I absolutely love watching this kid play football. I have seen the sophomore in person twice during these playoffs and each time I leave fired up for his potential down the road. First off the physical tools. A strong frame with heavy hands and a leg drive that never quits. Also an elite motor that allows him to be a force on the OL and DL. Landen takes that strength to the next level because he moves so well while also always being ready to unload that power into a defender. I also love the way Landen plays. You see a confidence and a swag to him that you don’t see from kids in the trenches. Especially as an underclassman. But Landen plays fearless and lets his talent take over games. Big things ahead for this dude.

Reedsburg has an absolute workhorse in Will Minkonowicz. His success will have a direct impact on the result. But the starting RB is only as good as the trench monsters in front of him. Leading the way will be sophomore OL Landen Knuth Landen Knuth 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL/OL Reedsburg | 2028 State WI . His explosive power and violence as a run blocker has helped spark this team’s run. Landen also is an excellent two-way impact. He shines in control the trenches on the defensive side too. His ability to hold the line and still be able to make tackles to limit the electric Grafton run game will be a huge factor on how this game plays out. I watched Reedsburg back in Level 1 and am fired up to watch them again Friday morning.

Stats: Starting OL, 4 Tackles

The first of two impressive Knuths in this game. 2028 Landen Knuth Landen Knuth 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL/OL Reedsburg | 2028 State WI sure looks the part of a high level college recruit. 6’2″ 260+ lbs, powerful, plays with that mean and nasty mentality that you need to be able to win in the trenches. Even at his size, Landen also possesses the difference making athleticism. Size, athleticism, and power made him a force on Friday night on both sides of the trenches. He was blowing holes wide open for Mikonowicz to run through. On defense we saw him take on a lot of double teams and still hold his ground while doing so. The kid uses his size and leverage really well. It was a great effort and display of talent and mentality by the 2028.

The freshman DL I want to draw attention to today is Reedsburg’s Landen Knuth Landen Knuth 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL/OL Reedsburg | 2028 State WI . As a freshman Landen played both sides of the ball on varsity, but today we focus on his DL play. The first big takeaway is how well developed his 6’2″ 255 lbs frame is for a freshman. He looks like a grown man on the field. Knuth was able to already do his part in holding the line of scrimmage, and was even able to against offenses that got the trenches flowing laterally. Landen is a solid athlete with tackle to tackle range on top of the size and strength. The freshman looks even better on the offensive side of the ball too. Get eyes on this kid early.

Landen is one of the top athletes in the trenches to know in this Class. He played on varsity on both sides of the ball. Something we do not see very often from freshmen, and he did it on a team that made a push to the verge of a State Championship appearance. On offense, Landen thrives in the run heavy attack. He is quick out of his stance and into his man, winning the leverage and positioning battle. From there his already impressive frame is loaded up with power to drive his man out of the lane or double team his way up to level two defenders. Landen fits on the DL too. He plays stout vs the run, uses his hands to get off blocks, and finds the ball quickly. Big things are ahead for this kid.