DONNELLSON, Iowa – One of the in-state players I most wanted to see this fall was Mount Vernon (IA) High junior lineman Tristan Wirfs. I finally got that chance Monday night here at Central Lee High.

First, the game entertained fans in attendance. The Mustangs fell behind the home team by three touchdowns before rallying for a 41-28 win with 34 unanswered points in the second half. They advanced to play at Anamosa Friday in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.

Secondly, Wirfs did not disappointment. He looked the part of a rare in-state player who picked up a scholarship offer from Iowa before his junior season started. It happened after he camped with the Hawkeyes in June.

Since Iowa has offered, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota have jumped into Wirfs’ recruitment. He’s set up visits to those Big Ten programs. He’s already been to Iowa multiple times this fall.

EVALUATION: Wirfs predominantly plays left tackle for the Mustangs. He slips over to the right side on short yardage situations in a heavy set. He also lines up at tackle and end on defense, moving around quite a bit.

The first thing I noticed about Wirfs was his frame. He’s a big kid that carried 265 with ease and shouldn’t have a problem nearing 300 pounds at 6-5 when he gets into a college weight program and matures.

Wirfs is receiving a lot of reps in pass protection. Mount Vernon leans on throwing the football as evidenced by their 46 attempts against Central Lee on Monday.

Wirfs showed solid footwork and understanding of setting up and using hands to fend off pass rushers. He got off-balance a few times but it was because the Central Lee players tried to sneak around him rather than engage and be tossed aside.

Central Lee tried several different sized players to penetrate Wirfs’ side and get to quarterback Drew Adams. He overpowered the smaller, quicker edge rushers. The bigger defenders weren’t fast enough to get around him.

Wirfs is a good athlete who explodes off the ball. While the Mustangs don’t run as much as pass, he shows plenty of agility and ability to get quickly to the second level when they do.

Wirfs still needs polish and continued work on his feet as the only bumps in his evening Monday was when a smaller, quicker defenders sidestepped him. He’ll also need to work in the off-season on run blocking to advance in that area.

Overall, there’s a ton to like about Wirfs. He plays physically and with an edge as you can see in our highlights below. I really think he has a ceiling to be a star at the next level if he keeps progressing.