Tuesday Two-Way Players

We are on the final week of the regular season. For some players, this Friday will be the final time they lace up their cleats and hit the field. Today we look at ten more players who have made an impact on both sides of the ball for their teams this season.    Ty does a multitude of different things for Whitewater. He is a versatile defender who moves around the secondary. From being a plus run defender at safety to being a stingy lockdown cornerback, Ty does it all. He also is a valuable punter on special teams. Where his skillsets really come into play are at quarterback. He has a live and accurate arm where he can place the ball between 2 or even three defenders. If the pocket breaks down, Ty can maneuver around to buy time for his receivers to get open, or he is fast and elusive enough to tuck it run. The Junior is an improving dual threat quarterback who is also a two-way STUD.     It is about time I talked about Karder. The 6 ‘1 WR/CB has had a heck of a season for Evansville. Karder has some of the better hands in the state. As a receiver, you can watch him smoothly catch any ball thrown his way. After the catch, Karder can dance around defenders to gain those extra 3-4 yards. He has 460 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns on the year. On defense, Karder is a ballhawk at his cornerback position. He is quick to jump throws and has the athleticism to stay with fast receivers. He has a team leading 4 interceptions this year. Karder's skills and play are a huge reason why the Blue Devils have gone 8-1 this season.     Brody plays at a different speed on the field, which makes him have a unique skillset at his QB/LB positions. On offense, he has the quickness to break a long run on just about any play. Brody keeps the defense honest and on their toes on his fakes when running the read option. He has accounted for 23 total touchdowns this year. On defense his speed comes into play where he can set the tone on the edge at his OLB position. Brody is also very versatile where he can cover receivers downfield as well. The Junior has put up huge numbers for Turtle Lake this season.     Chase has been a key player for Abbotsford this season. He is their leading rusher (756 yards) and is a big play machine as he has field stretching speed. Even with Chase's electric speed, he still runs with patience and elusiveness to wait for a hole to open up and make a defender miss while doing so. His ball skills may not get displayed on offense, but they definitely get displayed on defense. He has had a couple crazy interceptions this year at his cornerback position. The Senior is still growing into his frame, and I think he could be an impactful player at the college level.     Oliver is a game changer for Badger. His athleticism comes into play on defense where he is a shutdown cornerback who can lockdown his receiver. He has textbook footwork and can swat away balls at the last second. Oliver is very disciplined and rarely will get beat downfield with his impressive speed. On offense, Oliver may not get many touches but when he does, he makes the most of them. He has 4 touchdowns on only 12 carries this year. Oliver's impact is a huge reason why Badger is undefeated this season and the Junior is oozing with potential.     Marcus plays bully ball on both offense and defense. He is a thumper at his running back position and keeps his knees churning for more yards after contact. Marcus's running mentality can turn a 2-3 yard gain into a 7-8 yard gain. Rarely will he go down on the first hit or be pushed backwards on a tackle. On defense, Marcus is a fast and instinctive outside linebacker who can change his direction quickly to disrupt the play. He sets the edge on run downs or covers the flat or middle of the field on pass downs. Marcus's talent and abilities had made him one of the better Sophomores in the state.     I would call Willy a scrappy two-way lineman. He fights for every inch that he can get in the trenches. As an offensive lineman, Willy moves well for his size (6 ‘2 260 pounds) and gets horizontally or vertically as a run blocker. He is quick off of the snap and can win his one on one matchup in pass protection. On defense, he can out leverage the opposing lineman. Even when the ball goes the other way, Willy is swarming to the ball and can deliver knock out tackles to the runner. The Senior has continued his high school success and is still looking for a college home.     Maurice is always round the ball. He is a playmaking receiver who gets the ball in a plethora of different ways. It could be a jet sweep, a screen or even a jump ball. Maurice's speed is electric and he can use it to burn right past the secondary. On defense, he is a sure handed tackler at his safety position and his ball skills from offense translate over to defense as well. He plays with supreme confidence and will patrol secondary from sideline to sideline. Maurice is an electric player to watch for Racine Horlick and has had a big senior season.     Wylie is a punisher for Assumption. As a running back he will dish out contact and run through most tackles. Wylie is a straight downhill runner. He has excellent balance to absorb hits and stay upright while smashing through the front seven. As a linebacker, Wylie plays with controlled aggression. While he may be very quick and aggressive to fill the holes, Wylie is always precise when he is attacking the ball carrier. He has 70 total tackles this year and 6 TFLs. Wylie is a junior to watch over the next two years.     Brady is a patient defender and runner for Richland Center. As a linebacker, he will read the defense and wait for the opportune moment to swarm up field to tackle the runner. He is a tackling machine as he has totaled 35 solo tackles this year alone. On offense, Brady will follow his block, and when he sees an opening, he has the speed to scamper right through the hole. He has a whopping 1,352 rushing yards this season with an incredible 8.7 rushing yards per carry to go along with that. Brady has had an outstanding year on both slides of the ball.

We are on the final week of the regular season. For some players, this Friday will be the final time they lace up their cleats and hit the field. Today we look at ten more players who have made an impact on both sides of the ball for their teams this season.