On Saturday night against Chaos LC, the young Whipsnakes rope unit stepped up. Colin Squires (6GB, 1-for-2 FO) was everywhere in Michael Ehrhardt’s absence. James Barclay, a member of the 2019 Whipsnakes Championship team, scooped a couple groundballs and took LSM runs after being claimed from Chrome’s reserve roster midweek.

“Without Mike it’s always tough. Obviously he’s the best LSM in the world,” said SSDM Tyler Warner. “But I thought Squires played great. He was great off the ground tonight which was huge.”

Alongside Warner and Jake Bernhardt’s veteran presence at SSDM, Connor Kirst played strong on- and off-ball defense.

“Kirsty – he’s been huge for us all year,” said Warner. “Especially with the big bodies, we need him.”

A first-round pick in 2021, Kirst has found his role after being in-and-out of the lineup as a rookie. He’s been solid on defense and lethal in transition.

Usually the Crease Collapse of the Week is a backside fill. This peel by Kirst is different. He wastes no time switching gears from on-ball to off-ball.

After pushing Challen Rogers upfield and into a help defender, Kirst drops toward the middle. He never takes his eyes off Kirst. Like a linebacker sinking into a hook zone, Kirst follows Rogers’ eyes to the receiver – and picks off the pass.