Kimberly vs Appleton North: Game Recap & Players of the Game
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I wrapped up the regular season with what I predicted to be one of the top matchups in the state in Week 5. #2 Kimberly traveled to Appleton, WI to take on #4 Appleton North. Both teams came in at…
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Continue ReadingI wrapped up the regular season with what I predicted to be one of the top matchups in the state in Week 5. #2 Kimberly traveled to Appleton, WI to take on #4 Appleton North. Both teams came in at 4-0 with several impressive wins that set the stage for a good showdown. To build the game up even more I was very excited about the college talent on both sides. Both teams came in with very impressive QB and RB combos to go along with very deep rosters overall. The question is did the game live up to the hype I had built in my head or did one team impose their will and take control? Continue reading to find out! Once I wrap up the Game Recap I will dive right into my Players of the Game. It is going to be an extremely talented group of playmakers, so make sure to check out those players and performances as well!
Game Recap
Kimberly opened the game on offense and instantly went to work. They came out with a balanced attack of rushing and passing, but the passing was far more effective as they picked up some big chunks on the arm of QB Caden Pendleton Caden Pendleton 6'6" | 205 lbs | QB Kimberly | 2022 State WI . However, the drive wasn’t able to finish in the endzone. As the Kimberly offense approached the redzone Appleton North’s defense dug in and held Kimberly to a field goal from just over 30 yards out. The field goal hit the left upright, but then bounced through for the 3-0 Kimberly lead. The Kimberly defense came out ready to roll, just like their offense, and held Appleton North to a quick three and out and punt. Kimberly came out on their second drive looking to built an early two score lead. They were able to thanks to a couple of big plays. First, RB Caleb Frazer Caleb Frazer 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Kimberly | 2021 State WI found room down the left sideline for 20+ yards. Then Pendleton went back to the air. He finished the drive when he found WR Cam Wnek Cam Wnek 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI on a 19 yard shot to the endzone. With 3:13 remaining in the first quarter, this gave us a 10-0 Papermaker lead. It looked like Appleton North was going to find their rhythm on their second drive. QB Matthew Schecklman Matthew Schecklman 6'4" | 205 lbs | QB Appleton North | 2022 State WI got it going on the ground as he was able to get into Kimberly territory. Unfortunately, momentum was lost when North went for it on 4th & 1 and the Kimberly defense was able to fly downhill and cut down the ball carrier in the backfield to force the turnover. Shortly after the turnover on downs the first quarter came to an end.
Appleton North’s defense started the second quarter off hot as LB Sebastian Hayes was able to make the key tackle on third down that led to a punt. Appleton North wasn’t able to turn that change of possession into any points, though. Both defenses started off the second quarter hot as each forced a quick punt. When Kimberly took over on their second drive of the quarter their high powered offense went to work. RB Frazer went to work early in the drive picking up tough yards on the ground. QB Pendleton finished off the drive with another impressive TD pass. This one to WR Owen Pawlikowski Owen Pawlikowski 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI on a 23 yard pass. The momentum seemed to be fully in favor of Kimberly at this point in the game as they held a 17-0 lead with 6:04 remaining in the half. Appleton North wasn’t going to just lay down and die. North came out and Schecklman got it going through the air with a dart to his receiver to get the offense moving. A couple plays after the completion RB Cal Martine Cal Martine 6'0" | 230 lbs | RB Appleton North | 2022 State WI found a seam right up the middle, ran through one arm tackle attempt, and then showed off his speed as he went 31 yards for the score. This put us at a 17-7 game with 4:20 to play in the half, and WOW was it a wild final 4:20!
