Week 3 Game Balls: 3A

There was a lot of exciting high school football in week 3 in Class 3A.  Here are some of the top players from week 3.   1.  Jaxson Haraughty QB Columbus The 5’11 165 lb Junior QB rushed for 3 TD and passed for 17 yards in the 26-7 victory over Girard.  He is an effective passer who quickly reads the defense and delivers an accurate ball on the correct shoulder of the receiver on short passes and screens enabling him to maximize yards after the catch.  Shows very good ability to deliver the ball with touch while on the move.  A dual threat who shows very good mobility on QB designs and option runs as he shows good burst through the hole and uses his play speed to outrun defenders. 2.   [player_tooltip player_id="35496" first="Canon" last="Karn"] RB/LB Holton The 6’1 205 lb Senior RB/LB had an excellent game against Perry-Lecompton as he contributed 8 tackles and a sack on defense as well as 154 yds on the ground in a 28-14 loss.  On offense, he quickly accelerates to max speed once he gets the ball in his hand and uses his athletic ability and play speed to outrun defenders.  A powerful runner who shows the ability to break tackles with ease.  On defense, he is able to stack the OL at the point of attack, shed the block, uses his instincts to take the correct angle to the rb and uses his play strength in his upper and lower body to bring him down with force.  A good pass rusher who uses his quickness to penetrate the LOS and his very good motor while pressuring the QB resulting in a sack or a hurry. 3. Gabe Martin RB Columbus The Junior RB from Columbus High School rushed for 173 yards and a TD on 23 carries in a 26-7 victory over Girard.  When looking at the film, Gabe Martin is a tough north-south runner who plays much bigger than his listed weight of 175 as he shows the power to consistently run over larger defenders such as defensive linemen and linebackers.  In addition to being a powerful runner, he also displays very good athletic ability as he accelerates in open field leading to big gains.  He shows very good contact balance as he can keep his balance and continue moving after the initial hit.  He shows excellent vision as he makes the right decision on which hole to runs through on zone runs. 4. [player_tooltip player_id="35409" first="Adam" last="Callahan"] LB/RB Baldwin The play of the 6’0 200 lb Senior LB was a bright spot in Baldwin’s 32-6 loss against Louisburg.  He contributed 12.5 tackles while playing with tremendous heart throughout the game. In addition to his impressive numbers on defense, he also added 108 yds on the ground. He is an intelligent player who uses his football intelligence to read the QB, uses his range and play speed to play sideline to sideline in pursuit and shows good form tackling ability by playing at a good pad level and using his power and leverage to drive through the ball carrier when making a tackle.  He is also a competitive and mentally tough player who consistently makes plays in the red zone and at the goal line. Kaden Dillon QB/DB Sabetha The 6’0 160 lb Senior looked great on both sides of the ball in Sabetha’s 29-22 defeat of Nemaha Central.  He had an INT on defense and threw a TD pass on offense.  As a QB, he quickly reads the defense, finds the open receiver and delivers an accurate ball on short, intermediate and deep throws.  Displays good mobility as he uses his play speed on QB design runs to elude defenders and can make big plays with his legs.  In addition to his very good scrambling ability, he is not afraid to lower his shoulder in an attempt to run over a defender while trying to gain a couple of extra yards. On defense, he uses his football intelligence to read the QB and uses his play speed and range in pursuit of the ball carrier both RB and WR and delivers a powerful hit on contact.