5 Takeaways: Mt. Zion vs Breese Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday evening Prep Redzone was at Breese Central as they hosted Mt. Zion in the quarterfinals of 4A playoffs.&nbsp; Breese Central came in undefeated while Mt. Zion has star playmakers all over their offense.&nbsp; Who would prevail.&nbsp; It was a pretty low scoring game with Mt. Zion breaking away late to win 17-3.&nbsp; Here we examine what we saw in <strong>5 Takeaways: Mt. Zion vs Breese Central</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Illini Commit Comes Up Clutch in 4th Quarter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a one possession game in the fourth quarter on the road against an undefeated team and huge crowd Mt. Zion finally unleashed their star.&nbsp; Illinois wide receiver commit [player_tooltip player_id='278901' first='Brayden' last='Trimble'] who stands at 6'2” made play after play on a game clinching drive.&nbsp; Short passes and then broke loose for a big 24 yard snatch that allowed them to cross mid-field and really get the momentum going.&nbsp; He then punched it in on a 19 yard run where he reversed his field getting to the edge for the score.&nbsp; He is used in a very Percy Harvin type role that the former Gator star was used in back in the day.&nbsp; A wide receiver who you can line up all over the field in sweeps on the move, line him up in the backfield, and as pass catcher.&nbsp; Illini fans should be excited about the future of this young man as he is a game changer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Zion Offense Makes Plays When Needed</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It seemed like Mt. Zion played it pretty safe throughout the night.&nbsp; They took a few shots including one which got intercepted, but for the most part it was a very methodical attack.&nbsp; They did have a few big plays including a bomb early to standout 2026 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='212314' first='Jacob' last='Harvey'] who caught a 52 yard bomb from [player_tooltip player_id='369201' first='Keller' last='Stocks'] which he punched in a play later from the 1 yard line on a sneak.&nbsp; Harvey is a pass catcher with a lot of juice finishing with 2 catches for 60 yards on the night.&nbsp; All-American tight end [player_tooltip player_id='212319' first='JC' last='Anderson'] had one big 20 yard catch over the middle on 3^rd down where he used his size and athleticism.&nbsp; Another grab he snatched it with his hand out of mid-air and while it didn't go for a first down it showed his great hands off.&nbsp; He had 2 grabs for 29 yards.&nbsp; Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='369201' first='Keller' last='Stocks'] is a strong bodied 6'3” 200 pound signal caller that missed a few throws, but when plays needed to be made he did that whether it was with a key 3^rd down throw or run.&nbsp; He was effective scrambling when things weren't there for first downs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braves EDGE 2025 Becker is Small College Gem</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really liked what we saw out of Mt. Zion 5'11” 185 pound senior [player_tooltip player_id='1572547' first='Kaden' last='Becker'].&nbsp; He doesn't have the physical profile you draw up, but this kid is a baller!&nbsp; He made a ton of key plays on the defensive side running sideline to sideline for tackles.&nbsp; Also made the biggest play of the game defensively as Breese Central was in the redzone and he got a sack on 4^th down to stop the drive.&nbsp; D2, D3, and NAIA programs should be looking at him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Breese Central Backs Have Futures at Next Level</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liked the running back duo for Breese Central.  Senior 5'11” 180 pounds offensive weapon Kaden Rakers was their best player and they did a nice job of getting him the ball in a variety of ways.  He runs hard and with a slashing style.  I liked how he followed his blocks and was physical finishing off runs.  Explosive with his cuts.  Solid as a pass catcher as well.  Their other back is a 2026 in 5'10” 185 pound Cole Davis who is more of a speed back.  Gets to the outside including a key first down on a sweep play.  Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1135601' first='Preston' last='Baker']'s best play of the day also came on the ground dashing for a 42 yard run putting his team in the redzone heading into the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper Prospects on Breese Central Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Breese Central's defense impressed in the defeat holding Mt. Zion's explosive offense to 17 points.&nbsp; Their defensive end duo of 2026 6'0” 185 pound Clayton Jansen and 2025 6'1” 210 pound Anthony Huegen both made plays throughout the night up front getting after the quarterback and putting pressure on the pocket.&nbsp; Owen Schomaker is another name that can play at the small college level with his production s a 5'11” 200 pound playmaker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->