Five Impactful Rising Seniors in 2A

<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="65850" first="Jay" last="Lemenager"], Clifton Central; QB</strong> – There’s not much the second-year starter didn’t do for Clifton en route to an undefeated 2019 regular season. Lemenager, who threw for over 2,000 yards as a Sophomore and rushed for over 500 yards in his junior campaign, found multiple ways to frustrate opposing 2A defenses. His unorthodox delivery didn’t prevent him from being able to fit the ball into tight windows resulting in a catchable ball both downfield and on the intermediate routes. He’s also not afraid to tuck the ball and create with his legs as a physical downfield runner. Already with a first-team all-state appearance on his resume, Lemenager is a strong candidate for 2A player of the year, if and when we do get to a 2020(1) season. <strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-44787 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/05/sper-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="20317" first="Hunter" last="Sperling"], Chicago Christian; DL/OL</strong> – At 6’3, 260 Sperling has spent the last two seasons making easy work of opposing interior linemen. Sperling consistently plays through the whistle which makes his dominance that much more obvious on his highlight film. As an interior lineman, Sperling understands leverage, allowing him to use his explosive lower body strength and disciplined hand placement to control smaller opponents on both sides of the ball. With potentially another additional season, Sperling could find himself talking to multiple coaches at the next level with a chance to continue his career after high school. <strong>Tylor Durflinger, Watseka Community; MLB</strong> – Durflinger, a guard on offense, is an old school, <img class="size-medium wp-image-57667 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/Tylor-Durflinger-294x300.jpg" alt="" width="294" height="300" />downhill, plug the middle, run-stopping (whatever other football-guy adjectives you can think of) Mike linebacker. At 5’11 230 Durflinger made a living off coming downhill and stopping plays before they had a chance to start in 2019. Anytime a Mike backer moonlights as a guard on offense it usually means he’s playing run first, but Durflinger showed surprising flashes of being able to get sideline to sideline when needed. A matchup nightmare in pass rush, most 2A RBs had no chance at picking up the blitzing backer and interior linemen were lucky to get out of their stances fast enough to get a hand on him. As long as Durflinger plays within the confines of a Mike back he has shown the ability to dominate a 2A game from the defensive side of the ball. <strong>Zeke Roland, St. Edward; WR</strong> – Averaging 18 yards a catch, Rolando established himself as the premier big-play threat in all of 2A in 2019. The 6’3 Wideout does a great job leveraging his size advantage against smaller DBs with a catch radius that is extended by his athleticism and ability to go high point the football. His 10 touchdowns in 2019 were evidence that he is always a threat in the red zone. Roland wasn’t just a 50/50 ball receiver in 2019 as his surprisingly clean route running for a guy his size left him wide open on multiple occasions.  If there is a senior season for Roland, then opposing 2A d-coordinators may want to ensure they give their corners help over the top or it could be along night for any team playing St. Edward. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="66087" first="Jacob" last="Shoven"], Clifton Central: WR/DB</strong> – If Lemenager has a shot at 2A player of the year for any potential spring season then he has his WR [player_tooltip player_id="66087" first="Jacob" last="Shoven"] to thank for it. Shoven is an absolute playmaker on both sides of the ball. With more speed than almost anyone covering him, he’s always a threat to make a play after the catch. On the defensive side of the ball, he shows excellent instincts and can break on balls as well as anyone at the 2A level. After making the honorable mention all-state team in 2019, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more dangerous playmaker in 2020(1) at the 2A level.