Earning Experience Early: Freshmen on Varsity

One article around this topic wasn't enough! Looking through the brand new 2029 rankings you quickly see a lot of names that were already making plays on Friday nights. That experience and verification that these kids can play early at the highest high school level is huge mentally for these kids and hopefully gives them confidence to keep working and striving to come back better than ever in 2026. I have high hopes for this particular group of kids in today's article. They established themselves in 2025, and are ready for much bigger roles in 2026. Let's talk about them!    The Fletcher brothers have been a staple of the Racine high school football landscape for years, and the next one up is 2029 LB [player_tooltip player_id='2124841' first='Bennett' last='Fletcher']. Bennett plays for Union Grove and was able to work his way into an impactful role on defense for a very accomplished UG team. He finished 2025 with 23 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 3 sacks. One thing you can trust with the Fletchers is that they are going to be after it in the gym. Watching through the tape it is clear that Bennett is putting in the time in the offseason and in-season because he is already quickly shedding blocks and laying down strong tackles that stand up RBs in the hole and drive them back. Very excited to watch our LB2 continue to grow and develop.     Another impressive LB with varsity experience already comes from State Champion Darlington high school. [player_tooltip player_id='2124842' first='Maximo' last='Xolo'] was all over the field piling up 41 tackles, 5 TFLs, recovering a fumble and also showing he can play in coverage with 3 INTs. Maximo already has so many examples of being a high IQ football player with strong instincts. Exactly what you need locking down the middle of your defense. The kid has some range too. You see him mirror the flow of the RB and then meeting them in the hole with a stout tackle. Xolo finds the ball and finds ways to make plays on it. I'm excited for Maximo to pile u a lot of varsity experience and production over the coming years.     Unfortunately an exciting first year came to a tough end when Breken tore his ACL in the third round of the playoffs in 2025. But looking at the tape and the athletic numbers it is clear that there is plenty of reason to be excited about this DB. Breken put up 14 tackles and an INT on varsity for Regis in 2025. That one INT being a one-handed grab in the endzone of a playoff game. I love this kid's quick twitch athleticism. Exactly what you need when looking for guys that you can put out on an island to run with a guy or on a zone and be able to quickly close on any WR in his area. Forster also shows great timing of his hands to break up passes. This kid is explosive, competitive, and not afraid to be physical. I'm excited to watch him work his way back from that injury and continue to build out his career.     Edgar may be a small school, but they are a factory at producing wildly versatile athletes. One of the ones who are next up is [player_tooltip player_id='1973477' first='Graham' last='Streit']. The freshman did a bit of everything for Edgar on their way to a State Championship appearance. 31 carries, 244 yards, 4 TDs, 5 receptions, 123 yards, 42 tackles, 5 tfls, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Just put the kid on the field and let him make plays. The kid can flat out run. Whether it be slicing through running lanes for huge carries, getting downfield as a WR, or rushing around the edge to get after the QB. Graham is so quick to his top speed. He is a natural playmaker too. He was put into so many different scenarios and delivered in all of them. Simply special. I'm excited to watch what he grows into over the years.     Next up we go to the 8 Man league for an otherworldly productive athlete. As a freshman, Clay produced 133 carries, 1274 yards, 16 TDs, 65 tackles, 1 FR, and 5 INTs for the varsity. On offense Clay shows the instincts with the ball in his hands needed to excel at the varsity level. He is so quick to read and react to blocks and always seems to be gaining yards when he has the football. The freshman accelerates through the hole and flashes the speed to beat angles several times in his highlights. Those same instincts and play recognition shine at safety for the freshman too. He does a great job of always being in the right place at the right time. Clay also has the ball skills to capitalize on that ability to bait QBs into bad throws. Don't overlook the 8-Man standout.     Joey is a freshman RB who saw quite a bit of action at the varsity level in 2025. He would finish with 123 carries, 596 yards, and 4 TDs. Joey is a strongly built 5'8" 185 lbs. That frame gives him a low and wide center of gravity, making it very hard to knock him off balance. Because of that we see him with a lot of success between the tackles, and when he gets through level two it is going to be a tough battle for a DB to try and get him off balance. Joey is a kid that is going to be able to handle a workload that can wear down a defense. He is a physical talent.     We wrap things up with a far north standout. Coleman's [player_tooltip player_id='2124855' first='Daniel' last='Kuchta'] found a lot of success off the edge in 2025. He wrapped up the year with 35 tackles, 9 TFLs, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries. Daniel has a solid frame for a freshman with length to his 6'2" frame. He plays like a heat-seeking missile chasing down plays from behind. You even see him get cut, get back up and still make the stop for no gain. Daniel is a very high motor player. On top of it, Daniel brings power to the DE spot despite only being 190 lbs. Over and over he is able to run through OL with impressive flashes of power. I'm excited to see what he comes back looking like in 2026.

One article around this topic wasn't enough! Looking through the brand new 2029 rankings you quickly see a lot of names that were already making plays on Friday nights. That experience and verification that these kids can play early at the highest high school level is huge mentally for these kids and hopefully gives them confidence to keep working and striving to come back better than ever in 2026. I have high hopes for this particular group of kids in today's article. They established themselves in 2025, and are ready for much bigger roles in 2026. Let's talk about them!