Game balls: Corky Kell Opener

Even without the benefit of spring practice, traditional summer workouts or a pre-season scrimmage, several players hit the ground running to begin the 2020 season. Cherokee defeated Carver (Atlanta) 38-12 in the opening game of the Corky Kell Classic and a few players on both sides looked ready to take the next step in their developments. <em><strong>CHEROKEE</strong></em> <strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="33903" first="Keith" last="Adams Jr"]., Class of 2022</strong> Adams earned Player of the Game honors in the season-opener after rushing for 174 yards on 17 carries with two scores. The powerful back (5’10” and 200 lbs) showed his ability to run over and around defenders while also displaying breakaway speed. His 73-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter broke the game open for Cherokee and Adams amassed his numbers while sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Middle Tennesee State was the first to offer Adams and since then several other colleges have shown strong interest including Tennesee-Chattanooga, Wake Forest and Central Florida among others. Expect this name to rise up the rankings by the end of the season. The potential is palpable for this young man. https://twitter.com/Patrick_J_OShea/status/1301325157395464193 <strong>DE Toby Thompson, Class of 2022</strong> Thompson finished the game with a team-high five tackles and one sack. His physical growth from last season seemed evident as he was in the backfield on a constant basis and could have easily tallied another sack or two. More than his strength, however, Thompson showed growth in his awareness on the field. He nearly intercepted a ball on a screen pass and was regularly forcing the running game away from his side of the field. Thompson has yet to receive any official offers but at 6’4” and 240 pounds I’d expect that to change this year. Has drawn attention from Wisconsin, Coastal Carolina and Middle Tennesee State among others. <strong>Riley Lyons, CB Class of 2021</strong> Lyons finished tied with Thompson with a team-high five tackles and added an interception in the second quarter for good measure. Possessing excellent size at the corner position (6’3” and 175 pounds) Lyons was an honorable mention all-county player as a junior. His athletic ability can transition to other positions as well, as he briefly filled in at quarterback during the second and third quarters. https://twitter.com/Patrick_J_OShea/status/1301290802581319681 <strong>CB Austin Trimble, Class of 2021</strong> Trimble possesses good size at the corner position (5’11” and 175 pounds) and continues to improve his technique. Cherokee likes to man-up on the outside and Trimble has become their primary lockdown corner over the past two seasons. Has above-average length and seems to play the ball well in the air. Finished with two interceptions last season and has drawn offers from Birmingham-Southern and Marist College. Could become a key player for Cherokee in his senior season and potentially make the jump to higher-level offers. https://twitter.com/Patrick_J_OShea/status/1301543708840603648 <em><strong>CARVER (ATLANTA)</strong></em> <strong>RB Jarveous Brown, Class of 2022</strong> Although his numbers weren’t eye-popping in week one, Brown showed he won’t be easy to bring down during his junior campaign. Once in space, Brown was more than capable of making defenders miss and took contact well in the open field. It remains to be seen if he can add to his frame (5’7” and 162 pounds) but he has excellent hands out of the backfield and was effective in the return game as well. In my estimation, has the ability to play at the NAIA or Division III level. <strong>WR DeAndre Buchanon, Class of 2023</strong> Only a sophomore, Buchanan (5’11” and 160 pounds) already looks like the best receiver on his team. Showed excellent ability to catch the ball away from his body on both screen passes and deep outs. His route running looks above average and I’d expect him to continue to develop in a college prospect over the next few seasons.