Prep Redzone Illinois: 6A All State Offensive Edition
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The season is over and we’re back at it with the All-State Awards for 8A-1A to highlight these student-athletes accomplishments this season. It was a grueling 9 Week Regular Season and one heck of a road to IHSA State for…
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Continue ReadingThe season is over and we’re back at it with the All-State Awards for 8A-1A to highlight these student-athletes accomplishments this season. It was a grueling 9 Week Regular Season and one heck of a road to IHSA State for those that made the playoffs. After reviewing the film of the Top 40 teams in the class of 6A, we’re diving into the 6A All-State Offensive Edition. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
1st Team
QB Colton Madura Colton Madura 5'11" | 195 lbs | QB Crystal Lake Central | 2022 State IL 5’11 195 22′ Crystal Lake Central Twitter
Mr. Madura is once heck of a player that extends plays with ease with his creativity knowing he can attack defenders in multiple ways which results in him making defenders look silly. This all happens with this young man evading pocket pressure and navigating the pocket well, as this happens he showcases his elusiveness making defenders miss as they try to sack him. Translate this into open space, you get to see this young man weave in and out of defenders as he makes defenders miss in open space when he scrmables as his legs are a legit threat to the defense (off QB design runs & pulling the ball down to scramble). He has that next gear to outrun pursuit angles and burst past the 2nd level of defenders. When working in platform, he makes level 3 throws where he adds a touch on the deep ball and gets the ball off under pressure. If a play gets broken down, he can make something out of nothing either finding his man downfield or use his legs to keep the chains moving.
QB Tyler Fikis Tyler Fikis 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Hampshire | 2023 State IL 6’0 175 23′ Hampshire Twitter
Mr. Fikis can make level 3 throws when working in platform where he adds a touch on the deep ball and gets the ball off under pressure. When he works out of platform, he escapes pocket pressure and is able to make the throw on the run with his upper/lower half working in unicen. He navigates the pocket well knowing when to step up and when to escape to evade the pressure, both of which he’s able to extend plays to find his man downfield to keep the chains moving. This young man’s legs are a legit threat to the opposing defense as he runs option and can pull the ball down to scramble. He has that next gear to blow by the 2nd level of defenders and outrun pursuit angles. When he does so, he weaves in and out of defenders in open space.
RB Albert Kunickis Albert Kunickis 6'3" | 210 lbs | RB Lemont | 2022 State IL 6’3 210 22′ Lemont Twitter
Mr. Kunickis has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and maintains a low center of gravity as he keeps his feet driving breaking weak arm tackles in the process as well as bouncing off hits. He can bounce plays outside and use his lateral quickness to turn the corner and fights for extra yards. In the air attack, he can either line up in the slot or in the backfield – both of which he gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch. Once he’s in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders making the first defenders miss showcasing his elusiveness. He has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles and blow by the 2nd level of defenders. This young man is also one heck of a kicker as well.
RB Jahari Scott Jahari Scott 5'11" | 175 lbs | RB Lake Forest | 2022 State IL 6’0 175 22′ Lake Forest Twitter
Mr. Scott can catch out of the backfield where he gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and finds cutback lanes quickly. He maintains a low center of gravity as he breaks weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving and bounces off hits. This young man uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner as he has that next level gear to outrun pursuit angles and blow by the 2nd level of defenders. Once he’s in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders. Also used in the return game where he gets vertical quickly setting his team up in good starting field position.
WR Luther Burden Luther Burden 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR East St Louis | 2022 State IL 6’2 200 22′ East St. Louis Twitter
Mr. Burden can win over the top with his speed and understanding of how to manipulate leverage to create separation from the defender. This young man attacks the ball at the highest point to come down with the contested catch as he goes up for 50/50 balls. When the opposing defense is in zone coverage he does a good job of finding the soft spot to be an outlet for his quarterback and has that next gear to blow by the 2nd level of defenders as well as outrunning pursuit angles. Once in open space, he can make defenders miss using a range of moves further showcasing his elusiveness. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to gain a step on the defender to stack and break the defender off at the top of the route creating separation. This young man is also used in the return game where he gets vertical quickly and can take it to the house on any given return. He doesn’t go down easily as he keeps his feet driving and breaks weak arm tackles as he fights for extra yards.
