Cavanaugh's 21 Tackles Leads Way Among Level 2 Dominance

Level 2 was where we really found out who wants to be here. Who wants to legitimately make a run for a State Championship. Last Friday we saw plenty of defensive playmakers doing everything in their power to try and keep their teams alive and working towards Madison. We saw 20+ tackles from one of the state's best LBs. We saw a rising 2027 DE deliver a highly productive and impactful week. A typically offensive standout made big plays on the defensive side. Plus so much more in this week's defensive recap including under the radar senior steals. So let's click on that tape and talk about it.    Stats: 21 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack   De Pere has continued their run! I had a good feeling that they would be in position to pull off these upset victories and they are delivering. A big reason why is a stout defense led by 2027 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1570847' first='Cayden' last='Cavanaugh']. The junior is one of the state's best LBs. He is an excellent athlete. Able to drop into coverage, slide laterally, turn and run, or transition out of a backpedal to attacking downhill. Cayden has an outstanding level of power to his game too. Allowing him to run through blockers on his way to the ball. His quick trigger reaction to what he sees has a strong argument for best in WI too. Mentally and physically the junior is a special prospect and I believe he has the talent that could have him playing at the D1 level down the road.      Stats: 7 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF   Senior OLB/S [player_tooltip player_id='1610335' first='Waylon' last='Hargrove'] was all over the field Friday night. Out in space and on the edge Waylon has the advantage. Flying around, closing quickly, and easily avoiding OL on his way to the ball. The senior flashed great awareness with sniffing out the screen and making the tackle for no gain. The athletic defender has range to get to the sideline, makes good tackles, and plays smart. Check out the tape below.      Stats: 10 Tackles, 2 TFLs   Rex is a 5'11" 210 lbs sledgehammer at the LB position. He brings the contact to the ball carrier every tackle. The senior is able to create power on contact and carry it throughout the hit as he runs his feet through the man. Multiple times this week we also were able to see his range to get outside the tackle box and still get to the ball before it could cross the line of scrimmage. Rex did well finding the ball quickly and getting to the gap vs the run game. The senior has made strides in his game over this past year.      Stats: 7 Tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 Sack, 1 INT   I have been a huge fan of Joey as a TE recruit. However, the 2027 made big time plays with his performance at DE last Friday. The first two plays alone were very impressive. First he almost flattens a pulling OL with the pop he delivers while setting the edge. Then he shows off that quick burst to get to the RB in space on the 2nd defensive snap. The INT came off great awareness and equal athleticism as he jumped up while engaged with the OT to make the snag. His ability to play in space and corral the dual threat QB they faced off against was equally impressive. After watching this tape I legitimately believe that Joey could find success on either side of the ball. You need to check this kid out.      Stats: 10 Tackles, 1 FR   The small school LB made plays Friday night. Ethan is an undersized LB but the senior was taking on blocks from OL and driving them backwards. He was strong at the point of attack and when shedding blocks. Ethan did really well finding the ball through all the traffic created by the Cashton rushing attack. Ethan's strength has also allowed him to play OG for the Mondovi offense. The 5'8" 200 lbs senior is a dawg and will be key to their continued run in these playoffs.      Stats: 10 Tackles   Lourdes Academy has produced a perfect record to this point and their front seven on defense has been a key reason why. One of the key contributors on a weekly basis is junior LB Max Behnke. Even at just 5'10" 190 lbs, Max finds a way to get through the trenches. He has a way of making OL miss with his quickness, but then can instantly flip the switch to deliver a stout hit on the ball carrier against that inside run game. The junior plays like a veteran, quickly finding the ball while coming downhill after he read run. Quick, fast processor, and a stout tackler has Max making plays all over the field.     Stats: Stats: 10 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 Sack   The senior IDL is new to my radar, and needs to start hitting other radars because he has impressive tape. While he is undersized for the position, Eli has the tape showing that he can win over and over with his agility and short area quickness. He used it to shoot gaps and get into the backfield. We saw him use it quickly get around OL and also saw him run down the QB. At NG the senior showed that he could hold the line initially and that he has the upper body strength to shed the center to the side and make the tackle. The deep supply of D3 schools across WI need to check this kid out. Talented, productive, and experience vs some of WI's best has him in position for a chance at the next level.      Stats: 12 Tackles, 4 TFLs   Dante plays so fast at the LB position. We see him sprint to space and chase down the ball and make violent tackles. We see the range to blitz from off ball LB, around the OT, and get to the ball before it can leave the backfield. The junior packs a violent punch when he makes tackles too. At just 6' 190 lbs there is so much room to continue to add even more power to his game that can really make an impact on top of his next level athleticism. Don't sleep on the small school junior LB. Check out what he did in Level 2.      Stats: 12 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 TFL, 1 FR   One of my favorite 2027s is Catholic Memorial's [player_tooltip player_id='1251532' first='Kyle' last='Johnston']. The 2027 was productive as a sophomore, and now as a junior it is great to see that he has grown and taken that next step in his development and impact. I loved his goal line tackle, standing up the OL, shedding them quickly, and then still being able to deliver a stout hit that didn't give up an inch of forward progression. Kyle flies off the line with velocity and power that is able to work together to get penetration and the OL off balance. The junior even showed off some wheels to chase down the ball downfield. The 2027 DL has the gifts to mold into an impact player at the next level. Dive into his tape and make sure he is on your radars.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqxVVyDgEgU&t=3s </div></figure>     Stats: 9 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR   A new sophomore to my radar is LB Larz Hanson out of Bay Port. The raw tools are definitely noteworthy as Larz was quick to fly downhill and either flash his power to pop and OL and then make the tackle or show off his agility as he dipped underneath and around OL to get to the football. Almost every play on his highlights Hanson had to work through tight traffic to get to the ball, but the 2028 always found his way there and arrived angry and ready to pop the ball carrier. This was a great chance to earn some experience at the varsity level for Larz and he capitalized.

Level 2 was where we really found out who wants to be here. Who wants to legitimately make a run for a State Championship. Last Friday we saw plenty of defensive playmakers doing everything in their power to try and keep their teams alive and working towards Madison. We saw 20+ tackles from one of the state's best LBs. We saw a rising 2027 DE deliver a highly productive and impactful week. A typically offensive standout made big plays on the defensive side. Plus so much more in this week's defensive recap including under the radar senior steals. So let's click on that tape and talk about it.