Aquinas vs Black River Falls: Game Recap & Players of the Game
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I was able to get up to west central Wisconsin for my Week 4 coverage with back to back games at UW- La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium. The first game I covered was La Crosse Aquinas vs Black River Falls…
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Continue ReadingI was able to get up to west central Wisconsin for my Week 4 coverage with back to back games at UW- La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium. The first game I covered was La Crosse Aquinas vs Black River Falls on Thursday night. It was a great environment as both fan bases of the two schools did a good job of filling up the college sized seating. Those fans, and I, gathered to watch multiple talented athletes including a handful that have the potential to continue playing at the next level. Let’s get into how the matchup played out, and then we will dive into the individual performances of the top players of the night!
Game Recap
The game took no time at all for it’s first fireworks of the night as Aquinas QB Jackson Flottmeyer Jackson Flottmeyer 6'5" | 220 lbs | QB Aquinas | 2023 State WI found his go to WR Quinn Miskowski for a 53 yard score and 6-0 lead. Miskowski really letting the play speed show off on the play. Aquinas was just getting warmed up with that score as they looked to pile up a big lead early on Black River Falls with a second TD pass from Flottmeyer to Miskowski to give them a 14-0 lead with 6:23 to play in the opening quarter. Black River Falls didn’t come out to just rollover, though. On their second drive of the game the BRF rushing attack of QB Evan Voss and RB Ezra Johnson quickly moved BRF into Aquinas territory. Then Voss took to the air where he was able to find WR Michael Roou and Nolan Parker to get to the Aquinas 10 on back to back throws as the first quarter came to a close.
The second quarter started with defensive fireworks. Aquinas’ Michael Lium was able to jump in front of Voss’ pass attempt inside the Aquinas 10. Aquinas came out ready to put the game away early, but it was the BRF defense’s turn to step up. As Aquinas approached midfield a BRF defender was able to punch the ball out and recover it on the BRF 46. It didn’t take long for Voss to come out and attack downfield aggresively. He was able to find WR Blake Williams on a deep shot down the seam that set BRF up at the Aquinas 5. That was all that the Aquinas defense was going to give up, however. They dug in and forced a Michael Roou 23 yard field goal to cut the Aquinas lead to 14-3 with 5:18 remaining in the opening half. Flottmeyer and the Aquinas offense weren’t goin to allow BRF to climb back into this game easily. They quickly got down the field and punched in their third score of the game when Flottmeyer found WR Jack Christenson on the tunnel screen. Jack was able to follow his blocks right to the endzone for the 20-3 lead with 3:31 remaining in quarter #2. After a defensive stand, and a huge punt return by ATH Chris Wilson Chris Wilson 6'2" | 170 lbs | ATH La Crosse Aquinas | 2022 State WI Aquinas was back in business on offense. With 1:22 remaining in the half Flottmeyer delivered a TD with a pass to WR Jack Gagermeier. With 1 minute to play in the half Evan Voss went to work on offense for BRF. He delivered four darts that led them down the field. With :18 remaining Voss was able to find WR Michael Roou for the score to cap off the 80 yard drive in just over 1 minute of game time. That is where we sat at the halfway mark. Aquinas: 28 Black River Falls: 9.
At the first half break it seemed like BRF was going to be able to hang around if they could figure out a way to finish drives because they were moving the ball with ease between the 20s. They just needed to be able to finish. It wasn’t in the cards as the second half opened up. BRF was held to a punt and then Aquinas quickly moved down the field. Flottmeyer found Christenson down to the BRF25. Then RB David Malin took the handoff 25 yards for the 26-9 lead. Following another Black River punt, Aquinas again found the endzone on the ground. This time it was RB Joe Penchi who was able to punch it in for 6. That put us at 44-6 at the end of the third quarter.
To start the 4th quarter Aquinas made the decision to switch QBs and let #3 Walter Berns get live action reps. Aquinas kept it on the ground most of that drive. Once again, it was RB Joe Penchi who punched it in for his second score of the game. With the running clock rule being enabled it didn’t allow for many more plays to be made the rest of the 4th quarter. However, WR Quinn Miskowski was able to create fireworks one last time with a punt return TD that left us with our final score of Aquinas: 58 Black River Falls: 9.