WR Jalil Martin Jalil Martin 6'3" | 180 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2022 State IL 6’3 190 22′ Kenwood Academy Twitter
Mr. Martin is quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to close space on the defender, stacks him and break him off at the top of the route creating separation. This coincides with him winning over the top with his speed. He gets in and out of his breaks quickly breaking the defender off and gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch. He can make the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness as well as weaves in and out of defenders once in open space. This young man also stalk blocks downfield in the run game where he latches on quickly getting inside hand placement as he drives the defensive back downfield through the whistle.
WR Luke Jones Luke Jones 6'0" | 170 lbs | WR Deerfield | 2022 State IL 22′ Deerfield Twitter
Mr. Jones attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch as he goes up for 50/50 balls. This young man can line up in the slot or as an outside receiver, both of which he can win over the top with his speed. He can finds soft spots in zone coverage where he sits and is an outlet for his quarterback, upon securing the catch he gets vertical quickly. This young man weaves in and out of defenders in open space which is where he showcases his elusiveness to make defenders miss. Once he secures the catch, he gets vertical quickly and can break the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play as he runs a multitude of routes. He’s used in the return game where he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner and can return it for a touchdown.
TE Kurt Heerdegen 6’4 220 22′ Grayslake Central Twitter
Mr. Heerdegen gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch and attacks the ball at the highest point to make contested catches. He can win over the top against linebackers and can line up in either the slot or at the tight end position. This young man has that next level gear to blow by the 2nd level of defenders and outrun pursuit angles. In th passing game, he can check and release as well as finding the soft spot in defense where he sits down to be an outlet for his quarterback. Upon securing the catch, breaks weak arm tackles by keeping his feet driving. In the run game, he latches on quickly and drives the defensive lineman back using his power.
OL Miles McVay Miles McVay 6'7" | 345 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL 6’7 240 23′ East St. Louis Twitter
Mr. McVay fires off the ball and latches on quickly getting inside hand placement. He finishes plays through the whistle even if he’s 10 yards downfield and puts the defender on his back as he keeps his feet driving. This young man is aggressive at the point of attack with his quick initial power punch, washes the defensive lineman down, and works up to 2nd level defenders to cut off the linebacker flow. In pass protection, he uses his lateral movement to “close the door” on the pass rushing defender and has a good initial punch as he gets inside hand placement.
OL Mack Indestad Mack Indestad 6'6" | 265 lbs | OL Lemont | 2022 State IL 6’6 260 22′ Lemont Twitter
Mr. Indestad uses his lateral movement to patiently awaits the rushing defensive lineman to get within arms lengths before latching on quickly. When he’s pulling, he finds defenders quickly and peels off last second to get the backside defender that’s trying to make a tackle on the play. Once he fires off the ball, he latches on quickly and finishes play by keeping his feet driving as he plays through the whistle. He uses his power to drive the defensive lineman 5+ yards downfield and washes the defensive lineman down. This young man gets to 2nd level blocks cutting off linebacker flow.
OL Paris Patterson Paris Patterson 6'4" | 325 lbs | OL East St. Louis | 2023 State IL Jr 6’5 330 23′ East St. Louis Twitter
Mr. Patterson gets to 2nd level blocks cutting off linebacker flow as he fires off the ball. He latches on quickly getting inside hand placement and has the power to drive the defensive lineman back after a good initial punch at the point of attack. When he’s pulling, he’s able to block in open space picking up the outside linebacker or the defensive back playing the alley. He finishes plays by keeping his feet driving and plays through the whistle with his good initial punch after he gets inside hand placement.
OL Jack Schnoor Jack Schnoor 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Prairie Ridge | 2022 State IL 6’3 280 22′ Prairie Ridge Twitter
Mr. Schnoor washes the defensive lineman down after he fires off the ball and latches on quickly getting inside hand placement. He drives the defensive lineman back 5+ yards as he uses his power with a good initial punch at the point of attack. This young man gets to 2nd level blocks cutting off linebacker flow as well as finishes plays by keeping his feet driving as he plays through the whistle.
