2022 Breakdown: Plainfield North

The Offense: The Plainfield North offense this season is a mix of several different looks and formations. The Tigers operated in this 22-21 win over Minooka from an I formation, also worked from a shotgun spread along with a pistol formation . The Tigers do an impressive job of mixing up play calling and showing the opposing defenses several different looks.

The Tigers offense was led by senior QB Demir Ashiru (6-foot-2, 167 pounds). Ashiru is a very athletic and talented dual threat quarterback who's a big time threat at all times with both the pass and the run. What impressed me about Ashiru is his overall patience and his ability to make multiple reads, then delivers a very catchable football with great touch and accuracy. Ashiru's scrambling ability is pretty underrated and I honestly thought he would have chosen to run with the football a bit more than he did in this 22-21 win over Minooka. Look for Ashiru to continue to draw increased recruiting looks and attention from the FBS/FCS level this fall.

The Tigers remaining offensive backs and receivers are also a strength this season for Plainfield North. Keep an eye on senior RB John St. Clair (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) along with senior WR Shibu Mohammed (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) plus senior WR Sean Schlanser (6-foot-2, 175 pounds), junior WR Braxton Bartz (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) and senior WR Jaxon Boryca (6-foot-0, 165 pounds).

The Plainfield North offensive line? The Tigers offensive line played pretty well overall here and allowed the North offense enough time to operate in the passing game along with opening up some nice holes in the run game. The Tigers offensive line includes senior Zach Michaels (6-foot-2, 275 pounds) along with senior Tyler Tortorich (6-foot-2, 285 pounds) along with senior Ethan Sam (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) along with junior Michael Byrne (5-foot-11, 280 pounds) and senior Tyler Pocias (5-foot-9, 270 pounds).

The Defense: The Plainfield North defense was able to make a few adjustments on the fly at the half and really locked down the Minooka running game when it was needed the most in this come from behind 22-21 win. The Tigers defensive line features senior Mason Draper (5-foot-10, 196 pounds), senior Jack Fagerson (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) plus junior Leonard Tovar (5-foot-6, 215 pounds) and senior Anthony Gulino (6-foot-0, 170 pounds). The linebacker for the Tigers include senior Gerald Floyd (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) plus senior Logan Rooney (6-foot-1, 210 pounds). The Plainfield North secondary includes junior Eli Liapis (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) along with senior Nigel Green (5-foot-10, 170 pounds), senior Andrew Gross (6-foot-0, 185 pounds) plus senior Andrew Smentek (6-foot-0, 180 pounds).

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The Good: Team speed. Offensive skills.

The Not So Good: Allowing big plays.

The Future? Make sure to check the upcoming The Underclassmen Report feature latest this week on some top Plainfield North Underclassmen names to watch.

EDGY's Overall Take on the 2022 Plainfield North Tigers?

Again this game in several ways ended up being a perfect week for me to stay at home and cover Plainfield North at Minooka. Both teams had conference title plans and when this game was over....Plainfield North was left standing with a stunning 22-21 road win over Minooka. If Plainfield North beats West Aurora this Friday they will lock down the Southwest Prairie West conference title.

The Plainfield North offense was really impressive on a few different levels. The Plainfield North Tigers have some impressive skills kids including a terrific combination between QB Demir Ashiru along with senior RB John St. Clair and plus several additional play makers. The offensive line play is senior heavy and a good sized group who played well here. The Tigers showed that they are very capable of hitting opposing defenses with an impressive mix of running game and play action passing attack....and whatever you do...don't let QB Demir Ashiru get up field and running in the open field with the football.

The Plainfield North defense? The defense gave up a few big plays to Minooka but overall I was impressed with the overall play and the physical makeup of the North defense in this 22-21 win. The North defense has good overall team speed, has several key leaders and was able to play pretty fast and physical football for four quarters.

Overall?

I like this Plainfield North team. I would like them even more if they somehow would drop down to say 7A. The Tigers have a little bit of everything you look for in a strong playoff team....including enough weapons on offense....key play makers and leaders on both sides of the football and a defense that can run with a lot of opponents in 2022.

How far can this Plainfield North team go in 2022?

Again this goes for every team in every class....but let's see how and where the Tigers bracket looks like on Playoff Pairings night before we get too crazy.....but if you are in search of a team from a conference that generally gets a bit overlooked....you could do much worse than taking Plainfield North to go a few rounds in either 8A or 7A.