Don't sleep on 6/5 Edwyn Brown, good sir! Speed, size, hands and he goes over the middle. OK fine - taking into consideration a three-year starter, I can see your point about QBs. But I'd put them at dead equals. You're correct, CJ is a baller! Goodwin is a monster tight end and they have some other kid - Brock - making plays split out. And that Hawthorn freshman who dresses - any relation to Terry?
I will highlight a couple of points on this topic.
1. Althoff do not see the defense ESL face at NO POINT during their season. To say what players are equal is like comparing the Big10 to the Missouri valley. Althoff QB will NEVER face a kid like AJ in Edwardsville at no point during the season. The league Althoff play in is more similar to 7 on 7. Now this is no knock on how good or bad a players from Althoff is but, we are not talking apples to apples. Take being a fan of a program out of it. Example would be Phillips treating Alhoff like little boys in the state game last year.
2. Althoff is simply a basketball team playing football. The only game in which toughness was needed last year was the title game where Althoff laid an egg. Not because they were scared, not because they weren't "skilled" but, simply because they were a basketball team playing football and Phillips was a football team.
3. Yes I agree that Hawthorne and Appleton was terrifying for most teams however this team has a better 11 on defense. 2008 Team never faced a team like CBC who basically had Hawthorne and Appleton on their team. The closest team to CBC was Wayne in which ESL lost that game in Cincy.
4. In the later rounds of 6A, all of 7A, and 8A you have to be physical in the playoffs. As good as CJ is, its obvious he hasn't spent much time in the weight room which is very important at the higher level. You simply can't play the game without a weight program. Goodwin, CJ, Brown, Bester are all good athletes and I like watching them play however I will not disrespect the high school game in Illinois and pretend that what Althoff is doing in 4A will translate to 7A and 8A. It will be hard for me to believe that any of those kids put in major work in the weight room throughout their high school career. This is also the reason why bigger schools (colleges) aren't really singing the same praises.
Hopefully you don't take this in a negative way as I think Althoff will make plenty of noise in 4A this year just like they did last year. To compare ESL to Althoff is apples to oranges and right now, CJ is the only player from Althoff that I can see playing. As I have said before, I think Goodwin have the tools and size however weight room activity for football would make it difficult for him to the play.
