Some of the Best '26s That La Crosse Has to Offer

La Crosse is a city loaded up with talent. Talent that can't be covered in one article, so we are back for Part II of our series looking into La Crosse and the surrounding cities and towns. La Crosse is home to schools like Logan, Central, and Aquinas with Onalaska, Bangor, West Salem and a few others nearby. Multiple of these schools have found themselves in Camp Randall Stadium in recent years battling for, and winning, State Championships. It is a region with a rich tradition of winning and producing talent. So make sure to take a look at the athletes in today's article!    2025 is going to be Connor breakout year as he looks to earn a starting receiver spot at receiver this fall. The door is open with only one athlete returning that had more receptions than him in 2024. In his minimal workload, 4 varsity receptions, Connor still produced 3 TDs. Connor has a solid base of quick twitch athleticism and pure speed to craft his game around and create separation with. The highlights also show a kid that has good awareness near the sideline and concentration to make catches through a tight window or while staying inbounds.      Marcus flipped primarily to the defensive side of the ball this past season and turned it into a strong 10 game performance as a junior LB/ATH. Klar piled up 66 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 2 sacks in 2024. Continuing his career at the next level most likely would require a position change from LB, but Klar has done a great job of finding ways to impact games despite being undersized. He has an excellent burst of acceleration and closing speed. The '26 does a great job of moving through the trenches while staying completely untouched. The junior has strong instincts and is quick to diagnose plays and react.      Luke was all over the field as a junior for the Onalaska varsity team. The junior WR/DB put up 16/153/1 through the air, rushed for 33 yards, and made 9 tackles while also leading the way as the kick returner where he did return one for a TD. Luke has a few short clips of film from his season made up of his best plays. Looking through them a couple things stand out. First, the kid has the speed for the next level. Second, his vision and instincts as an open field runner with the ball in his hands is a major strength of his game. Third, even with his limited touches the '26 was able to find ways to make big plays. This is a kid to keep an eye on.      Onalaska will be looking for a new starting RB this fall after the graduation of 1,600 yard rusher, Cam Cornett. One of the athletes who is in the competition is David Irvin. The 6'1" 170 lbs athlete also plays safety. He is a versatile athlete who has tape showing ball skills, vision in space, and contact balance to rip through arm tackle attempts. The junior did well finishing plays angry at the JV level. With a strong offseason the '26 could have a breakout senior season.      A two way standout for Onalaska Luther in 2024 was the 6'1" 215 lbs TE/DL. Max put up 16/237/2 on offense and 23 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks on defense. His highlights revolve around his play on offense so that is where we put our focus. Max plays both out wide and in the traditional, inline alignment. He has the frame of a H Back and plays to that skill set. Max is a reliable target over the middle. He uses his frame to protect the ball, makes the concentration catches in traffic and has excellent hand eye coordination highlighted by the multiple catches off of tipped passes throughout his highlights.      The 6' 200 lbs fullback out of La Crosse Logan is used primarily as a lead blocker in their offense. An offense that was one of the most prolific rushing attacks in all of 2024. Hudson definitely played a role in that with his capability to drive LBs out of holes allowing his teammate to get into the second level before they were ever contacted. Hudson does well running his feet through contact and showing that power and leverage off. The cherry on top of his skill set is that he can be used as a receiving option out of the backfield whenever needed too. I'm excited to watch him continue to bully defenders this fall.

La Crosse is a city loaded up with talent. Talent that can't be covered in one article, so we are back for Part II of our series looking into La Crosse and the surrounding cities and towns. La Crosse is home to schools like Logan, Central, and Aquinas with Onalaska, Bangor, West Salem and a few others nearby. Multiple of these schools have found themselves in Camp Randall Stadium in recent years battling for, and winning, State Championships. It is a region with a rich tradition of winning and producing talent. So make sure to take a look at the athletes in today's article!