Sac-Joaquin Section’s Top 5 Returning Sack Leaders

As football has evolved into a passing game, getting after the quarterback has become extremely important. Defensive coordinators spend hours designing blitz schemes and in the NFL, top-tier pass rushers are given nine-figure contracts. Having at least a couple of players who can get pressure is essential to having a successful defense. Luckily, the Sac-Joaquin Section has plenty of talent in that department. Here is a look at the area’s top five returning sack leaders and a snapshot of what they bring to the table. <strong>Samari Russo - Buhach Colony - DE - Class of 2021</strong> <em><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/samari-russo/0K1PdUf4EeiAxvL2rdhhtw/football/stats.htm#year=19-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 Stats</a>: 12.5 sacks, 69 total tackles, 22 TFLs</em> Russo is an edge defender who wins with his high football IQ and impressive athletic ability. Against the run, he has very good mental processing which combined with his good quickness and agility allows him to honor his gap, squeeze, and make tackles on inside runs. The Buhach Colony product also is good in pursuit as he displays good effort, acceleration, and angles on plays away from him. As exemplified by his high sack total, there’s a lot to like about Russo as a pass rusher. He has good use of hands to swipe the offensive lineman’s arms away to go along with good agility and hip mobility to get on an edge and win with an arm over move. Also, his good pass rush motor and closing speed allow him to get coverage sacks. Russo does have a tendency to play with high pad level and could use some extra strength to avoid getting washed on down blocks; however, there is plenty of room growth within his frame to suggest that issue can easily be fixed with some extra time in the weight room. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9897363/Samari-Russo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hudl Profile</a> <strong>Jesus Garcia - McNair - DE/OLB - Class of 2021</strong> <em><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/jesus-garcia/TTODdYeyEeeT-Oz0u-e-FA/football/stats.htm#year=19-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 Stats</a>: 10.5 sacks, 34 total tackles, 12.5 TFLs</em> A versatile outside linebacker who can play on the line of scrimmage or off the ball. Whether he’s lined up as an edge defender or blitzing from a traditional linebacker spot, Garcia has very good acceleration off the snap of the ball to get into the offense’s backfield. He combines this with good bend to take an efficient pass rush route and quickly close on the quarterback. When tackling, he has good pad level and wraps up the ball carrier’s legs to consistently bring quarterbacks and running backs down. The Stockon native also can drop in coverage and has good ball skills to get interceptions and pass breakups. If he starts using his hands when taking on blocks and adds a couple of pass rush moves other than winning with speed and bend, he should have no probably topping the sack charts again in 2020. Garcia was also a significant contributor on special teams last season, adding a blocked punt and field goal to his resume. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11430320/Jesus-Garcia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hudl Profile</a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25347" first="Zack" last="Mercado"] - Vacaville Christian - DT - Class of 2022</strong> <em><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/zach-mercado/87mINYCeEeiAyNdjx8XCRA/football/stats.htm#year=19-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 Stats</a>: 10 sacks, 119 total tackles, 26 TFLs</em> As an upcoming junior, Mercado will be one of the most intriguing players to watch over the next couple of years at the Division VI level of the section. He has very good play strength - especially for his age - to shed blocks and make tackles in his gap against the run. Even if he can’t completely defeat the block, he’s strong enough to make tackles with offensive linemen hanging on him. As a pass rusher, the Falcon has multiple tools in his tool belt as he wins with an arm over, bull rush, rip, and hump moves. Also, he’s a snap to whistle type of player, displaying good effort and angles to make tackles down the field on broken plays and runs away from him. Once Mercado starts getting his timing down when shooting his hands, he’ll become a nightmare for opposing offenses. The junior will be a player that offensive and defensive coordinators at the next level will fight over because he’s an impressive center/guard as well. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11189762/Zack-Mercado" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hudl Profile</a> <strong>Dylan Shaw - Casa Roble - DE - Class of 2021</strong> <em><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dylan-shaw/UEBcDKI6EeiAxKkkK9HIDg/football/stats.htm#year=19-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 Stats</a>: 9.5 sacks, 68 total tackles, 13 TFLs</em> Despite having a high sack count in 2019, Shaw is most impressive as a run defender. At the point of attack, he has good physicality and play strength to get extension and hold his ground against base blocks. Also, he displays good mental processing and quickness against inside runs combined with good pad level and force when tackling to make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. On runs away from him, the Casa Roble product displays good effort, angles, and open field tackling to make plays in pursuit. As a pass rusher, he wins with a good hand swipe and rip move and has solid agility to execute stunts. If Shaw can add another pass rush move or two to his arsenal and develop a more consistent pass rush plan, he’ll become a more complete player and a dominating force at the Division IV level of the section. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/8175810/Dylan-Shaw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hudl Profile</a> <strong>Isaiah Byars - Cosumnes Oaks - OLB - Class of 2021</strong> <em><a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/isaiah-byars/C0osJaSREeeT-Oz0u-e-FA/football/stats.htm#year=19-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2019 Stats</a>: 9 sacks, 111 total tackles, 15 TFLs</em> It was a bit of a surprise to see Bobbitt-Byars top the sack charts last season as he primarily played as an off-ball linebacker. However, he has very good acceleration when blitzing to either force the ball out or close on the quarterback. When lined up on the line of scrimmage, he has good change of direction skills and explosion out of his cuts to win with an inside stick move, and he has a good burst off the ball combined with good bend to take efficient pass-rushing routes on the outside. Against the run, the Cosumnes Oaks product has good mental processing to quickly diagnose the play and breaks down in the backfield to be in a good position to bring down the running back. He also has good tackling form as he uses good pad level and consistently wraps up. As a hybrid player, he also has good coverage skills with good hip mobility and change of direction to open towards the sideline during his drop and still be able to cover dig routes over the middle. Also, Bobbitt-Byars’ acceleration and good tackling form allow him to prevent yards after the catch on short passes when covering the curl to flat area in zone coverage. If he can put on some more strength to add some power moves to his pass rush tool belt and become a more forceful tackler, he’ll become a defensive coordinator’s dream player. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9487370/Isaiah-BobbittByars" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hudl Profile</a>