Whether it's on offense defense or special teams, Mott-Regent senior Blaise Kautzman has been a big play threat for the Wildfire.
That danger to opponents, however, may be subsided for the rest of the season.
Kautzman will take the field wearing a cast on his right hand against St. John in the quarterfinals of the nine-man playoffs at 1:30 p.m. today in Mott.
"It's a little harder to pick up the ball but I have enough finger space to catch it," Kautzman said.
The Wildfire wide receiver, defensive back and return specialist broke his thumb last weekend in Mott-Regent's 34-8 second-round win over North Central Benson.
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The cast covers most of his thumb but leaves the other four fingers free.
"I still like the idea of using him as a deep threat because he can still out run people and still catch the ball," Mott-Regent coach Ron Benson said.
Kautzman has been a quiet force, making the most out of his limited touches.
Defensively, he has picked off four balls and has 30 total tackles.
Mirroring the explosiveness of teammate Brock Gion, Kautzman has used his 11 catches to total 368 yards this season, scoring seven touchdowns.
"He's a good athlete. He's quick at 6-foot-2," Benson said. "He can jump so he has a lot of skills. That's his number one thing. He's tall and quick."
Kautzman might be the most dangerous, and is having the most fun, however, when he is returning punts and kicks.
"It's fun watching things open up, watching all the blocks in front of me," Kautzman said. "You get behind Nick Kautzman and he's laying three kids out on every play."
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The Wildfire's return specialist is averaging 29.1 yards on punts and has broken four loose for touchdowns. He's even more dangerous on kick returns, though Mott-Regent's defense has made them a rarity.
"We don't receive a lot of kickoffs and they don't kick to him either," Benson said.
Kautzman is averaging 45.8 yards on his three kick returns, taking one to the end zone.
"His teammates are blocking well for him," Benson said. "They like anytime they get a chance to block in the open field. I don't know if it's a disease or what but they all want to get involved."
While Kautzman will be able to catch passes on offense and knock down balls on defense, Benson said he is unsure on whether or not he will risk using Kautzman on special teams.
"He's been catching the ball real well in practice but now the question is do we keep him on punt return and kick return?" Benson said.
As of Friday afternoon, Benson said Kautzman will likley not return punts, but he may still return kickoffs, carrying and squeezing the ball in his left arm.
Kautzman will eventually have to undergo surgery but Benson said he will be able to wait until the Wildfire's season comes to an end, whether it is today or the state championship on Nov. 9.
