yards   I was very excited to get a live look at Conner in the lead back role for Columbus. The senior has put together an insanely productive senior season. A season where he is Top 3 in rushing yards and TDs. The 5'10" 180 lbs RB wins with physicality. I mentioned it during the game that it is clear his game revolves around his vision, patience, and physicality. Conner sees the field well and has the lateral athleticism to get himself in position to hit holes last second. Roche's low center of gravity and leg drive are what power his physical play style. Give the rising senior RB a look.     Stats: 5/9, 122 Yards, 1 TD, 39 Rushing Yards   Columbus uses a very run-centric offense that will sprinkle in the pass game throughout the night. That makes it hard for a QB to find his rhythm, at least early on in a game. However, Peyton has been able to show that he can step up and deliver whenever called on. One of his first passes of the game was a 50+ yard dime for a score. The junior wins with that accuracy and touch to every level of the field. Powers has a fantastic frame to continue to build on and strengthen. The junior signal caller also isn't afraid to run the ball himself and he has the speed to do damage. Check out his highlights from the game.      A top senior OL to know from this game is [player_tooltip player_id='1209369' first='Rey' last='Guerrero']. Rey looks the part of a college recruit at 6'5" 300 lbs with long arms and big hands. Those big hands are a key part to his success. All night long the senior OT was able to clamp onto his man and stick on him, and control where he drove them. Rey has the power from his hands down to his base and when it is all working together he is able to reset the line of scrimmage downfield with his ability to move his DL. Rey also showed that power in his anchor in passing situations. The big fella proved to be very hard to get around or disengage from. Great to see that he holds 5+ offers, so far. Check the kid out if you haven't.     One of the players I was most excited to watch Friday night was Wyatt. The junior was already on our radar with his OL play as a sophomore, but this season not only has he kept impressing at OL, but now he is dominating on the DL too. So much so that the junior entered Level 3 as the state's leader in sacks with an insane 14 sacks. Watching him in person was as impressive as I had hoped. He is an accomplished thrower in track and you see that explosive power show up on the field too. His initial punch is very impactful, he has the lower body strength to drive his man off the line or collapse the pocket. The big man also has the hard to find body control and quick feet/hips to be able to bend or flip his hips to get around OL while on defense. Graffin has the size, strength, athleticism and overall talent to be a recruit on either side of the ball. Get eyes on this kid today.     Another standout two way lineman is junior Jordan Reuter. Jordan put himself on our radar Friday night. He has a massive frame that seems to be loaded with power and the kid has that mentality needed to overpower and dominate opponents. Jordan showed strong hands and quickness off the line. He also does a great job of turning that quickness into power right at the point of contact. Start to look into this kid. He is on the rise.     Stats: 1 Reception, 52 Yards, 1 TD, Also a Defensive Starter   Jordan is a talented junior and will be one to watch when he takes the field next fall and during summer camps. He is now 6'2" 190 lbs and plays with that blend of power and athleticism that stands kids out from the crowd on the varsity level. On offense Jordan gave Columbus their first spark as he went up and made a fantastic high point catch then trotted in for the score. The junior showed on defense that he could play in the slot and stay with shifty receivers. Between his own agility and recovery speed the junior was able to make some key plays in coverage throughout the night. Definitely have this kid on your radars this offseason.

There was no shortage of talent to watch during the back and forth battle between two of the best teams in WI. From the trenches to the skill players, this game brought out some of the most dominant and productive athletes that the great state of WI has to offer. We covered the recap of the game in our FREE recap article, now it is time to focus on that individual talent. There is a lot to discuss, so let's dive in!