Players of the Game: Oconomowoc vs Kettle Moraine

Friday night in Oconomowoc there were several players that balled out in the 30-7 Oconomowoc victory over Kettle Moraine. Oconomowoc had a dominate night from start to finish as they owned the time of possession battle and as you can guess they ended up with a lot more key players of the game than Kettle Moraine that will be featured here. However, some Kettle Moraine players did catch my eyes and they deserve to be highlighted because of it. There was so much college level talent in this game and they didn’t disappoint. Let’s check them out! <strong>Ryan Van Ells, Senior RB- Oconomowoc</strong> I really liked Ryan’s play Friday night. He finished the night with a workhorse line of 22 carries for 109 yards, 1 touchdown and a reception for 9 yards. It was great to see because if you just look at his size listing of 5’9" 170 lbs you wouldn’t expect him to be able to handle that, but he actually seemed to get better as the game went on. Ryan has a thick build that helps handle that workload. On Friday he showed that he can really threaten a defense on outside runs and his vision on inside runs was great to see. Van Ells had a great night toting the rock, creating big plays, and milking the clock at the end of the game. <strong>Jack Hellman, Junior QB- Oconomowoc</strong> Hellman was a big surprise for me on Friday night. He proved himself to be a versatile dual threat QB. At this point he looks more like an athlete than a pure QB, but he has some traits to work with. On the ground, Jack had no problem running between the tackles and when he got into space he demonstrated really nice agility and elusiveness over and over. When they had him throw it around the yard he delivered too. Jack had a quick release and he had some eye opening accuracy on multiple passes including his TD pass to [player_tooltip player_id="31163" first="Augie" last="Marks"] in the corner of the endzone. Hellman finished the night with a line of 13/18 175 passing yards, 1 touchdown pass, 22 carries for 72 yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31163" first="Augie" last="Marks"], Senior WR/DB- Oconomowoc</strong> Augie went out and had himself a night last Friday on both sides of the ball. He finished with 3 receptions for 49 yards and a TD as well as making several tackles, pass breakups, and an interception on defense. On offense he proved that he is a complete receiver. He made plays off short passes. He stretched the field on his touchdown reception. Augie won his reps thanks to his crisp route running and his quickness when he would change direction. His TD catch really showed off his spacial awareness as he was able to get two feet in bounds before falling out of bounds. Augie was also a willing blocker all night long on the outside. His blocking turned a few nice plays into really big plays. On defense Augie had the range to make plays all over the field and that’s what he did. He flew downhill to make tackles against the outside run. In pass coverage he read the QB well and made several key pass breakups that led to punts. Marks stepped up in a huge way when Kettle Moraine was putting together one of their best drives of the game when he perfectly jumped in front of a Spellman pass in the redzone and came down with the interception. I scrolled his twitter and couldn’t find any interest or offer posts. That can’t be right. Otherwise coaches have been missing out on an impressive athlete! Check out his film from the night! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/3394804/5f945740f31cf30404cd998e">Augie vs Kettle Moraine</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31162" first="Nick" last="Sulla"], Senior WR- Oconomowoc</strong> Nick was the go to receiver on Friday. Hellman looked his way a ton and he ended the game with 4 receptions for 56 yards. Sulla was such a reliable receiver during the game. A couple of his receptions were with defenders hands all around his. It really showed off the strength he has in his hands as he consistently made hand catches instead of body catches despite the traffic. As I review his midseason highlight film it is clear that he has a nose for soft spots in coverage and he knows how to set up his blocks downfield and in the screen game. Sulla is another Oconomowoc prospect that I can’t find any college interest on his twitter. Coaches come check this kid out! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9586762/5f93bd9e0dc00a023032bbdd">Sulla Midseason Highlights</a> <strong>Oconomowoc Offensive Line</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="30969" first="Jackson" last="Hunter"]. <strong>Clay Fliss</strong>. <strong>Michael Keefe</strong>. <strong>Erik VonEiff</strong>. <strong>Michael Schutte</strong>. These five linemen all had strong performances on Friday. They worked as a unit. They were able to move defensive linemen through crushing double teams and they did a solid job of getting to the second level to make blocks. They owned the trenches from start to finish. The second half was their time to have fun as the offense looked to milk the clock and that is exactly what they did. These guys are all big too. <strong>Schutte</strong> at 6’2" 220 lbs is the smallest and<strong> Fliss</strong> is the biggest at 6’6" 290 lbs. <strong>Hunter</strong> is the most impressive and talented one of the bunch. His body control, athleticism, and strength all check off the boxes. It is no wonder he just landed his first D1 offer last week. He has consistently improved this season. Big expectations for him.