Players Stepping Into Key Roles This Fall
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With high schools coming to a close for the summer and the 2021 graduating class heading off to college, or other endeavors, I wanted to take the time to look at the holes that are being left behind by those…
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Continue ReadingWith high schools coming to a close for the summer and the 2021 graduating class heading off to college, or other endeavors, I wanted to take the time to look at the holes that are being left behind by those seniors. I also want to project which athletes are going to be counted on to step up and fill those voids left behind. I have identified nine players that I believe have some of the biggest shoes to fill going into next fall. For each athlete, I will breakdown the gap that needs to be filled and why I believe the athlete I listed will be the one to step up and fill it. Each one of these athletes are going to be dudes to watch this fall as their performance will have a key impact on the team’s results Here we go!
Charlie Smith Charlie Smith 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Arrowhead | 2022 State WI , QB 2022- Arrowhead
Arrowhead is losing a very talented senior QB in Max Bredeson Max Bredeson 6'2" | 225 lbs | ATH Arrowhead | 2021 State WI as he is headed to Michigan to play for Coach Harbaugh. He leaves behind a large void to fill as he posted 800+ passing yards, 5 passing TDs, 700+ rushing yards, and 9 rushing TDs. Bredeson leaves as the team’s leading passer and rusher, so there is a lot of production to make up going into next season. Arrowhead does seem to have an athlete that will be able to shoulder a good chunk of that load.
That athlete is incoming senior QB Charlie Smith Charlie Smith 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Arrowhead | 2022 State WI . Charlie isn’t new to the varsity QB position as he was able to get a solid amount of work during the 2020 season. He showed he can handle it too as he actually posted more passing TDs than Bredeson. Now these two aren’t the same type of QB. Bredeson was more of the dual threat athlete, while Charlie is much more of a pocket passer. So, I don’t expect Smith to replace the rushing production of Bredeson. What I do believe will happen is that Charlie will be able to replace a decent amount of the rushing production with his arm. Smith was a 52% completion percentage passer last year, but what I really like is his two most accurate games were in the two games with his most attempts. That tells me as he is able to have a larger role this season he will be able to settle into a groove and really pick apart defenses. Check out his tape for a look into what’s to come! Charlie’s Junior Season
Carson Holman Carson Holman 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Muskego | 2022 State WI , RB 2022- Muskego
Muskego is coming off a fall season that saw them go 9-0 and completely dominate teams with their other worldly rushing attack. That rushing attack was led by two senior RBs, Alex Current Alex Current 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Muskego | 2021 State WI and Josh Bulski Josh Bulski 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Muskego | 2021 State WI . Both of those players are continuing their athletic and academic careers at the college level after great high school careers. The void they are leaving behind, as you might guess, is a giant one. Together, they combined for 188 carries, 1775 rushing yards, and 24 rushing TDs. You can also include Current’s 4 receptions, 161 receiving yards, and 3 TDs. The bright side of this situation is that Muskego uses a three headed attack in the backfield. So, they have an incoming senior ready to shoulder a much larger load than he had this past season.
That athlete is Carson Holman Carson Holman 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Muskego | 2022 State WI . The 5’10″ 180 lbs RB put together a solid junior season behind the two senior workhorses as he posted 43 carries, 595 rushing yards, and 4 rushing TDs. I was able to watch one of Muskego’s games live this past fall and as the game wore on I was able to watch Holman get a larger and larger workload. The most impressive part of the performance is that the offense’s success didn’t drop off. They kept going up and down the field with Holman leading the way. His junior film shows he has what it takes to take the next step and pick up a large chunk of the slack left behind from the senior duo. He has the vision to find the lanes, and the play speed to turn any touch into a score. He also has the receiving ability out of the backfield to pick up where Current left off. Holman will just be one of three players in this Muskego backfield, but I believe he is the one most ready to take on that huge workload. Carson’s Junior Season
Stephen Schreiter Stephen Schreiter 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Fond du Lac | 2023 State WI , QB 2023- Fond du Lac
This might be the largest void left behind as Fond du Lac will be looking to find the replacement for the reigning Prep Redzone Wisconsin Spring Player of the Year in Kyle Walljasper Kyle Walljasper 6'0" | 215 lbs | QB Fond du Lac | 2021 State WI . The dual threat star that is headed to Duluth for his college ball posted the most impressive stat line of the spring. On their way to 7-0, Walljasper posted 769 passing yards, 9 passing TDs, 77 carries, 1467 rushing yards, and 21 rushing TDs on offense. The rushing yards were good enough to lead the state and his rushing TDs tied for the most as well. The void can’t get much larger than that. Fondy is a very strong program, though. So, I have no doubt that they have a kid that will be ready to step up and make his own mark on the team.
