Lakeland vs Rhinelander: Top Prospects to Know

Lakeland and Rhinelander was a high scoring, back and forth affair. So many players showed off their skill sets in a cold and raining game on Friday night. Here are the 12 players who impressed the most.    Aidan is the anchor for a sturdy Lakeland offensive line. He is so physical at the point of attack and uses his hands well to fight off the pass rushers. He has such great technique for his age. Rarely will you see a play where he is out of position and if you do, Aidan is athletic and quick enough to get back into the right alignment. He has the strength to overpower opposing defenders. His best football is ahead of him, and I think Aidan has a chance to have a special final two years of his high school career.     I heard stories of how dynamic Evan was, but I didn't realize what that actually meant. While his hands and speed are extremely impressive where he can catch almost any deep ball thrown to him; his football fundamentals are his most exciting trait. He is such an efficient receiver where he can catch a 5 yard out but turn it into a 20+ yard gain by making you miss. Evan is a smooth and intelligent athlete on both offense and defense. He was the best offensive player for Lakeland and should rack up many more electric plays this season.     Brooks is such a raw two-way player. He is already a dominate run blocker and much of Lakeland's rushing success came due his impressive and forceful run blocking. When they do pass to him, he has a wide catch radius to engulf the football; and he really can finish play after the catch. Defensively, he sniffs out plays and blows them up in an instant. Only a junior this year, Brooks has so much upside to offer in his size, speed, and athleticism for his age. Watch out for Brooks over the next two years.     Ty is stubborn on the defensive line for Lakeland. He has massive size (6 '3 255) and will create disorder in the back field every chance he gets. When the play goes to the other side or is gets behind him, Ty will go full throttle to the ball carrier. Even if it is 10+ yards away, Ty will not stop until the whistle blows. He made a couple tackles downfield that defensive lineman rarely make. He empty's the tank on every snap. I think every team in the state could use a player like Ty to anchor their d-line.     Deklan is simply a gamer at quarterback. Even when he would make a mistake, you knew it didn't affect him. For his size, he really can rip the ball down the sideline and put it in a place where only his receiver can catch it. Deklan also has tremendous intelligence at the QB position where he can see what the defensive alignment is in and check to a different play when needed. He has some sneaky speed that he got to show off on a long 50+ yard run. I love the way Deklan approaches the game, and I think he can have a big senior season.     Gavin is a bulldog on the offensive line. I would put my money on him blocking in any goal-line situation. Gavin is very aggressive and intense from the snap. He runs his feet well and can move as a pulling guard with some athleticism out in space. His 270-pound size is hard to move on the LOS. With Gavin and fellow lineman Bauers only juniors, Lakeland will have two relentless maulers anchoring their line for the next 2 years. Gavin is an improving lineman in trenches for the Thunderbirds.     Caden was the best player on the field on Friday night and for good reason. He is a massive defensive end for the Hodags while having the explosiveness to smother his side of the field. With his physicality and sheer size, it is hard for teams to run to his side of the line. As a pass rusher he is almost unstoppable in his pursuit of the quarterback. There aren't many holes to his game and that is for good measure; he is simply dominant. Caden, a Winona State commit is going to be a game wrecker once he steps foot on campus.     Rowan is an emerging mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses. Standing at 6 '2, he can sky over cornerbacks and race past them with his speed. He catches the ball very gracefully for a receiver his size. On defense, Rowan roams the secondary with his eyes up and his head on a swivel. To end the 2nd half, he snatched an interception while running out a bound to halt a scoring drive. He has all of the attributes to make an impact on both sides of the ball. I loved what I saw from Rowan on Friday night.     Cyrus is a quick, hard nose running back who goes 110% every play. As a running back he can explode threw the hole and cut to the left or right when needed. When you get him in space, he has the speed to fly down the field. He scored the game's first touchdown after he took a pass and showed off his elusiveness and scampered down the sideline. I mentioned he goes 110% as this was displayed after he sprinted 50 yards downfield to make a key block to spring a Hodag touchdown. Cyrus has all the talent to have a big senior season this year.     I didn't know of Abe's game before Friday night but now I definitely do, and I came away very impressed with his quarterback intangibles. He has a great deep ball where he seems to float the ball with some touch over the secondary to his tall receivers. The short throw accuracy is also a big part to his arsenal as he delivered strike after strike to his receivers. Abe is a sleeper QB for the Hodags. Definitely a name to watch for his final two years.     Ben was everywhere for Rhinelander. On offense, he seems to be either running the ball through the nose of the defense or making a key block on the outside. Ben has a knack for doing the little things on the football field and it pays dividends for his offense. Defensively, while he may have smaller stature, he is not afraid to go up and blow up the ball carrier or break up a pass in the secondary. Ben makes an impact that at times won't show up on the stat sheet but definitely gets noticed while watching him play.     Evan plays the game like a forward on the basketball team (he is a forward on the Hodag basketball team). Standing at 6 '5, his boxing out and leaping skills are extremely impressive where can high point the ball over a smaller cornerback. He routes running and playmaking abilities are equally impressive. On his 2nd touchdown of the game Evan caught a deep ball with his fingertips and scooted down the sideline for a long touchdown. There is a lot to like with Evans game as a receiver for Rhinelander.

Lakeland and Rhinelander was a high scoring, back and forth affair. So many players showed off their skill sets in a cold and raining game on Friday night. Here are the 12 players who impressed the most.