<strong> Fliss</strong> is only a junior, so he is going to be one to track going forward. When he and Hunter combine their size and strength on double teams there isn’t a lineman they can’t move.<strong> Keefe</strong> at center is the smoothest lateral mover of the group. He looks like the quickest too. He has the frame to work with at 6’2" 240 lbs. He has plenty of room to grow and fill out. If he can keep that lateral movement and quickness he could develop into a steal of a lineman.<strong> VonEiff</strong> and <strong>Schutte</strong> do a nice job of sticking their blocks on the right side too and they both have frames to build on. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7389066/5f9482eda018b603d4e4e93f">Hunter vs Kettle Moraine</a> <strong>Oconomowoc Pass Rush</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="30969" first="Jackson" last="Hunter"]. <strong>Tyler Hanson</strong>. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31003" first="Rome" last="Zupke"]. Brady Burrill. </strong> There are several other players that had a role in the pass rush on Friday night, but these are the four that made big impacts. Burrill actually plays DB, but he was bringing pressure off the edge and even got home with a sack early in the game. He had a strong night in coverage too. He’s only a junior, so keep his name in mind going forward. Zupke was all over the backfield. He consistently created pressure throughout the game and got a sack too. He was also a key to shutting down the run game all night and making it almost nonexistent for Kettle Moraine. Zupke currently holds an offer from D2 Upper Iowa. That’s a great start, but he deserves more buzz. Hunter showed off some great conditioning as he owned the trenches on both sides of the ball all night. He was another key to stopping the run with his strength and hand usage. Jackson also turned those tools and his high motor into a strong pass rush. He didn’t always get to the QB, but he collapsed the pocket a bunch of times Friday night. Tyler Hanson was another defender that flashed on Friday. He was getting into the backfield from the interior DL position. He was another key to owning the trenches all night long and setting the tone. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9537429/5f923e68176c5c0eccf13ff2">Zupke First Half Season</a> <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/7389066/5f9482eda018b603d4e4e93f">Jackson vs Kettle Moraine</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="31389" first="Chase" last="Spellman"]- Sophomore QB- Kettle Moraine</strong> Oconomowoc’s defense consistently got pressure on Chase and made it almost impossible to throw over the middle with how tight the windows were. Chase still was able to put together a 14/27 253 passing yards, 1 passing TD night. He also showed off his wheels on some designed and some ad-lib runs. He is young, but Chase has the makings of a special QB prospect. Quick snap throwing motion and release. His accuracy is pinpoint on short to intermediate passes. He is only going to get more dangerous as his arm gets stronger and stronger too and he can really start to stretch the field. Friday night he did his best to buy time in the pocket and put the ball in places for his receivers to make plays. There were several times where he fit the ball into windows that I didn’t even know were windows over the middle. Chase already sees the field very well and he always keeps his eyes downfield, even with pressure all around him. He looks like a potential D1 prospect at the position. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12623163/5f94f552bed692103c243170">Spellman’s Week 1-4 Highlights</a> <strong>Luke Danielski- Senior WR- Kettle Moraine</strong> Luke has an elite build for the position already at 6’2" 210 lbs and he plays at the speed of someone much smaller, but with the physicality that matches that intimidating size on the outside. He finished Friday night with 3 receptions for 56 yards and 1 touchdown to go along with some strong blocking efforts downfield. His touchdown is an excellent rep to watch that shows off his quickness and speed at his size. He gets the corner to take a couple steps inside with his get off and then blows past him down the sideline. From there he was too fast for the safety help to get there in time and he was able to score with ease after the catch. Luke committed to UM- Duluth back in August. They are getting a good one! <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9388749/5f93a4254210e706e41bd06a">Luke vs Oconomowoc</a> <strong>Matt Wagner- Junior WR- Kettle Moraine</strong> Wagner had a nice night in the slot for Kettle Moraine. He finished with 4 receptions for 61 yards. Each of his catches perfectly demonstrated what he has to offer. The first reception showed off his ability to stretch the field from the slot. His speed threatened the DB vertically then right when they were stride for stride Spellman hit him with a perfect back shoulder throw and Wagner adjusted his body to bring it in. On the second catch he created separation with his route running making for an easy catch. The third catch demonstrated his nose for soft spots in the defense and ability to get open and give his QB an easy throw. The final catch showed off his ability to read blocks and make defenders miss. This is a junior that coaches at the next level will want to keep an eye on. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12696196/5f93ab6d176c5c0eccf28fb0">Wagner vs Oconomowoc</a>