School Spotlight: Lakota East

At 7-2, the Thunderhawks are having an excellent season and are ready to make a deep run in the 2021 playoffs.  This season, they are averaging 34.22 points per game on offense and are playing very good on the defensive side of the ball as well giving up 19.11 points per game.  Here are five players from Lakota East to keep an eye on during the 2021 playoffs. TE, [player_tooltip player_id="34415" first="Charlie" last="Kenrich"], 6’3, 220 [player_tooltip player_id="34415" first="Charlie" last="Kenrich"] is the 3rd ranked TE and the 20th ranked player overall in the class of 2022.  He will be playing for Purdue next fall.  The future Boilermaker lines up in the backfield as well as in tight.  He shows good quickness off the ball while using his very good football intelligence to read the coverage and finds the soft spot in zone.  He displays good hands as he is able to make the catch on passes thrown on target with his hands easily.  After the catch, he shows great contact balance and power as he drags DB and LB for a few extra yards picking up a first down in the process. OL, [player_tooltip player_id="185828" first="Patrick" last="Slomba"], 6’4, 300 [player_tooltip player_id="185828" first="Patrick" last="Slomba"] is currently on the Prep Redzone watchlist for the class of 2022.  He plays as a LG.  When run blocking, he fires out low, shows very good use of hands in his punch, timing and placement and rolls his hips on contact.  He generates movement at the point of his attack with his very good play strength as he drives the 1T off the ball and creates a lane for the RB.  In pass pro, he plays with a good, wide base and keeps his feet moving constantly.  He uses his hands well when striking the frame of the blitzing LB, sinks his hips to anchor and maintains a good distance between himself and the QB keeping the pocket clean. QB, <strong>TJ Kathman</strong>, 6’0 The Senior signal caller has played very well in 2021 as he leads the Thunderhawks into the playoffs.  He makes quick reads as he scans the defense and shows a very quick release.  He delivers the ball on deep and intermediate passes with great accuracy and touch while placing the ball where only the WR can catch it.  He is a dual threat as he displays very good play strength as he lowers his shoulder to run over a LB and uses his good play speed and athletic ability to elude DB as he gains significant yardage on zone reads. LB, <strong>Nate Rosario</strong>, 6’1, 195 The Senior LB has played well this year as he is one of the leaders on the very good defense of the Thunderhawks.  He plays as an OLB.  Against the pass, he reads the QB while dropping into coverage.  He uses his good closing speed to get to the ball and displays good hands as he is able to make the interception with ease and uses his very good acceleration to outrun his opponents for a pick six.  Against the run, he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, shows great instincts as he takes the correct angle in pursuit and shows very good form tackling and play strength as he delivers a powerful hit to the RB while playing at a good pad level. DL, <strong>Caden Hibbard</strong> 6’2, 245 The Senior DL has been great against the run and pass this year.  He plays as a NT where he primarily lines up in a 0T.  Against the pass, he uses his very good play strength to bullrush the C and times his hands well to create a pass deflection.  Against the run, he fires off the ball and uses his good hands and physical toughness to defeat the C block.  He keeps his eyes on the ball carrier the entire time and uses his play strength and form tackling ability to bring down the RB with ease.