Colorado 2A Defensive Ballers

Pairing up with my offensive article, in this one I will be diving deep into the defensive ballers of the 2A division. 2A is full of hidden gems, and it's time for their showcase.    Isenhart is a monster. This linebacker measures in at 5'10 185-pounds. Throughout the season, he accounted for 168 total tackles (57 solo, 111 assisted), 16.5 TFL, 3 FF, 2 FR, and 1 INT. Isenhart has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, good speed, jumping, and change of direction. Very good competitive toughness. Consistently all over the field, helping assist teammates with tackles. Very good mental processing, he's always watching the QB's eyes and where the ball is. Very good knowledge of gaps, rushes the correct one leading to a TFL. Isenhart is a powerful tackler and run stopper. Once they are in his grasp, good luck getting free. He has good tackling form as well. He's an every down linebacker and has the athletic ability to cover tight ends. He has committed to Hastings College, and they are getting an absolute stud.     A bruising defensive end that measures in at 6'1 205-pounds, Long had a nice senior season. He was T-1st in 2A for sacks. Throughout the season, he had 54 total tackles (26 solo, 28 assisted), 14 TFL, 7 sacks, and 3 FF. Long has very good strength and maintains a low pad level to get underneath the offensive line. He has good hand placement and a powerful bull rush to run them over. Long has a good initial quickness out of his stance, engaging with the OL first. He relies more on a bull rush then spin moves. Powerful legs to drive forward. He has very good mental processing by identifying the gaps to rush through, leading to a TFL. He made himself at home in the backfield. Good athletic     Wittke led all 2A defensive backs in interceptions. Measuring in at 6'0 160 pounds, the WR/FS made impacts on both sides of the ball. On defense, he had 39 total tackles (19 solo, 20 assisted), 4 TFL, 9 INT, 5 PD, 3 pick sixes. Offensively, he had 16 carries for 169 yards, 2 touchdowns, 26 receptions for 478 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wittke has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, change of direction and jumping. He normally patrols the deep zones, but provides very good run support. Lays the boom on the ball carrier. Wittke is lockdown in zone, and good in man coverage. He has very good ball tracking skills, and uses his lengthy arms to pluck the ball out of the air. Uses his very good athletic ability to return them gaining over 200+ interception return yardage. He has very good mental processing. Wittke watches the QBs eyes like a hawk. He is a name to watch going forward, and colleges will be fortunate to have this ball-hawk on their team.     Another stellar two-way player on my list is Mr. Jones. He plays WR/DB and the 6'2 junior led all of 2A in solo tackles. As a receiver, he caught 33 receptions for 559 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a defender, he had 131 total tackles (80 solo, 51 assisted), 3 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PD, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 blocked field goal. Jones uses his very good athletic ability to dominate on both sides of the field. He has very good speed, acceleration, jumping, and good change of direction. He prowls deep zones while also making his presence known in the box. He is a very good tackler. Wraps up and pulls down. Jones is a physical player and a hard hitter. He is good in zone coverage, but excels down in the box. Very good against the run, stopping them in their tracks. His versatility to adapt on both sides of the field, and on the defense make him a most know prospect going into next season. Keep an eye out for him!     Pettinger is tied with [player_tooltip player_id='1339283' first='Caden' last='Long'] for first in sacks. The sophomore OLB was a disruptive force on the DL this past season. The 6'0 165-pound had 74 total tackles, (23 solo, 51 assisted), 4 TFL, and 7 sacks. Pettinger has good initial quickness out of his stance, engaging with the OL first. Good acceleration and bend around the edge. He consistently uses his hands to swat away the OL's arms. Pettinger has a good spin move and a good bull rush. He uses his good speed and change of direction allowing him to move on a swivel to tackle RBs who broke through the first line. Pettinger has very good competitive toughness. He plays through the whistle and keeps helping his teammates finish tackles. Another rising prospect in the land of 2A.

Pairing up with my offensive article, in this one I will be diving deep into the defensive ballers of the 2A division. 2A is full of hidden gems, and it's time for their showcase.