WIAA State Finals: Top QB Performances

State is in the books, and so is the 2024 WI HS football season! What a fantastic, fun, exciting, and memorable season it was. I was lucky enough to once again be in attendance for all seven State Championship games and have a lot of notes on the top players from every game. With so much talent to sift through I believe the best way to break it down is go position by position and break down the best performances we saw. We start with the field generals on offense. The quarterbacks. Across the seven games we saw records reset, arm talent on display, and even a few that dominated with their legs. We are going to break it all down in today's article! Let's dive in!    Stats: 15/26, 309 Yards, 4 TDs, 23 Rushing Yards   Our top ranked QB to make it to State was [player_tooltip player_id='245969' first='MJ' last='Mitchell']. The senior signal caller was slinging it around the field during the D3 Championship game. While the Crusaders came up short, MJ did what he could to keep them in this game. He was aggressive with his decision making, pushing the ball deep downfield on multiple occasions with pinpoint accuracy and easy arm strength. It was impressive watching the ball jump out of his hand so naturally with velocity in person. MJ is also an exceptional athlete who was able to buy time in the pocket with quick twitch change of direction, burst, and sliding and when he had to had no problem taking off and running. Mitchell is the top available QB in the state and a versatile athlete on top of the passing prowess.     Stats: 24/37, 283 Yards, 9 Rushing Yards   Brock had a fantastic outing in the D6 State Championship game. In fact, it was a record setting performance. Brock set the D6 State Game record for attempts, completions, and yards. Grantsburg put the ball in his hands throughout the entire game and the junior delivered. Brock looks the part at 6'3" 190 lbs and played the part. He is a smooth operator in the pocket. His feet are quick and able to quickly set to throw. He has a smooth throwing motion with a quick, over the top motion and release. It was impressive watching him go read to read, find matchups he liked and placing the ball with outstanding accuracy where his man could get it without there being risk of a defender making a play on it. I was also blown away at the junior's poise in the pocket. He stood tall against pressure, worked through progressions, and was patient to allow plays to develop. The junior is going to be a top prospect to watch during camps and next season.     Stats: 12/15, 181 Yards, 1 TD, 11 Carries, 48 Yards, 2 TDs   Our next QB was able to lead his team to a D2 State Championship with his performance. The lefty signal caller delivered an outstanding dual threat performance to secure the 1 point victory for Slinger. The senior is a legitimate hidden gem at the QB position. His arm has an exciting balance of strength and accuracy. Michael was able to attack every level of the field with velocity to hit the tight windows. More importantly, his accuracy shined over and over. He was perfectly dropping the ball into his receivers so they could catch the ball in stride. On the ground the senior was a physical runner who showed that he could finish runs with power to get across the goal line. The senior is a gamer who stepped up and made every play that was needed.     Stats: 7/14, 183 Yards, 3 TDs, 27 Rushing Yards   Eddie dominated with his attempts as he helped St. Catherine's earn the D4 State Championship. The junior passer was aggressive from start to finish. He had no hesitation to let it rip downfield and did a great job of putting it out there for his targets to easily run underneath the pass. His aggressive decisions were the key to sparking this high flying offense that were able to put up points in a hurry. It was also great to see that the junior QB was able to show off the mobility in the pocket and outside the pocket, plus some of his ability to get the ball out off platform and on the move. Eddie was a game-changer all night long on Thursday night. I'm excited to watch him back on the field in 2025.     Stats: 5/10, 53 Yards, 1 TD, 28 Carries, 145 Yards, 1 TD   It was all about the ground attack for Baldwin- Woodville and [player_tooltip player_id='1209368' first='Gavin' last='Sell']. He and fellow senior Taden Holldorf did their best in a back and forth D4 State Championship battle. The big, strong, athletic QB/ATH will be playing a position at the next level that better fits what he showed this season. Sell's strengths are his blend of power running and open field athleticism. Gavin was able to run between the tackles with contact balance and power through tackles. Plus he showed that he could hit the sudden juke to make a defender miss. Outside the tackles and in space, the senior has the speed to make those long runs that flip the field. The speed is there to get the edge too. I'm excited to see his development at NDSU over the coming years.     Stats: 5/5 31 Yards, 1 TD, 15 Carries, 94 Yards, 1 TD   Another Champion QB who dominated on the field is Stratford's Jack Tubbs who helped bring him the D5 State Championship. The passing was supplemental to the rushing attack Thursday afternoon. It helped pick up necessary yards and keep drives alive, but it was the athleticism of Jack that helped deliver the W. Tubbs showed off short area burst and agility that allowed him to make a defender miss, create space, and pick up yards between the tackles quickly. The senior also showed that he had the speed to get outside of contain and get up the sideline. Jack is an athletic playmaker who should get looks from the D3 level at a couple positions.     Stats: 7/9, 82 Yards, 15 Carries, 70 Yards   Junior QB [player_tooltip player_id='1247534' first='Matt' last='Stevens'] did a great job of leading the offense and delivering a complementary performance alongside the run game of Bay Port. Matt has a prototypical frame at 6'4" 200 lbs but sets himself apart by bringing an athletic skill set with it. On the ground the junior ran hard, behind his pads, and showed the contact balance to be able to break a tackle or move the pile between the tackles. Through the air the junior flashed a live arm. One that can fire to ball into spots and an arm that is able to easily control where he places the ball so that it stays out of harms way. I'm excited to watch Matt in action this offseason at camps. He is sure to turn plenty of heads.     Stats: 5/11, 80 Yards, 15 Carries, 83 Yards, 1 TD   Trevor is an Iowa Baseball commit, so this was our last time getting to watch the athlete in action on the gridiron. The senior went out swinging. He is a physical runner who attacks the defense more like an RB than a QB. His acceleration and burst through contact caught my eyes on multiple carries as he forced the Stratford defense to earn all their tackles on him. Trevor is a strong athlete who is going to do big things on the baseball diamond at the next level. Good luck, Trevor!

State is in the books, and so is the 2024 WI HS football season! What a fantastic, fun, exciting, and memorable season it was. I was lucky enough to once again be in attendance for all seven State Championship games and have a lot of notes on the top players from every game. With so much talent to sift through I believe the best way to break it down is go position by position and break down the best performances we saw. We start with the field generals on offense. The quarterbacks. Across the seven games we saw records reset, arm talent on display, and even a few that dominated with their legs. We are going to break it all down in today's article! Let's dive in!