OL Zachary Petko 6’1 214 22′ Cary Grove Twitter
Mr. Petko fires off the ball and latches on quickly, pair this with his power at the point of attack and he drives the defensive lineman back creating a running lane for his teammate. He finishes plays by keeping his feet driving, washes the defensive lineman down, and plays through the whistle. When in open space, he leads the way as the lead blocker and latches onto the 2nd level defenders cutting off their flow to the play.
2nd Team
QB Vince Bennett Vince Bennett 5'8" | 160 lbs | RB Wauconda | 2022 State IL Wauconda
Mr. Bennett runs the option as his legs are a legit threat to the defense and he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. Pair this with his next gear that he has and he not only outruns pursuit angles, he also blows by the 2nd level of defenders. Once he’s in open space, he weaves in and out of defenders making them miss in open space showcasing his elusiveness. When working in platform, he gets the ball off under pressure and makes level 3 throws. When working out of platform, he’s able to put a touch on the deep ball as he’s rolling out. This young man can set his feet before throwing when working out of platform and can pull the ball down to scramble if nothing is open downfield. When he does so, he has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles as he burst through the line of scrimmage.
QB Jameson Sheehan Jameson Sheehan 6'4" | 195 lbs | QB Cary Grove | 2022 State IL 6’3 190 22′ Cary Grove Twitter
Mr. Sheehan is a hard runner that keeps his feet driving and fights for extra yards by playing through the whistle. His legs are a legit threat to the defense as he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. When making in platform throws, he puts a touch on the ball during level 2 throws as well as level 3 throws. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and burst through the line of scrimmage. This young man has that next level gear which he uses to blow by the 2nd level of defenders and outrun pursuit angles, especially when he’s running the option.
RB Braylon Peacock Braylon Peacock 5'8" | 160 lbs | ATH Champaign Centennial | 2022 IL 5’9 165 22′ Champaign Centennial Twitter
Mr. Peacock can catch out of the backfield and gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch. When running routes, he gets in and out of his breaks quickly creating separation from the defender. He can also line up in the slot where he runs jet sweeps where he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner. Once he’s in open space, he can weave in and out of defenders as well as making the first defender miss showcasing his elusiveness. He has that next level gear to blow past the 2nd level defenders and outrun pursuit angles as well as bouncing plays outside consistently. Once he clears the 2nd level he has the body control to stay up as he tip toes along the sideline.
RB Tyree Coleman 5’10 185 22′ Springfield Twitter
Mr. Coleman burst through the line of scrimmage and has that next gear to blow by the 2nd level of defenders as well as outrun pursuit angles. He has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles and maintains a low center of gravity as he keeps his feet driving breaking weak arm tackles in the process fighting for extra yards. This young man can find cutback lanes and once he’s in open space he weaves in & out of defenders showcasing his elusiveness. In the air attack, he can make the catch in traffic and once he secures the catch he gets vertical quickly.
WR Jacob Carnrite 6’2 170 22′ Crystal Lake Central Twitter
Mr. Carnrite can line up outside or in the slot where he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with contested catches as he goes up for 50/50 balls. He can win over the top with his speed, he’s quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to gain a step on the defender before stacking and breaking the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. This young man gets in and out of breaks quickly showcasing his route running abilities. He uses his toe tap to come away with sideline grabs as well as securing catches at the back of the endzone for touchdowns. In the run game, he stalk blocks downfield as he gets inside hand placement and keeps his feet driving through the whistle. He’s also used in the return game where he weaves in and out of defenders setting his team up in good starting field position.
WR Marieon Anderson 6’3 185 22′ Rock Island Twitter
Mr. Anderson works outside where he can win over the top with his speed. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to gain a step on the defender before stacking and breaking him off at the top of the route. When going up for 50/50 balls, he attacks the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch. In the run game, he stalk blocks downfield getting inside hand placement and keeping his feet driving through the whistle. He’s also used in the return game where he weaves in and out of defenders setting his team in good starting field positions as well as returning them for touchdowns.
