Game Balls: Week 5

Each week after watching the film and going through the stats, we would like to recognize standouts and award “Game Balls” for their performance.  Here is a group of players that earned the PrepRedzone IN Game Balls for week 5… <ul> <li>K Spencer Hanna, Carmel</li> </ul> Kickers need love too! Spencer Hanna’s performance on Friday night is arguably the game ball of the year through 5 weeks. Trailing Lawrence North 33-34 with 3.6 second remaining in the game, Hanna lined up for a 34 yard FG, and nailed it for a 36-34 Carmel win.  Not only was this a high pressure situation that many kickers end up shanking, Lawrence North made a hard push up front and came close to blocking it.  The execution was perfect, as he put plenty of loft on the ball, and probably could have made it from another 10+ yards back.  This kick alone would have earned him a game ball, but he did much more than nail a walk-off field goal. The game winner happened to be his 5th made FG of the day.  The 5 FG’s broke the school record and pushed the Greyhounds to 3-2 on the season.  Hanna has yet to miss a FG or extra point this season, and has turned himself into an intriguing college prospect.  When college coaches are looking to scholarship a kicker... leg strength, accuracy, and mental toughness are all very important.  He was already one of the best in the state going into this season, so it is really impressive to see how much he has developed in the past year. Hanna has vastly improved his accuracy, added distance to his ball, and has proven to have ice in his veins. <ul> <li>RB Breken Greene, Mooresville</li> </ul> Considering how explosive both offenses have been this season, I expected a potential shootout going into this game. Instead, we saw a 20-14 Mooresville victory that didn’t have a single point scored in the 2nd half. Led by Breken Greene, It was the Mooresville running game that was able to control the game, and ultimately lead to a big win.  This wasn’t any old victory for the Pioneers, it was a win that put them 5-0 on the season, and a win over a Decatur Central team that they have struggled with. Greene carried the ball 22 times for 139 yards / 2 TD’s, and this game could have gone in a different direction if it wasn’t for his clutch performance.  While only listed at 5’6" 160 pounds, Greene’s game is much bigger than his frame.  This is a scat back with great feet, cutting ability, burst, and speed for the big play.  Mooresville is having a special season, and will need to rely on similar performances from Greene to keep it rolling. <ul> <li>RB Cameron Hovey, Sheridan</li> </ul> With the game tied 7-7 late in the second quarter, Cameron Hovey took the ball 55 yards for a TD.  This was a pivotal play, as Sheridan never looked back on their way to a 34-7 victory over Clinton Prairie.  Football is a game of momentum.  A single play can change the entire course of a game, and the 55 yard TD before halftime is the definition of a game changing play. Carrying the ball 28 times for 244 yards and 3 TD’s, Hovey was an absolute workhorse on the night.  His 55 yard TD wasn’t his only explosive run either, his other two touchdowns were on runs of 32 and 39 yards respectively. Big games aren’t new for Hovey as he has 10 games with over 100 yards rushing in his career.  Of those 10 games, he went for over 200 yards 3 times, and over 300 yards another 3 times. Listed at 5’11" 195, Hovey has good size for a college RB prospect.  His ability to hit the home run at his size really stands out when evaluating him. Not only is he a physical runner, he has proven capable of handling the entire backfield workload by carrying the ball as many as 53 times in a single game. <ul> <li>DL [player_tooltip player_id="39040" first="Caden" last="Curry"], Center Grove</li> </ul> It seems like the entire Center Grove defense could be awarded game balls on a weekly basis at this point.  They have pitched shutouts in three consecutive games, and only given up 26 points this entire season.  The Trojans dominance starts up front, as they absolutely control the line of scrimmage.  Between [player_tooltip player_id="39040" first="Caden" last="Curry"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38894" first="Austin" last="Booker"], opposing offenses have to pick their poison on which national recruit the are going to scheme around.  Curry is an absolute beast, and it could be argued that he is the best 2022 interior DL prospect in the nation. With his incredible combination of size and and explosiveness, he is practically unblockable at the HS level.  A defensive lineman doesn’t always have to put up big stats to have a major impact on the game, as offenses will often scheme away and double team them.  Even while attempting to do that, Curry was able to notch 6 tackles and 2 sacks on the night.  He is only a Jr in HS, but it is safe to say that we could be watching him play on Sundays in a few years.