Standout Prospects: Wheaton St. Francis vs Sterling

Friday night kicked off the IHSA state playoffs across the state. We took in Wheaton St. Francis vs Sterling. This game featured several highly ranked prospects on both sides. Wheaton St. Francis fire power was too much as they won 42-18. Here we examine the players that caught our eye in Standout Prospects: Wheaton St. Francis vs Sterling!    Palmer is one of the top quarterbacks in the junior class. At 6'2” he has solid size and good pocket presence. Opened the game up with a 58 yard bomb to Glock for a score. Displayed good arm strength and solid mechanics. For the most part makes quick reads knowing where he wants to go before the snap. Creative runner with the ball including a 21 yard touchdown. Also showed flair running one way then back the other on a 5 yard pass. Did have one interception early forcing a ball in double coverage, but other than that he more than did his job in a half of work.     Taylor came in for the second half as the signal caller for Wheaton St. Francis. The 5'10” quarterback is an explosive runner. He is at his best right now playing off his athleticism running around for first downs. Showed flashes as a passer, but there will need to be some refinement and we will track how much he grows.     Sophomore running back that goes 5'11” 210 pounds. He is a physical runner right up the middle with a thick frame. He gets downhill on straight line runs.     Willis is an Illinois State commit that will really excel at the FCS level. He is slick with the ball after the catch. Shifty with it in his hands. Best on short routes as a possession guy. Quick getting in and out of his cuts.     Washington is one of the top 2026 wide receivers in the state. He didn't catch a single pass, but recorded the two longest plays of the game on a 95 yard kickoff return followed by a 90 yard reverse where he made five guys miss taking it all the way back to his own 1 then bursting down the sideline the length of the field. The explosive speed in the open field was absolutely insane! When he turns on the burners it is over!     Another junior wide out here. Made a nice catch over the middle out of the slot. Also found an opening in the corner of the endzone on Palmer's scramble for a touchdown.     Glock is listed as an athlete and that certainly fits. He was impactful at both corner back and wide receiver. As a defensive back we liked the clean back pedal, way he broke on the ball, and his overall aggressiveness. Offensively he caught a 58 yard deep touchdown pass over the middle tracking the ball well in the air.     Mueller is a top 10 prospect who has offers from power 4 schools as a tight end. Interestingly enough he didn't even play on the offensive side of the ball in the first half. Played primarily at defensive end which at 6'6” 240 pounds he more than fits the bill there too! Good length and strength combination. Displayed some solid technique on the edge and batted down a pass. Briefly played on the offensive side of the ball having one target which he dropped. The physical and athletic profile plays at the next level whether he ends up on the offensive side or defensive side!     Paukstis is a highly ranked junior offensive lineman. Listed at 6'2” 255 pounds he was excellent at left tackle sealing on the edge along with pancaking guys in the run game. Held up well against pass rushers as well with his technique. Whether he ultimately kicks inside to guard or not will be decided later, but he is a for sure P4/G5 guy!     Loved the nastiness we saw out of this sophomore right guard. He was adept at laying his opponents on the ground for pancakes over and over again. Goes 6'1” 250 pounds with sound technique and gets after it!     Hill primarily shined in this game at left guard. The 6'2” 270 pound lineman has potential on both sides of the ball. He does a nice job of getting to the second level in the run game and cleared the way for Palmer on his touchdown run up the middle!     At 6'0” 280 pound Torres is a defensive tackle/nose guard that is physical using his hands and clogs up things in the run game for opposing offenses. He can take on blockers for his linebacker or make plays himself. Also got a big man TD lining up in the backfield going in from 2 yards out for the score!     This 6'0” 180 pound safety was extremely active throughout the night. Runs to the ball, good tackler, and wraps up in space. Should find a home at the next level!     This 6'0” well built safety is physical coming up in run support along with making an impact play on the backend early cutting in front of his man for an interception displaying good instincts and hands on the pick. Easy to see why he is one of the top DB's in the sophomore class!     The 6'0” 190 pound signal caller for Sterling is one of the top QBs in program history. For the majority of the game it was a lot of quick passes to the perimeter getting it in his playmakers hands on bubble screens. Hit a couple nice intermediate passes over the middle fitting them in traffic. Late in the game he had a couple deep balls showing touch including a 94 yard bomb to Phillips. Small college guy.     Phillips is a 5'11” 160 pound athlete that impacted on both sides of the ball. Offensively he was adept at catching bubble screens then getting yards after the catch using his shiftiness in tight spaces along the sideline. Solid hands. Late in the game he had a deep ball which he tracked and ran in for 94 yards. On the defensive side he had a nice interception early while playing safety. Tracked it well in the air making a play. Good tackler in space. No doubt will play at a small college next year.     Despite the loss we could not have been any more impressed with what we saw from Coleman! He is a massive offensive tackle at 6'5”. The left tackle has super long arms and moves extremely well for his size. Light on his feet and was elite all night in pass protection. Shadowed his man, kept them out of his body, and set in pass pro when he needed. The athleticism showed in the run game as he can get to the second level and is powerful with his hands. P4 guy early in the process!

Friday night kicked off the IHSA state playoffs across the state. We took in Wheaton St. Francis vs Sterling. This game featured several highly ranked prospects on both sides. Wheaton St. Francis fire power was too much as they won 42-18. Here we examine the players that caught our eye in Standout Prospects: Wheaton St. Francis vs Sterling!