Studs & Steals in the WI 8 Man League

With the 8 Man State Championship Game taking place this Saturday afternoon in Wisconsin Rapids, I wanted to make sure we turn the spotlight directly onto that league. There is plenty of talent in this league, it sometimes gets overlooked unfortunately. However, when you dive in you will find talent there, and you will also find some unbelievable numbers. Like a 3,000 yard passer in 9 games or a 2,000 yard rusher in 11 games, or 1,600 yard receiver in just 9 games, or a kid with 190+ tackles in 11 games. The crazy production is definitely head-turning when you come across it. Within all the production are several athletes with next level potential. We have 8 such athletes to look into today!    Stats: 133 Carries, 1655 Rushing Yards, 26 TDs, 20 Receptions, 480 Yards, 8 TDs   What a final season it was for [player_tooltip player_id='1394905' first='Cody' last='Blicharz'] out of Wisconsin Heights. The senior put up over 2K all purpose yards and 28 TDs out of the backfield. You don't have to watch long to see the predominant traits. Cody's lower body explosive burst allows him to both cut laterally quickly and also burst to top speed when he either sees the hole open up or when coming out of those lateral cuts. That power also allows him to churn his way through arm tackles. Cody's natural playmaking abilities shine during his kick return highlights also. The senior sees the field so well, setting up blocks and finding paths of least resistance. The senior RB is well worth a look into the film.      Stats: 66/116, 1532 Yards, 24 TDs, 156 Carries, 1223 yards, 13 TDs, 69 Tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 FR, 1 FF, 2 PBUs   Luke Smith was a do-it-all type of athlete for Wausaukee this season. Luke helped lead them to an 8-2 record as QB and LB. I don't foresee his future being at QB, but the fact he can drop back and consistently deliver accurate passes all over the field with solid velocity shows how natural of an athlete he is. On the ground the senior plays with that strength that stands out from the crowd as he rips through tackle attempts or lowers a shoulder on a defender. The senior is a north-south runner who can utilize some lateral agility at times. I believe his blend of strength and downhill athleticism may suggest that he could be best on the defensive side. He is quick off the edge and is a hard-hitting tackler. Take a look at the senior.      Stats: 80 Receptions, 1128 Yards, 15 TDs, 53 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 6 Sacks, 1 FR, 1 Blocked Kick, 3 PBUs, 1 Defensive TD   One of the most productive receiving careers in 8 Man Football that WI has ever seen is the TE [player_tooltip player_id='1380133' first='Ayden' last='Phillips'] out of Almond-Bancroft. Ayden has a fantastic frame at 6'7" 225 lbs and is as much of a mismatch as you might expect. He is able to stretch the seam, win the 50/50 jump balls in the redzone, and completely remove defenders from the zip code as a blocker. Ayden has made strides in his body control with that massive frame. He is clearly growing into it and looks more comfortable running around the field compared to 2023. It looks like there is plenty of speed for the TE position at the next level in his game. He has plenty of examples of him beating DBs downfield or beating pursuit angles. The senior is a playmaker that needs more eyes on him.      Stats: 64 Receptions, 1209 Yards, 19 TDs, 58 Carries, 503 Yards, 9 TDs, 118 Tackles, 19 TFLs, 1 FR, 5 FFs, 2 PBUs   Brody put together one heck of a final season, and the tape is going to be having him on the rise during our rankings update coming up. The 6'2" 185 lbs senior was a nightmare to matchup with out wide. He has the speed to threaten the defense deep. He is able to stack his CB and pull away with his speed. Then on the next play Brody can catch a bubble screen at the line of scrimmage and make multiple defenders miss with his elusive agility. There is no shortage of examples on his highlights of Brody making those crazy, out of the ordinary plays and the senior makes it look easy. Definitely give this senior's tape a watch through.      Stats: Starting OL, 102 Tackles, 19 TFLs, 10 Sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF   The top lineman that I have come across in the 8 Man League in WI this season is [player_tooltip player_id='942619' first='Alex' last='Schradle'] of Clayton. He has a frame that is big, athletic, and loaded with power. Alex is a violent blocker on offense. He fires out of his stance and creates power on contact in the run game. Over and over you see him remove DL from the screen or bury them into the dirt with his heavy hands and powerful leg drive. It is clear that Alex has that nasty mentality you need in the trenches. Schradle also has excellent range of the OL. He can pull across the formation or easily attack LBs. Teams looking to add OL help need to turn on this tape.      Stats: 95 Tackles, 24 TFLs, 9 Sacks, 5 FFs, 2 Blocked Kicks   I'm very excited to follow the career of Cain Casarez as he becomes an upperclassmen in 2025. The current sophomore has very exciting tape from this fall. He has a budding frame that is packed full of powerful quickness and raw strength. Cain has an explosive first step off the ball and has solid speed to rush around the edge. The sophomore does a good job of playing with strong hands that are able to swipe away hands or lock out to create separation. Cain also plays with a noteworthy closing burst when he makes tackles and that burst turns into hit power when making the tackler. On top of the dominant defensive efforts, Cain is also a mauler on the OL. Get this kid on your radars early.      Stats: 51 Tackles, 6 TFLs, 12.5 Sacks, 2 FRs, 4 FFs, 3 PBUs, 5 Receptions, 203 Yards, 2 TDs   A junior OL/DL to keep an eye on over this next year is North Crawford's Gavin Tamling. Tamling looks best on the edge of the DL. He is able to set the edge vs the run as he takes on blocks and also sheds and makes the tackle near the line. Gavin also flashes some first step quickness that allows him to fly through gaps to disrupt the backfield or make TFLs/Sacks. Gavin has the athleticism to be able to effectively pursue the ball beyond the backfield as well. Check him out.      Stats: 30 Receptions, 497 Yards, 6 TDs, 15 Yards Rushing, 1 TD, 22 Tackles, 2 FRs, 1 FFs, 6 INTs, 5 PBUs   One of the top playmakers in 8 Man over the past couple seasons is Thorp's [player_tooltip player_id='262091' first='Dylan' last='Mattson']. The senior dominates with his ball skills on both sides of the ball. Dylan is quick to find the ball and is a natural at adjusting to the ball in flight and knowing when to go and attack the ball. He has soft, yet strong hands to make the difficult catches in traffic. The senior also has the athleticism needed to thrive out wide. He is a smooth route runner and has the top end speed to really open up that separation out of his route breaks. On defense, Dylan does a great job of reading the eyes of the QB baiting them into bad throws, and making them pay for it. Don't miss out on the senior playmaker.

With the 8 Man State Championship Game taking place this Saturday afternoon in Wisconsin Rapids, I wanted to make sure we turn the spotlight directly onto that league. There is plenty of talent in this league, it sometimes gets overlooked unfortunately. However, when you dive in you will find talent there, and you will also find some unbelievable numbers. Like a 3,000 yard passer in 9 games or a 2,000 yard rusher in 11 games, or 1,600 yard receiver in just 9 games, or a kid with 190+ tackles in 11 games. The crazy production is definitely head-turning when you come across it. Within all the production are several athletes with next level potential. We have 8 such athletes to look into today!