Defensive Playmakers to Watch

You hear about it all the time – defense wins championships. There will be a lot of impactful players on the defensive side of the ball this upcoming season. Let’s take a look at some defensive playmakers you should watch once the 2020 season kicks off. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27938" first="Michael" last="Dotro"], Brearley, Sr.</strong> – Dotro has been a force at linebacker for Brearley the last three years. He can break through offenses and he’s incredible on his pursuit to the ball carrier. Dotro totaled 85 tackles last year despite missing two games, and he has 240 in his high school career. Dotro had three sacks a season ago and finished with six double-digit tackling performances. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27880" first="Demie" last="Sumo"], Willingboro, Sr.</strong> – Sumo, an NC State commit, made a ton of plays last year at strong safety. In addition to 52 tackles, the Willingboro playmaker recorded four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions in his junior year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27930" first="Brendan" last="Hughes"], Park Ridge, Sr.</strong> – Hughes made his presence known last year at Park Ridge. He had 10 sacks on the year, with his top performances coming against Bogota (2 sacks), Emerson Boro (2 sacks) and Weehawken (3 sacks). Hughes also finished with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and 95 tackles – with four double-digit tackling showings. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27868" first="Keshon" last="Griffin"], St. Joseph (Hammonton), Sr.</strong> – In-state Rutgers is getting a good one with Griffin. The three-star linebacker had 51 tackles, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, four pass defenses 2 ½ sacks and an interception. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27949" first="Anthony" last="Henriquez"] Jr., Hoboken, Sr.</strong> – Henriquez was a defensive presence last year with a whopping 149.5 tackles and two sacks for Hoboken at linebacker. He had double-digit tackles in every game, including 19 apiece against Weequahic and Verona. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27983" first="Q’yaeir" last="Price"], DePaul, Jr.</strong> – Price has been recruited by some major programs in college football. A three/four-star recruit, he had 73 tackles and 11 sacks a season ago as a sophomore for DePaul. That included 10 tackles and three sacks against St. Peter’s Prep. <strong>Other Names:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27968" first="Kenny" last="Fletcher"], Delran, Jr. DL</strong> <strong>Jake Louro, Red Bank Catholic, Sr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27902" first="Ethan" last="Hunt"], St. Joseph (Hamm.), Sr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28006" first="Charlie" last="Sasso"], Wall, Jr. LB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27977" first="Jihaad" last="Campbell"], Timber Creek, Jr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27890" first="Louce" last="Julien"], Orange, Sr. </strong> <strong>Christian Lebrun, St. Peter’s Prep, Jr. DB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27883" first="Mike" last="Jarvis"], Shawnee, Sr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27926" first="Frankie" last="Monte"], St. Joseph (Mont.), Sr. LB</strong> <strong>A.J. Pena, Somerville, Sr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27875" first="Jordan" last="Thompson"], Parsippany Hills, Sr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27895" first="Ryan" last="Ruane"], Rumson-Fair Haven, Sr. S</strong> <strong>John Testa, Wayne Valley, Sr. LB</strong> <strong>Dominick Brogna, Bergen Catholic</strong>, <strong>Jr. DL</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27894" first="Josh" last="Toner"], Cherokee, Sr. DL</strong> <strong>Kahri Banton, West Side, Sr. LB</strong> <strong>George Rooks, St. Peter’s Prep, Sr. DE</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27867" first="Mikai" last="Gbayor"], Irvington, Sr. LB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27870" first="Duce" last="Chestnut"], Camden, Sr. DB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27859" first="Tywone" last="Malone"], Bergen Catholic, Sr. DE</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27878" first="Desmond" last="Igbinosun"], Union, Sr. S</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27899" first="Dominick" last="Giudice"], Mater Dei, Sr. DE</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="27860" first="Aaron" last="Armitage"], Blair, Sr. DE</strong>