All-State Championship Teams: Big School Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Over the next few days I will be taking a look at some of the top performers over the state football championship. I'll be breaking down the top performers in my All- State Championship teams. I'll be breaking them down by big school (Divisions 1-3) and small school (Divisions 4-7). In this article I'll be breaking down the big school all-defensive team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Defensive Line</span></strong><br><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1703200' first='Lance' last='Dawson'] (Avon) 6'5 255-</strong> 1 Sack, 1.5 TFL's, 2 QB hits. The long and athletic Defensive Lineman was in the backfield making plays and putting pressure on the QB all night long<br><br><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1579370' first='Michael' last='Boyle'] (Bishop Watterson) 6'2 235-</strong> 6 Tackles, 1 TFL, and 3 QB Hits. Boyle was a beast on the inside of Watterson's defense. His get-off, strength, and explosiveness make him nearly impossible to block.<br><br><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1716642' first='Eian' last='Englehart'] (Avon) 6'3 245-</strong> 5 tackles, 1 sack, .5 TFL's. Englehart showed good quickness and uses his length well. He showed a good motor.<br><br><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1717054' first='Zenaje' last='Liggons'] (Toledo Central Catholic) 6'3 270-</strong> 3 Tackles, .5 Sacks, INT, QB Hit. Liggons was a stat sheet stuffer on the night. He showed the ability to get to the quarterback and the athleticism to make an interception.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Linebacker</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1893916' first='Brennan' last='Kesler'] (Olentangy Orange) 6'2 215-</strong> 8 tackles, 2 sacks on the evening, to go with a pass breakup. Kessler was flying around all night long making big plays. He's explosive and is strong in pursuit.<br><br><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1163066' first='Jakobe' last='Clapper'] (St. Xavier) 6'2 215-</strong> 15 tackles. The Notre Dame commit was cleaning up plays all night long on his way to a team high 15 tackles.<br><br><strong>2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1892847' first='Aden' last='Reeder'] (St. Xavier) 6'3 215-</strong> 12 Tackles, 1 TFL. Reeder was racking up tackles all night long. The Michigan commit used his speed and explosiveness to make plays in the run and pass games.<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Defensive Back</span></strong><br><strong>2027 DB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='2076348' first='Nate' last='Henderson'] (Bishop Waterson) 6'3 200-</strong> 6 tackles and an Interception. Henderson showed physicality in the run game and a bunch of range. He profiles as a high level D1 hybrid linebacker in college.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1845589' first='Carter' last='Bellisari'] (Bishop Watterson) 6'3 190-</strong> 1 INT for TD, 1 Pass Breakup. Bellisari had a beautiful high point interception that he returned for a pick-6. I like Carter's combination of length, athleticism, and size. He could play either the offensive or defensive side of the ball at the next level.<br><br><strong>2026 Jerome Davis (Toledo Central Catholic) 5'7 165-</strong> 2 INT's, Davis had a big day for the Irish defense picking off 2 Watterson passes. Davis showed a strong the ability to track the ball. He showed the ability position himself and the ball skills to make the plays.<br><br><strong>2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1209718' first='Mark' last='Madden'] (Anderson) 5'10 165-</strong> 11 Tackles. Madden was a tackling machine for the Raptors. He used strong instincts and top end speed to rally to the ball all night long. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->