That player is incoming junior QB Stephen Schreiter Stephen Schreiter 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Fond du Lac | 2023 State WI . The 6’1″ 175 lbs QB has minimal in-game action at the varsity level. Last fall he posted 11/14, 136 passing yards, and 1 passing TD showing off an accurate arm. Stephen is also a talented basketball player on the Fondy hoops team. Schreiter is the most unknown player on this list for me, so I will be very interested in seeing how he steps into the spotlight if he wins the job. Definitely a name to keep up with on the field and court.
Gavin Gutman, QB 2022- Racine Case
Case is going to be a team to watch this year. They had a solid spring season and are returning a solid amount of key contributors. The main loss on the offense is senior QB Ben Brawner Ben Brawner 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB Case | 2021 State WI who is headed to Upper Iowa this fall. Brawner leaves behind 318 passing yards, and 4 passing TDs; both of which led the team. The intriguing part of the situation is that the QBs did split time. So, we were able to get a glimpse into the athlete that will be looking to takeover the offense completely this fall.
That athlete is incoming senior Gavin Gutman. In his limited time this spring the 6’2″ 200 lbs QB posted 200 passing yards, 1 passing TD, and 1 rushing TD. The film from this spring shows off an arm that can put the ball on a spot at every level of the field. I’m excited to see how he steps into the leading role. He has the pieces around him to succeed. Check out what he did this spring! Gavin’s Junior Season
Steven Wauer Steven Wauer 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Muskego | 2022 State WI , DL 2022- Muskego
Our second Muskego void getting left behind are the senior duo of DEs Brian Radish Brian Radish 6'3" | 225 lbs | DL Muskego | 2021 State WI and Jared Beilfuss Jared Beilfuss 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Muskego | 2021 State WI . Together they were key members of dominating the trenches and combined for 119 total tackles, 16.5 sacks, and 23 TFLs. That production along with their talent are going to be missed as Muskego looks to remain at the top of their conference this fall. However, just like above with the offensive backfield, Muskego does have talented athletes ready to step into the spotlight and fill the voids left behind by the departing seniors.
The player I want to focus on is Steven Wauer Steven Wauer 6'3" | 220 lbs | DL Muskego | 2022 State WI . The incoming senior has repeatedly caught my eye during the spring at multiple camps. He is a well put together athlete with the length needed to win on the edge. The 6’3″ 220 lbs DE has shown an improved pass rush repertoire over the spring camp cycle as well as the ability to turn his initial quickness into power. I’m very excited to see how he does when he makes the jump to the big stage because he didn’t have to play a lot last fall as Muskego had a senior filled DL. This fall will be his time to shine, and I believe he will. Steven’s Junior Season
Jacques Brooks, WR 2024 and Reese Osgood, WR 2022- Franklin
The Franklin offense is going to be looking to continue it electric performances this fall. They are led by QB1 and Badgers commit Myles Burkett Myles Burkett 6'1" | 200 lbs | QB Franklin | 2022 State WI . They have RBs Tanner Rivard and Terrance Shelton splitting carries in the backfield, and they have leading receiver Keaton Arendt Keaton Arendt 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Franklin | 2022 State WI back. However, the voids that need to be filled are left by WR Dyson Klubertanz Dyson Klubertanz 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Franklin | 2021 State WI and Illinois commit TE Marko Rajkovic Marko Rajkovic 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Franklin | 2021 State WI . They both were top three in yards, receptions, and TDs on the team and combined for 27 receptions, 450 yards, and 4 TDs over 6 games. Franklin isn’t at a shortage of talent, though, and has a couple of athletes that could step up in their own ways to pick up the slack left by those graduating seniors.