Players of the Game
Jackson Flottmeyer Jackson Flottmeyer 6'5" | 220 lbs | QB Aquinas | 2023 State WI , QB- Aquinas
Stat Line: 16/19, 272 4 TDs
Jackson played lights out on Thursday night. The 6’5″ 215 lbs signal caller is putting together a very impressive season overall as his team moves to 4-0 on the season. Just looking at the stats alone you can tell it was a great night, but what is even crazier is that two of those three incompletions were on Hail Mary attempts to end the first half. Besides that we almost never saw the ball touch the ground as he shredded the BRF defense. In just three quarters of play, Flottmeyer showed off his complete skill set. His accuracy and touch to every level of the field is what stood out above everything. Several passes were perfectly dropped right over defenders down field or in between underneath and over the top coverage. Each pass had just the right amount of velocity to hit tight windows. Jackson also showed off his ability to buy time in the pocket and outside the pocket. To go along with that was the ability to deliver equally as accurate passes while on the run. It was a great night for the junior QB. Check out the highlights here! Jackson’s Week 4 Highlights
Preston Horihan, OL- Aquinas
Preston made a name for himself Thursday night with his performance in the trenches. The 6’3″ 270 lbs OT demonstrated a strong balance of strength and athleticism. In the passing game Horihan showed off both of those traits. Preston easily moved in his pass set as he mirrored edge rushers. When he set his anchor he easily overpowered his opponent and stopped them in their tracks. He also showed off impressive range on screen passes where he was able to get out to the second level and even land blocks on defensive backs. In the run game, Preston used that strength to drive his defensive linemen off the ball and back into level two to open up significant running lanes. This is a name college coaches will want to know going forward. Check out the film!
Week 4 Highlights (4-0) @PrepRedzoneWI @OliverJamesWes1 @MJ_NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/4RKP5fRFGh
— Preston Horihan (@preston_horihan) September 11, 2021
Quinn Miskowski, WR- Aquinas
Stat Line: 3 Receptions, 63 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 Punt Return TD
Quinn has been the leading receiver thus far on the season for Aquinas and it was evident why on Thursday nights game. The kid is an effective route runner that also has the play speed to win before and after the catch. That speed came in clutch on his punt return TD as he was able to find his way to the sideline before flying down the field for the score. Miskowski was able to stretch the field, and turn his quick targets into solid yards after the catch. Miskowski is also a successful basketball player. All around solid athlete that could have a future in either sport at the next level.
Jack Christenson, WR- Aquinas
Stat Line: 5 Receptions, 136 Yards, 1 TD
The leading receiver on the day was the 5’9″ 165 lbs WR Jack Christennson. I came away very impressed with Jack’s ability to reel in catches in traffic. He had one 34 yard reception up the seam where he was hit by two defenders exactly as the ball got their, yet he was still able to come away with the football. Jack was also used on tunnel screens that allowed him to capitalize on his instincts and vision as he was able to read his blocks and quickly find running lanes for big gains and his one score of the day. The slot receiver also did a great job of settling in the soft spots of coverage all game. Great day for Jack!
Damien Lee, OLB- Aquinas
Stat Line: N/A
My biggest find of the day came on the defensive side of the ball for Aquinas. Damien is a well put together 6’3″ 205 lbs junior OLB. He had a good game displaying his traits and abilities. Against the run game, Lee was able to hold his ground and stop the OL in their tracks allowing him to not only hold the edge, but also use his length to get separation to shed blocks and make the tackles. Damien was getting his name called early and often as he was able to get himself around the ball a ton. Against the pass, Damien came off the edge with good burst and used his hands to quickly clear the OL. He also did some pass coverage as well. Lee looks like he is shaping himself into a versatile OLB prospect for the next level. Definitely a name I’ll have my eyes on over the next year plus.
Evan Voss, QB- Black River Falls
Stat Line: 10/19, 195 Yards, 1 TD, 20 Carries, 48 Yards
Overall, Evan had a solid day at QB for BRF. The 6’2″ 190 lbs dual threat is still raw at the position as he is only halfway through his second season at the position. The potential is there. He is accurate all over the field, and he has a very strong arm. Where he can improve the most is with his touch and understanding the amount of velocity he needs to put on the ball. Right now, Voss tends to throw more rocket balls for a lot of his passes. When he starts to utilize more touch on his passes when it calls for it will make him more of a threat as he will be able to drop the ball between defenders or over the top of them. In the first half, Evan did a good job of keeping BRF in the game with his arm and legs. On the ground, Voss proved to be a strong runner and never shied away from contact as he fought for every yard. Definitely a junior to know.
Michael Roou, WR- Black River Falls
Stat Line: N/A
The go to WR for Black River Falls had a good day. He once again was given a significant amount of targets, and responded with quite a few catches on the night. I was really impressed with Roou’s hands. Voss was really letting it rip and Michael did a great job usually catching the ball with his hands showing me that he hands not only soft, but strong hands. Roou is a quicker than fast WR who wins with short area quickness as he makes defenders miss after the catch and creates separation with clean route running. The 5’10″ 175 lbs senior is a potential D3 prospect that deserves a look.
Blake Williams, WR- Black River Falls
Stat Line: N/A
Blake was a player I wanted to get my eyes on coming in. The senior has rotated between RB and WR. Being 6’5″ 180 lbs he fits far better out wide at receiver. His traits match better as well. Blake did a good job to use that frame to box out defenders at the catch point. His best potential for the next level might be as a TE if he can add the necessary size because Williams was at his best on Thursday night when he was allowed to attack up the seam of the defense. That way he could box out defenders and also use his length to create even further separation between the ball and the defense. He proved to be a difficult tackle as well. Unless he was tripped up, it would take multiple defenders to drag him down.