Standout Performances of Playoffs: Level 3

Another exciting round of playoffs are in the books! With only 28 games to go through, we are changing up our weekly Top Performers articles into one article instead of offense/defense articles. These top 56 teams came to play as athletes on the winning and losing sides did their best to survive and advance to the semifinal round. The tape from those efforts is very impressive, so make sure to follow the kids mentioned in today's article. At the bottom you will find another group of kids who don't have film posted from the week, but their numbers are insane so we had to include them! Make sure to get those kids on your radars as well! Let's click play on the film!    Stats: 7 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FF   The film only contains a few plays this week, but the natural talents jump off the screen. The first major takeaway is that when Devin triggers downhill it looks like he is shot out of a cannon. He has explosive acceleration and the speed to make the chase down tackle. The junior LB also has sudden lateral agility and the balance to be able to make those quick moves to avoid blocks and instantly get back downhill to attack the ball. Check out the rising, athletic defender.      Unfortunately, we saw the Spring Valley season come to an end in Level 3. However, their junior left tackle Max Wittmer put out impressive film that is going to have on the rise this offseason. Maxx has a prototypical frame at 6'4" 275 lbs that is loaded with power. Power that allows him to drive DL off the ball in the run game. Power that shows up in his hands too as he is able to control where his man goes once he locks onto them. The junior has the mentality needed in the trenches too. He looks to dominate his opponent and usually finds ways to get them on the ground. I'm impressed by Maxx's athleticism too. The OL plays with an explosive burst out of his stance in the run game that instantly creates power on contact. Maxx has a great understanding of how to position his body while engaged so that he is always between the defender and the ball too. I'm very excited for this next year ahead of Maxx. Coaches, get eyes on this kid.      Stats: 24 Carries, 95 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Reception, 9 Yards, 7 Tackles   Zach is an intriguing prospect because he is has the potential to play a few different positions. On defense, Zach was a menace on the interior where he was able to power his way to penetration and disruption in the backfield. Zach shows quickness out of his stance, active hands, and a strong array of moves to disengage. On offense, Zach's power is a big bonus when he gets out in front to lead block. Same as when he is carrying the ball north-south with a head of steam. Within that size and strength is also the athleticism needed to impact the game, whether he is making a play with the ball in the open field or showing off range on defense after getting off the block. Hellendrung is one of the top juniors still alive in the playoffs. Keep an eye on him.      Stats: 28 Carries, 118 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Reception, 9 Yards   The more I watch Taylor the more I love the way he plays the RB position. The senior RB is so patient with the ball in his hands. He always lets blocks develops and has the vision to see those blocks before they happen and the lane that opens up after the block. Taylor also has the physical tools. Every week we see him run through arm tackles so easily and continue to gain yards after the broken tackles without having gather himself. Schaumberg is going to be a riser in our next rankings update. Get eyes on the senior RB.      Stats: 28 Carries, 151 Yards, 3 TDs, 1 Reception, 24 Yards   DC Everest keeps winning games over talented opponents, and they also keep feeding senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1312761' first='Blake' last='Bangtson']. The focal point of the DC Everest offense put together another highly productive week against #1 seed Waunakee. He creates his success with a very well balanced skill set. If the senior needs to win with power he has the leg drive and contact balance to come out the other side of tackles or piles. Does he need to get outside and beat pursuit angles? The senior has the speed to break the game open on those big chunk plays. Blake does a great job of finding and hitting holes almost instantly when he sees them. He has the quick lateral agility to always be able to redirect himself right to where he can best attack the defense. Blake is one of the biggest risers from the start of the season. You need to check this kid out.      