Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

Page 4B • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove JANUARY 2016 247912001 247862001 2015 PREP FOOTBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE YEAR By Chris Bucher Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — There was little stopping The Waukesha Freeman's co-Players of the Year this season. Although playing different positions, Arrowhead senior offensive tackle Ben Bredeson and Brookfield East junior running back and linebacker Sam Santiago-Lloyd boast similar characteristics. The explosiveness, ability to be quick on their feet and power through opposing play- ers was something Bredeson and Santiago-Lloyd showed nearly every game. "I really appreciate all of them," Bredeson said of the accolades he's received over his four years starting for the Warhawks. "It's the culmina- tion of a lot of work put in by all of the guys on our team. We work together so hard and it's nice to get a little recogni- tion. But I wouldn't be there without the running backs making me look good and Johnny (Duranso) making the throws. I owe everything to those guys. They've pushed me twice as hard as I ever could push them." Bredeson — a University of Michigan verbal commit and 58th recruit in the nation according to ESPN — made it nearly impossible for defenses to get by him and get to the quarterback and played a key role in the Warhawks running for nearly 3,000 yards. He won the Joe Thomas award, given to the state's top senior offen- sive lineman, while he was also named first team all-state by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. In a conference that sent three teams to state champi- onships (Arrowhead, Wauke- sha West and Catholic Memo- rial), Bredeson was a standout player and was named the Classic 8 Conference's Offen- sive Player of the Year. "There's a lot of great play- ers in the state of Wisconsin, but I have a hard time believ- ing there's anybody better than Ben," Arrowhead coach Greg Malling said. "He's been a phenomenal player from freshman year on. He's a great leader off the field as much as he is on the field. He has a chance of starting next sea- son as a freshman on Michi- gan. He's everything you could ask for. He's an incredi- ble talent and in my time coaching, he's the best player I've ever seen at any posi- tion." Bredeson played in four consecutive Division 1 state championship games in his high school career. This sea- son in the thrilling season finale against Kimberly on Friday, Bredeson made his 54th career start. It's an extremely rare feat that not many, if any, players have been able to accomplish. "He started 54 games. I think that alone tells you what kind of player he is," Malling said. "It's the leadership, self- lessness that's encompassed into everything that being a football player is. It's amazing seeing his humility and intan- gibles. "He's big, strong and he's the best player in the state." Putting it all together on the field, Bredeson said it was an honor to be surrounded by such a team and program that continuously motivated each other. "Our main goal was go to Madison," Bredeson said. "We wanted to 'max out' the biggest number of games that we could and we did. It's a shame we couldn't pull the last one out, but we've done what no other team in the his- tory of the state has done, making it four times. It's a big honor for us." This season, the Warhawks didn't have as many blowouts as they were used to in previ- ous years, but Bredeson said that made for an even more interesting dynamic as they entered the playoffs. It was those times where Bredeson's talent showed the most on the field. Malling tried to get the most out of Bredeson's skillset late in the season, using him at nose tackle on defense in a number of situa- tions. "This was a really tough team. We'd been in really close games and almost every time we pulled it out," Bredes- on said. "That's what I was most proud of and I wasn't surprised that when things went wrong, we pulled togeth- er and finished the game." The 6-foot-5, 305-pound line- man said a large part of his success came from the coach- ing staff at Arrowhead. He said they worked around the clock preparing him not just for incredible high school runs, but also playing at the next level. "From Day 1, they started coaching me and it still hasn't stopped. I doubt it ever will," Bredeson said. "It's always on you to be the best you can be and they give you someone to talk to, they're there for you. They want the best out of everyone. The brotherhood they created in my four years is unbelievable." With his team playing against Bredeson once a year, Catholic Memorial coach Bill Young has had the chance to see the raw ability of him firsthand. He said Bredeson offers everything you could want in an offensive lineman. "He's got a great skill level and is a real technician as a tackle," Young said. "He has a mean streak and plays right up to the edge of the whistle. If he can stay healthy, he will be playing on Sundays." While Bredeson hasn't played against him, he's said he's watched a little bit of Santiago-Lloyd on tape and has been nothing but impressed. "From the things I've heard he's a heck of a player," Bre- deson said. "It's always fun blocking for a back that could make you look good, that's what you enjoy as a lineman. I'd love to block for that kid, he sounds like he does the right things for the line to suc- ceed." Santiago-Lloyd headlined an East offense that found major success running the ball for more than 3,000 yards. As a running back, he tallied 2,251 yards on 266 carries with 32 touchdowns, scoring at least one touchdown in every game this season. East coach Tom Swittel said Santiago-Lloyd's ability out of the backfield enabled the Spartans to transform from a defensive-led team to a run- heavy offensive juggernaut. "He allowed us to play a dif- ferent style of football than we've played previously," East coach Tom Swittel said. "We were a very run-oriented team and Sam made us become a triple-option team. Sam was a heck of a first option for us and teams cer- tainly had to respect him." The bruising tailback was given the ball in short yardage situations and made the most of it, often shedding or truck- ing would-be tacklers on the way to the end zone. He offered shifty moves to go along with his hard-nosed running style. "Every handoff I tried to hit the hole hard," Santiago- Lloyd said. "If you you're in front of me, I would just try to run you over." Santiago-Lloyd was able to play in his first full season for East after breaking his collar- bone in his first game as a sophomore. He returned the last game of the season, but got injured once again. "It was bizarre. Last year he played slightly more than one- half of football and two plays — both plays he got hurt on," Swittel said. "As a freshman we had some injuries at run- ning back and we brought him up and he had a big game against Sussex (Hamilton). But the next game on our first play of the game he got a high ankle sprain and missed next few games." With his chance to shine for the Spartans in his junior sea- son, Santiago-Lloyd delivered nearly every game. His yardage mark was fourth in the state and he was tied for six th in touchdowns. In 12 games, Santiago-Lloyd aver- age 187.6 rushing yards per game. "I really wanted to help the team win and prove that I could play a full season of football," Santiago-Lloyd said. He was named first team all- state at running back, was on the all-region team and was selected as the Greater Metro Conference's Offensive Player of the Year. But it didn't stop there. It was on defense that Santi- ago-Lloyd showed he had a special ability to leave an impact on games. As a linebacker, Santiago- Lloyd tied for the conference lead with four interceptions, including one for a touch- down. He was third on the team with 76 tackles, with seven for a loss and 2.5 sacks. He was also named first team all-state as a linebacker and was the GMC's Defensive Player of the Year. "It shows that hard work pays off," Santiago-Lloyd said. "I wanted to have a good sea- son and I'm happy I did." Swittel said Santiago-Lloyd was one of East's biggest assets on defense and brought a multitude of different skills to the field. "Sam does really every- thing well defensively," Swit- tel said. "He's not only a good run stopper or someone who's effective as a blitzer. He had tackles for losses and sacks, but also tied for the confer- ence lead in interceptions. He wasn't one-dimensional defensively. He played good all-around on defense and was a key to our success." No stranger to solid offen- sive lineman, Santiago-Lloyd said it would be a thrill to run behind such a dominant force as Bredeson. "He destroys everyone that gets in his way," Santiago- Lloyd said. "That would be a pretty nice combo." Email: cbucher@conleynet.com RB, LB co-player of the year with Arrowhead's Ben Bredeson East's Santiago-Lloyd named Co-Player of the Year Freeman file photo Brookfield East junior Sam Santiago-Lloyd extends the ball past the goal line n a Greater Metro Conference game earlier this season.

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