WR/ATH Joshua Franklin Joshua Franklin 6'0" | 165 lbs | WR Crete Monee | 2023 State IL 5’11 165 23′ Crete Monee Twitter
Mr. Franklin switched from wideout to quarterback this fall bringing his playmaking abilities with him. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage which he uses to stack the defender and break him off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. This young man gets in and out of breaks quickly as well as gets vertical quickly upon securing the catch. He can win over the top with his speed and goes up for 50/50 balls by attacking the ball at the highest point to come away with contested catches. When he’s in open space, he can make defenders miss showcasing his elusiveness as well as weaving in and out of defenders. These skillsets were all translated into his performance this season as he played out of position at quarterback with the impressive numbers he put up.
TE Pierce Walsh Pierce Walsh 6'4" | 205 lbs | DL Benet | 2023 State IL 6’4 210 23′ Benet Academy Twitter
Mr. Walsh can line up outside as well as at the tight end position, both of which he can attack the ball at the highest point to come away with the contested catch. Once he secures the catch he gets vertical quickly and changes gears quickly to outrun pursuit angles. This young man can win over the top with his speed as he’s quick off the line of scrimmage and breaks the defender off at the top of the route creating separation on the play. He does a good job being an outlet for his quarterback off his check and release as well as sitting once he finds the soft spot in zone coverage.
OL Nate Compere Nate Compere 6'4" | 265 lbs | OL Crystal Lake South | 2023 State IL 6’4 255 23′ Crystal Lake South Twitter
Mr. Compere finishes as he latches on quickly getting inside hand placement and keeping his feet driving through the whistle. This young man gets to 2nd level blocks cutting off linebacker flow and can block in open space picking up the defensive back playing the alley as well as sealing the outside linebacker. When making kickout blocks, he pushes out the defensive end creating a lane for the ball carrier to run off of when he’s a lead blocker when pulling.
OL Elijah Matthews 6’4 260 22′ Kenwood Academy Twitter
Mr. Matthews gets to 2nd level blocks cutting off linebacker flow and uses his lateral movement to patiently away the rushing defensive lineman to get within arms length before latching on. He uses his power to drive block the defensive lineman 5+ yards downfield as he’s aggressive at the point of attack. This translates to him finishing plays as he keeps his feet driving while he plays through the whistle. He can wash the defensive lineman down and has a quick punch of his hands to get inside hand placement.
OL Patryk Barnas 6’3 285 22′ Hampshire Twitter
Mr. Barnas uses his power to drive the defensive lineman back 5+ yards as he latches on quickly getting inside hand placement quickly after firing off the ball. He finishes plays by keeping his feet driving and playing through the whistle. When pulling, he picks up the outside linebacker when working in open space and works up to 2nd level blocks to cut off linebacker flow. This young man can also wash the defensive lineman down.
Honorable Mention
QB Leo Scheidler 6’1 175 22′ Lake Forest Twitter
QB Justin Kowalak Justin Kowalak 6'0" | 180 lbs | QB Crystal Lake South | 2022 State IL 6’0 185 22′ Crystal Lake South Twitter
RB Luke Woodson Luke Woodson 5'11" | 190 lbs | ATH Deerfield | 2022 State IL 5’10 185 22′ Deerfield Twitter
RB Ben Choi 5’10 170 23′ Vernon Hills Twitter
WR Logan Lester Logan Lester 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Kenwood | 2023 State IL 6’2 195 23′ Kenwood Academy Twitter
WR Travis Garmon Travis Garmon 6'3" | 175 lbs | DB Richards | 2022 State IL 6’3 175 22′ Richards Twitter
WR Lynel Billups-Williams 5’9 155 23′ Crete Monee Twitter
TE Kai Rios Kai Rios 6'5" | 230 lbs | TE Rock Island | 2022 State IL 6’6 245 22′ Rock Island Twitter
TE Joey Neumann Joey Neumann 6'4" | 205 lbs | TE Antioch | 2023 State IL 6’4 200 23′ Antioch Twitter
OL Jacob Katauskas Jacob Katauskas 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Lemont | 2024 State IL 6’4 255 24′ Lemont Twitter
OL Damian Lassak 6’3 280 22′ St. Ignatius Twitter
OL Melvin Priestly Melvin Priestly 6'4" | 315 lbs | OL East St Louis | 2022 State IL 6’4 315 22′ East St. Louis Twitter
OL Brandon Henderson 6’5 308 23′ East St. Louis Twitter
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