Stats: 5/6, 53 Yards, 1 TD, 21 Carries, 128 Yards, 2 TDs, 9 Tackles   One of the toughest athletes to contain was back at it again in Level 3 of the playoffs. My definition of a playmaker is an athlete who is able to make the special, out of the ordinary, game changing play look easy. That is what Brody does week to week. The junior has fantastic vision to read the field, find the weak points, or set up blocks. He seems to know the best route before we see him attack the defense. The athletic tools that the ATH brings to the field make that vision of his even more effective. Brody has the quick twitch agility and elusiveness to make people miss and create space in tight quarters. The speed is there to get outside and up the sideline for huge gains. Schaffer is also such a natural athlete that he can drop back and deliver the ball downfield with his arm. Put Brody high up on your recruiting boards.      Stats: 18/29, 170 Yards, 2 TD, 23 Carries, 175 Yards, 2 TDs   Drew went out swinging in Level 3 of the playoffs. The athletic senior DB/QB/ATH was slinging the ball all over the field, sparking big plays and TDs with his arm. The natural athlete is able to deliver very accurate passes for his targets to easily get to. Drew is even more dangerous with his own legs. He can make DL and LBs miss in the front seven with his quick feet and hips. Drew also has the speed to turn open field into field flipping plays. The senior also has a great sense of what is going on around him and also reads the field very well. That leads to him attacking the defense in the most effective way snap to snap. On defense that speed and football IQ/vision allows him to roam far and wide at safety and he is an effective tackler. Check out his final game highlights.      Stats: 5 Receptions, 100 Yards, 1 TD, 9 Tackles   The big, sophomore WR out of New Berlin West is a name to know in the Class of 2027. He has a frame with a ton of length and room to fill out. The long target has shown he can get behind the defense in the deep passing game. Zachary has also shown that he can get open with route running in the short passing game. He is able to make solid breaks and accelerate out of those breaks. Hewitt offers a large catch radius who can go up and get it with strong hands. The sophomore also plays safety for NBW and made all of his tackles by reading run, attacking downhill quickly, and getting through traffic to close on the ball. I'm really liking what I see from the 2027. A name to know going forward.      Stats: 32 Carries, 206 Yards, 3 TDs, 5 Receptions, 76 Yards   Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='1801490' first='Brady' last='Moon'] put together a massive performance to help Bay Port beat the reigning D1 State Champions in Level 3. Despite being 5'8" 175 lbs, Brady did a lot of his damage running the ball between the tackles. In those tight quarters Moon was able to show off how elusive, agile, and sudden he is with the ball. It was impressive watching him create space by making defenders miss or showing how slippery of a runner he is as he would shoot through small gaps or out of the arms of a tackle attempt. Brady did a great job of reading his OL and finding the alley throughout the night as well. The junior didn't shy away from physicality, especially downfield against DBs. Check out the highlights from the dominant performance.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Noteworthy Stat Lines</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='1180699' first='Christian' last='Collins'], RB- Green Bay Notre Dame: 42 Carries, 322 Yards, 3 TDs, 1/1, 22 Yards, 1 TD   [player_tooltip player_id='1220659' first='Tyler' last='Heinle'], LB- Grafton: 18 Tackles, 1 Sack   [player_tooltip player_id='262117' first='Bradley' last='Check'], ATH- La Crosse Logan: 9/13, 185 Yards, 2 TDs, 36 Carries, 285 Yards, 4 TDs   Chris Kenesie, ATH- St. Joseph Catholic Academy: 11 Carries, 161 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Reception, 20 Yards, 1 TD, 8 Tackles, 1 INT   Nathan Steinman, LB- Lomira: 5 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1.5 Sacks, 2 INTs, 1 Pick Six, 1 PBU   Nolan Hanke, RB- Lancaster: 31 Carries, 207 Yards, 3 TDs, 2 Tackles   Nolan Wolf, QB- Lancaster: 3/8, 104 Yards, 23 Carries, 156 Yards, 2 TDs   Logan Derke, ATH- Belleville: 20 Carries, 115 Yards, 2 TDs, 3 Receptions, 76 Yards, 1 TD, 14 Tackles   [player_tooltip player_id='1209384' first='Ian' last='Burkman'], RB- Grantsburg: 27 Carries, 193 Yards, 3 TDs, 9 Tackles   [player_tooltip player_id='1220749' first='McCoy' last='Smith'], DL- Waunakee: 8 Tackles, 4 Sacks   [player_tooltip player_id='1209423' first='Logan' last='George'], QB- DC Everest: 17/25, 287 Yards, 1 TD, 22 Yards   Jack Labisch, RB- Muskego: 35 Carries, 210 Yards, 2 TDs

Another exciting round of playoffs are in the books! With only 28 games to go through, we are changing up our weekly Top Performers articles into one article instead of offense/defense articles. These top 56 teams came to play as athletes on the winning and losing sides did their best to survive and advance to the semifinal round. The tape from those efforts is very impressive, so make sure to follow the kids mentioned in today's article. At the bottom you will find another group of kids who don't have film posted from the week, but their numbers are insane so we had to include them! Make sure to get those kids on your radars as well! Let's click play on the film!