The wildest play of the game occurred on Kimberly’s next drive. It started when QB Caden Pendleton Caden Pendleton 6'6" | 205 lbs | QB Kimberly | 2022 State WI dropped back with instant pressure off the edge. Caden was able to quickly dump the ball off to RB Caleb Frazer Caleb Frazer 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Kimberly | 2021 State WI just before the defender delivered the hit. After the catch, Frazer flew down the sideline and weaved between DBs. It looked like he was going to make it into the endzone when a North defender hit him and knocked the ball loose. The ball rolled into the endzone and WR Cam Wnek Cam Wnek 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI was in the right place at the right time and jumped on it for the score. It was great awareness by Wnek who was lead blocking down the field for Frazer on the play. The Kimberly defense made their own highlight when they took the field. DB Thomas Ellisen was able to turn and run with his receiver and perfectly run right under a deep shot from Schecklman, and pick off the pass with 1:41 remaining in the half. After a great return to the North 35, Kimberly quickly turned the turnover into points. QB Pendleton dropped back once again stared down the barrel of a free rusher. He stood tall and delivered a dime to WR Cam Wnek Cam Wnek 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI on a 29 yard post. Wnek’s exceptional speed allowed him to get plenty of separation so that he could get into the endzone untouched after the catch. With :58 remaining and a 31-7 Kimberly lead I figured North would run the clock out and we would go into the half, but I was far from correct. They came out aggressive, and maybe too aggressive. Schecklman went deep again, and just like on the last drive Thomas Ellisen was able to jump the route and this time he had to show off the body control to get his feet in bounds. The flood gates really opened when Caden Pendleton Caden Pendleton 6'6" | 205 lbs | QB Kimberly | 2022 State WI found WR Owen Pawlikowski Owen Pawlikowski 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI for a 51 yard TD to end the half and a 38-7 Kimberly lead.
The third quarter kicked off with Appleton North taking the field on offense first. QB Schecklman started the drive off hot with his legs as he pulled the read option and was able to pick up 22 yards down the sideline. Schecklman showed off impressive athleticism for the position a handful of times throughout the night. He is going to be a well rounded prospect by his graduation in 2023. North wasn’t able to capitalize on the early big play as they came up just short of the first down marker on 4th down. After the turnover on downs Kimberly came out and let the ground game go to work. Led by Caleb Frazer Caleb Frazer 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Kimberly | 2021 State WI , Kimberly slowly and steadily moved their way down the field and deep into Appleton North territory. The drive ended with Pendleton’s first pass attempt of the second half when he found FB Isaac Dechant Isaac Dechant 5'10" | 225 lbs | ATH Kimberly | 2023 State WI in the flat. Dechant turned up field and broke into the endzone. With Kimberly leading 45-7 a running clock began with about 2 minutes to go in the third quarter.
That running clock didn’t allow many more opportunities for either team. North turned the ball over on downs and Kimberly eventually was forced to punt as the 4th quarter ticked away. The biggest drive and play of the quarter belonged to Appleton North. They were able to work their way down the field to the Kimberly 6. Once there, Schecklman took the snap and tossed it left to RB Charlie Hardy who was able to run through an arm tackle and into the endzone. That is where the game came to an end essentially. After a couple kneel downs Kimberly left with the 45-14 victory.
Players of the Game
Caden Pendleton Caden Pendleton 6'6" | 205 lbs | QB Kimberly | 2022 State WI , 2022 QB- Kimberly
Stat Line: 12/15, 292 Passing Yds, 5 TDs
What a game for Caden! You can’t ask for a better performance that what he had last night. The junior showed off exactly the type of player he is and the potential he has going forward. Led his team up and down the field, capitalized on turnovers, and stepped up every time his team needed him. The arm talent is there. He consistently attacked 15+ yards down the field with accuracy, and his passes had more than enough velocity to hit the windows. My favorite part of his game was how well he played when pressured. Several of Kimberly’s biggest plays came when a blitzing defender had a free run at him and Pendleton stood tall and delivered the pass on time and accurate despite taking a hit right after the ball left his hand. Great game overall!
Cam Wnek Cam Wnek 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI , 2022 WR- Kimberly
Stat Line: 3 Receptions, 70 Receiving Yds, 2 Receiving TDs, 1 Fumble Recovery for a TD
Cam is a kid to have on your radar. The speed he has along with his 6’2″ 180 lbs frame made him a nightmare to cover last night. His ability to take the top off the defense and go up and get the ball is going to be highly sought after. He can do more than just take the top off the defense. The kid flies throughout all of his routes. It makes it so hard for DBs to be able to react quick enough to stay with him. His high effort play led to the wildest TD of the night. He started the play downfield as a blocker delivering a key block to spring Frazer towards the endzone. As Wnek continued down the field the ball came out of Frazer’s hands and Wnek was able to find himself in the right place at the right time because he didn’t quit on the play. Definitely a dude to know.
