3A Semifinals Preview Pt. 1: Pusch Ridge VS Ben Franklin

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Overview </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pusch Ridge and Ben Franklin faceoff in a rematch of the 2024 semifinals where Pusch Ridge upset Ben Franklin a year ago. Not only is it a semifinals rematch, but this is the 4th time in 2 seasons that they meet again, while Ben Franklin comes off a 35-14 win over PRCA 3 weeks ago. This Ben Franklin defense is about elite as it gets in 3A, surrendering just 7 points in the postseason thus far (2 games). But they're not just a defensive unit- their offense is one of the most impressive group of kids in the state as well with numerous kids that can burn you and make those big plays. Pusch Ridge has their offense off and rolling since the Ben Franklin regular season loss, scoring 93 points in the past two weeks, so this will be an interesting test for both that Pusch Ridge offense on how they can scheme up this Ben Franklin D, and for Ben Franklin to answer the bell and see if they can repeat their efforts from a few weeks back by holding Pusch Ridge to 14 points- which is the lowest amount of points Pusch Ridge has been held to all year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ben Franklin (#1 Seed) </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ranked Prospect </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='992794' first='Ammon' last='Alexander'], OL '26: Alexander is the big name kid on this Ben Franklin squad, uncommitted while holding 9 total offers, and freshly received an offer from Stanford a few days ago. The 6'6" 295lb menace up front has been an anchor to this offense and nightmare for DC's to draw up anything on, as he possesses an excellent football IQ and is a 4.0 student to go along with all of his physical traits. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others to watch: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1603398' first='Gavin' last='Wyler'], QB '27: Wyler is one of the top QB's in 3A as a junior that has taken a huge step, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 27 TD's with just 4 INT's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Talan Spier</strong>, WR '26: Spier has been the best receiver in 3A this year as well, hauling in everything thrown in his direction and has shown legit division 1 ability. He's totaled 56 receptions for nearly 1,300 yards and 15 TD's.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tillman Grant</strong>, LB '28: This Ben Franklin defense is loaded up with impressive players and you can pretty much jot them all down as game wreckers, but the kid that really flashes for me is Grant. As just a sophomore, Grant flies to the ball and possesses solid play speed and instincts, and is currently the leading tackler with 101 total tackles, 14 TFL's, and 5 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pusch Ridge (#5 Seed)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Ranked Prospect</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*No Ranked Prospects</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players To Know: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aaron Kenworthy</strong>, OL/DL '26: Kenworthy is putting together a very nice end toward his high school resume, totaling 64 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, 14 TFL's, and 16 hurries in 12 games played during his senior campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1717779' first='Dominic' last='Painter'], WR/DB '26: Painter is a two way player for Pusch Ridge and a very good all around athlete with a ton of position versatility. He's the leading receiver in terms of yardage for PRCA with 60 receptions for over 800 yuards and 9 TD's. Defensively, he's racked up 29 tackles and an INT. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Race Pinneo</strong>, QB '27: Pinneo comes off a huge quarterfinals win against Florence, putting up over 300 yards and 4 TD's through the air and added another TD on the ground. A very impressive young QB that plays with some moxy, and in total has thrown for over 1,700 yards and 21 TD's with just 4 picks this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->