Week 8: Five players to watch on the gridiron tonight

Week 8 is on tap tonight and as always, we talk about five players that you should keep an eye on. Maybe they did well last week? Maybe they have a favorable or intriguing matchup?

Here are the players to keep on watch:

Landon Kaschinske, Concordia vs. Carroll

Kaschinske showed in Week 7 that he can play in all three phases of the game. Prior to last week’s 29-22 win over Wayne, Kaschinske had zero carries on the season. He rushed the ball 34 times against the Generals and ran for 259 yards and three scores. Kaschinske has taken most of his snaps on defense this season with 28 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and two fumble recoveries and in the return game with 377 total kickoff return yards. Kaschinske provided a big boost for the Cadets offense last week, and he’ll be another offensive weapon for the Chargers to game plan for.

Dylan Krehl, East Noble vs. New Haven

The future is bright for this sophomore. In his first season, he’s making an impact on both sides of the ball. He’s rushed for 446 yards on 66 carries and four scores and has brought in 16 catches for 195 yards and two more touchdowns. On defense, he flies around the field and has tallied 57 tackles. Krehl has produced so far for the Knights and will continue to improve, which is scary for future opponents, like the Bulldogs this evening.

Zach Beers, West Noble vs. Churubusco

The Chargers have had the quietest 6-1 start to the season. Their defense has progressively gotten better the last couple of weeks, including a 7-6 win over Lakeland last Friday. The Eagles have multiple guys that can run the ball well, including quarterback Riley Buroff. Beers leads West Noble with 65 tackles and 11.5 of those have been for a loss. Beers will have to be all over the field tonight to slow down the Eagles’ rushing attack.

Zac Wurm, Adams Central vs. Bluffton

Wurm is a terrific two-way lineman for the Flying Jets. He clogs up holes and gets in the backfield on defense, then is nasty, physical and opens up wide-open lanes for Ryan Black, Keegan Bluhm or whoever else wants to run the ball for AC. You might not hear his name much over the PA but his impact is felt on every play. Bluffton has its hands full tonight and it starts up front with Wurm.

Lukas Rohrbacher, Snider vs. Bishop Dwenger

The Panthers have been on a tear since their Week 2 loss to Carroll, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The unit has pitched three shutouts, and Rohrbacher has been the leader with 55 tackles. Rohrbacher will line up across Tobias Tippman, who had a solid performance against rival Bishop Luers with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Panthers and Saints both want to gain an edge before potentially facing off in the sectional in a few weeks. Tonight’s winner will feel like the favorite to bring home some hardware. Then again, last year saw Snider win the regular-season matchup and Bishop Dwenger earning the postseason dub.