Team Breakdown: Peotone Blue Devils 3A Football Team

This week we will be taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils football team. They are coming off a 6-4 season where they lost in the first round of 3A playoffs. After talking with Coach Tsiamas, he has high hopes for this season and has returning players that are going to play key roles for them. <hr /> Ben Balmer (RB, OLB) - Class of 2021 Balmer is going to be the main workhorse in Peotone’s running game. In only 7 games he accumulated 815 total rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 136 carries for 116.4 yards per game, and 10 rushing touchdowns. He is a North/South runner with a quick juke/jump cut at the point of attack making the first defender miss. Balmer’s quick acceleration and burst give him big-play ability whenever he touches the ball. He is a hard runner who fights for extra yards and is the epitome of Peotone’s mantra of playing hard with heart each and every play. Don’t be surprised if Balmer registers over 1,000 yards this season and him achieving All-Conference. Tristian Weglarz (QB) - Class of 2021 Weglarz is a transfer QB from Lincoln-Way East and it's up in the air how he produces for the Blue Devils. With the limited time Coach Tsiamas was able to spend with Weglarz before covid changed things he saw glimpses of Weglarz's skillset. Coach Tsiamas believes that Weglarz will be a difference-maker on offense and might be able to open up the passing game with him at QB. Henry Chadraba (WR, OLB) - Class of 2021 Chadraba is a deep threat at wideout for the Blue Devil's offense. He has speed and acceleration that is underrated by defenders. He has good hands and playmaking abilities at WR with the ability to sway the momentum in the game by creating big plays. He's not just a deep threat though, he also will block downfield in the running game which is the bread and butter of Peotone's offensive scheme. Chadraba is a good tackler on defense who has quick reaction time to diagnose plays and plays hard. He has the potential to have a breakout season this year with the transfer QB from Lincoln-Way East throwing him the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="65775" first="Tyler" last="Hendricker"] (DE, TE) - Class of 2022 Hendricker is a beast at DE, he has a nice swim move that gets him into the backfield quickly. He has a good burst off the line of scrimmage, gets off blocks by shedding them, and makes plays. It's fascinating to watch a player who plays hard, plays through the whistle, and never gives up on plays. Hendricker has the ability to blow up plays every down for the Blue Devil's defensive unit. He stands at 6'4 205 lbs with a 3.85 GPA who is looking to build upon last season and get more attention from scouts. Austin Massat (OL, DL) - Class of 2022 Massat is going to be a big-time player on the offensive and defensive line for the Blue Devils. Coach Tsiamas praises Massat for being a key player on the offensive and defensive fronts. Massat is an explosive player and is going to be a force to reckon with coming off the edge on the defensive front. Joel Lee (OLB, TE) - Class of 2022 Lee is going to be a solid OLB for the Blue Devil's defensive unit these next two seasons. He has a nice blitz of the edge, wraps up when tackling, and attacks downhill in the running game. Lee has the potential to grow into an all-conference player, time will tell if this comes true. T.J. Chenoweth (QB, RB) - Class of 2022 Chenoweth played QB on JV and is up in the air if he will play QB on Varsity this season with a transfer QB coming in. He is a physically dominant player who is being looked at to play at running back and safety while the QB transfer gets the start. Chenoweth has the potential to be a solid player for the Blue Devils, he looks to further develop himself over these next two seasons to make that happen. Ryan Moe (RB, OLB) - Class of 2022 Moe is going to be an X-Factor heading into this season, he showed glimpses of high production last season with his time on JV. Don't be fooled by his size, he's a hard runner who isn't afraid of contact and lowers his shoulder. He has time to further develop himself with his time on Varsity and I wouldn't be surprised if Moe is a starter next season at running back alongside Dawson Piper. Dawson Piper (RB, OLB) - Class of 2023 Piper played most of his games on JV in the 2019 season where he tore up his competition. He did have 2 carries for 6 yards in Peotone's last playoff game. Piper has great vision allowing him to see cutback lanes to burst through allowing him to get past the second level and into the endzone for easy touchdowns. He is a stellar North-South runner who is not afraid to put his shoulder down and run people over. He will be a key player in their running game and in the linebacker core. Dawson Piper is going to be a household name to watch for Peotone's football team, I would not be surprised if he makes the all-star team as a Junior and Senior. 2022 <ul> <li>Matt Cabrera</li> <li>Zak Kristina</li> </ul> 2023 <ul> <li>Alex Cardenas</li> <li>David Reidy</li> <li>Liam Wilke</li> <li>Justin Amaskane</li> </ul> <hr /> These players are going to be the difference-maker in this upcoming season's games. They all possess the skillset to play at the next level, it's more about getting the opportunity to do so. The Blue Devils have a good outlook on this season and can't wait to get on the field and compete. This program was built from the ground up by Coach Tsiamas and his coaching staff. As Coach Tsiamas said when we talked "regardless of who we play we're going to battle for 48 minutes" and that is the mindset that his players exhibit. This is a hard nose football team that is going to be a top contender for the conference title and make playoff runs in the years to come.