Owen Pawlikowski Owen Pawlikowski 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Kimberly | 2022 State WI , 2022 WR- Kimberly
Stat Line: 4 Receptions, 127 Receiving Yds, 2 Receiving TDs
Wnek put up an astounding yards per catch average of 23+ yards. An average any WR would love to have. Except for Pawlikowski last night, though, thanks to his 33+ (!!!) yards per reception average. Owen is another matchup nightmare that can take the top off the defense. Kimberly is very lucky with the talent they have at WR. The 6’3″ 190 lbs WR has a large catch radius and uses his size to create consistent separation. Even when he was covered, Owen was still open last night. After this spring wraps up and we update our rankings you can trust that these first three playmakers will be on the rise.
Caleb Frazer Caleb Frazer 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Kimberly | 2021 State WI , 2021 RB- Kimberly
Stat Line: 23 Carries, 113 Rushing Yds, 2 Receptions, 66 Receiving Yds
Our first senior on the list is the stud UNI RB commit. I couldn’t wait to watch Caleb live. He has so much to offer and I saw it all on display last night. The workhorse ability between the tackles. The ability to get to the outside and win with speed. The three down ability and pass catching skills. It was all there. One would think that with the high powered passing offense going crazy that Caleb might have had a great game, but on several drives he was the kid that moved the offense down the field before the passing game would finish it off. UNI getting a dude!
Thomas Ellisen, 2021 DB- Kimberly
Stat Line: 3 Total Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 PBU
Ellisen was solid in coverage all night highlighted by his performance late in the first half. That’s when he make an INT on back to back defensive drives that were turned into TDs by the offense. The 6’3″ corner definitely looked the part and was able to turn and run with the receivers all night long. On his first interception he did a good job of becoming the receiver as he got inside position and make the catch. On the second INT he had to use his body control near the sideline to make sure he came down with it in bounds. Thomas is also a very talented baseball player and his taking his talents to the diamond in college as he has committed to attend UConn in the fall.
Mason Stepanski, 2022 LB- Kimberly
Stat Line: 9 Total Tackles
Mason kept catching my eye on defense. It seemed like every time Kimberly needed a stop in a short yardage situation I would see #47 making the tackle. He and the rest of the front seven were tasked with stopping one of the bigger and stronger backs that Wisconsin has to offer in Martine and Stepanski led the way in making him and the Appleton North offense have to earn every yard. Mason’s ability to consistently shed blocks along with his range to pursue plays made him a very reliable run defender in the middle of the defense. His blitzing also was able to generate a solid amount of pressure on the QB too.
Cal Martine Cal Martine 6'0" | 230 lbs | RB Appleton North | 2022 State WI , 2022 RB- Appleton North
Stat Line: 19 Carries, 115 Rushing Yds, 1 Rushing TD
It was a solid game for the big back out of Appleton North. Yards were not easy to come by all night long, but he was able to muscle his way to 115 of them with tough running between the tackles and solid vision to be able to see the glimpses of daylight. On his TD run he showed off some burst after he broke an initial arm tackle attempt. He was able to outrun the rest of the defense as he went right through the middle of the defense for the 33 yard score. He had the best performance of the night for Appleton North.
Wesley King, IDL- 2022 Appleton North
I’m not sure of his stat line from the night, but Wesley is an impressive looking specimen at DT. He checks in at 6’5″ 270 lbs with the strength to match. He has a very well rounded game too. He was able to hold his round against double teams in the run game and his burst and quick hands were very impressive to watch when he would rush the passer. King is a beast in the middle of the defense that definitely grabbed my attention last night. Even with the amount of talent at the skill positions, I still found myself watching him on the inside quite a bit last night. Hard to miss him.