With regional championship week in full swing, we here at Outside the Huddle (meaning Blitz) wanted to take a look at who are the most valuable players to each area squad still alive in the postseason.
These are Blitz’s thoughts for each, beginning with 6A.
HOMESTEAD: EVAN ORMSBY
Following a narrow seven-point win over Concordia Lutheran in Week 2, the Spartans were lucky to be sitting 1-1. The offense looked rudderless, with new starting quarterback Evan Ormsby struggling with five INTs and a single touchdown pass through two weeks.
The writing was on the wall. If Homestead could not trust a quarterback to step up in the absence of Luke Goode, the Spartans had no shot in the SAC race.
But in Week 3, Ormsby threw a pair of touchdowns in a win over Bishop Luers. It wasn’t an overly impressive effort, but it was a step in the right direction.
But what the game against the Knights began was a string of nine straight games with two or more touchdown passes.
Ormsby has become the passer and offensive leader that the Spartans needed, and with his success came a repeat as SAC champions.
Without Ormsby, where would Homestead be?
BISHOP DWENGER: BRENDEN LYTLE
The Saints are tough because they have no real players who stand out in terms of eye-popping stats. That goes to the philosophy of Bishop Dwenger in that it is an entire team effort, not relying on one particular guy.
But when you take the entirety of the Saints’ season, there is nowhere else to go but with Lytle.
The senior quarterback has led Bishop Dwenger to 10 wins, and nearly 11 if not for him being stopped just short of the goal line on a two-point try against Homestead.
Lytle has thrown for over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns, but his value is far more than stats. A multi-year starter, the senior has the pulse of this team and what it takes to win. He has stepped up time and again in the clutch, and commands the attention of the huddle and the locker room.
EAST NOBLE: COLE SCHUPBACH
Yes, Blitz knows a lot of people are shaking their heads. Schupbach over Rowan Zolman?
Allow the bear to explain.
Schupbach has stepped up time and again this season for the Knights, and it continues as he has settled in as the starting quarterback with the injuries to Dalton Stinson. He was thrust into the role mere hours before facing Penn in Week 4 and performed far above expectations with so little preparation time.
The senior is also the second-leading rusher for East Noble at nearly 550 yards while also accumulating 79 tackles, six TFL, two sacks and an INT on defense.
Oh, and Schupbach is also the NE8’s leading punter.
So yes, Zolman is integral, but Schupbach has showed out in all three facets of the game.
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN: KAM JOHNSON
Speaking of do-everything guys, Johnson is another one. Whether it be at wideout, safety or as a return man, the senior has been as important to the Cadets’ run to a sectional title as anyone else on the roster.
A late bloomer who showed signs of breaking out as a junior, Johnson arrived on the scene when he returned a punt 83 yards for a score in Week 1 against South Side.
Johnson has built on that week ever since. He has scored 10 total touchdowns – four rushing, four receiving and one each on punt and kickoff returns. And as mentioned before, his safety skills put him towards the top of the SAC at that position as well.
BISHOP LUERS: BRODY GLENN
A wide receiver who can bring down a fair amount of fifty-fifty balls is of immeasurable value to teams at every level.
The junior Glenn has give Bishop Luers and quarterback Carson Clark that luxury all season long. He is quick enough to get behind a defense for open long throws, but he is also physical and talented enough to fight a defender for control.
Glenn’s 982 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns are evidence that his big-play ability has been counted on time and again. His emergence in the playoffs (eight TDs) cements his MVP status.
SOUTH ADAMS: NICK MILLER
When your best all-around player is also is the team’s most humble, it makes for a perfect situation for a coach.
Miller is that kid. He dominates at tight end for the Starfires, but is an absolute beast as a hard-core defender, having amassed 57 tackles, 22 TFL and four sacks.
Considering that South Adams has not had its first string in the game for a full four quarters very much, Miller’s stats are impressive.
On a team in which some guys wouldn’t be able to survive in the higher classes, Miller would fit right in in 5A or 6A.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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