Those two athletes are incoming sophomore Jacques Brooks and incoming senior Reese Osgood. Both already have varsity experience, which is going to be key as they look to maintain a rhythm with their QB. That way the offense doesn’t miss a beat in 2021. Brooks is an electric playmaker who proved, as a freshman, is a big play waiting to happen. He turned his 6 receptions into 162 yards, and 2 TDs. Reese caught my eye for the first time at the Prep Redzone Wisconsin Showcase this spring where he posted the best athletic testing of the group and then carried the momentum right into a strong 1 on 1 portion of the camp. Don’t let the graduation of two impact seniors fool you. Franklin has athletes ready to step up and ball out this fall! They are going continue to be a strong team.
Najeh Mitchell Najeh Mitchell 5'9" | 175 lbs | ATH West De Pere | 2023 State WI , RB 2023- West De Pere
West De Pere is going to be looking for a lot of new faces on their offense as both their starting QB and RB both graduated in 2021. Besides leading the team in passing yards QB Josh Blount Josh Blount QB West De Pere | 2021 WI also was third on the team in rushing yards. Starting RB David Vanderlogt David Vanderlogt 5'9" | 165 lbs | RB West De Pere | 2021 State WI posted 616 rushing yards and 8 TDs. Both good enough to be #1 on the team. Despite losing over 800 rushing yards from last fall West De Pere does have a key member of the 2020 offense returning to takeover the backfield. Incoming junior Najeh Mitchell Najeh Mitchell 5'9" | 175 lbs | ATH West De Pere | 2023 State WI .
This is shaping up to be a huge fall for incoming junior RB Najeh Mitchell Najeh Mitchell 5'9" | 175 lbs | ATH West De Pere | 2023 State WI . With the graduation of the team’s starting QB and leading rusher Najeh is going to be looked to to carry a large load of the offense. He is going to be ready to do it. As a sophomore, while rotating in the backfield, Najeh posted over 12 yards per carry on 39 carries. He also produced 7 TDs on the ground and averaged almost 100 yards per game in his six games of varsity action. The 5’9″ 170 lbs RB is a slippery runner with very impressive speed and agility. He is a walking big play waiting to happen. I expect him to be a weekly member of our top performers articles once the season kicks off. Keep your eyes on this dude! Najeh’s Sophomore Film
Wynn Stang Wynn Stang 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Mukwonago | 2023 State WI , RB 2023- Mukwonago
Mukwonago is going to be a team to watch. They are led by a talented QB in Greyton Gannon Greyton Gannon 6'4" | 205 lbs | ATH Mukwonago | 2022 State WI , but when you look at the team’s production from 2020 you see that a huge portion of it has graduated. TE Garrett Gillette Garrett Gillette 6'5" | 225 lbs | TE Mukwonago | 2021 State WI , RB Cole Kaestner, and WR Max Braun Max Braun 6'1" | 195 lbs | ATH Mukwonago | 2021 State WI have all departed the team. This leaves the door open for several incoming juniors and seniors to step into much larger roles. One of those incoming juniors that I have high expectations for is RB Wynn Stang Wynn Stang 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Mukwonago | 2023 State WI .
With the graduation of 500+ yard rusher Cole Kaestner, Wynn is going to have the chance to step into the starting role. Varsity action isn’t new for Wynn. Last fall he posted 81 carries, 444 rushing yards, and 5 TDs. The 6’ 175 lbs RB proved to be a well rounded RB who could win with speed or power. He also showed off his patience in the backfield as he allowed blocks to set up before accelerating through the lane. I’m also a huge fan of his running style. There is no dancing with him. He makes one cut when he sees his blocks set up and then he goes. With Kaestner leaving behind over 100 carries there is a lot of work for Wynn to pick up this fall. I think he is going to post an impressive season with the extra work. Keep track of this kid. Wynn’s Sophomore Film