Jesuit-Holy Cross: Top Performers Evaluations

Jesuit and Holy Cross played in their 101^st rivalry game this past weekend but for the first time in Southeastern’s stadium. After a lopsided first half in favor of the Blue Jays, Holy Cross came back in the second half but ended up losing 28-20. A few players stood out to me that game and after watching some film on them, here are my evaluations on the six standout players of the game. <u>Jesuit</u> William Hankins, 6’2”, 195, FS Senior William Hankins is a very talented safety coming off of a strong junior season campaign. He has the ideal size of a collegiate free safety combined with good athleticism. Hankins has good ball skills and has contributed numerous pass break ups and interceptions. Although he is not a big time tackler, he has shown to be able to make some big hits and is exceptional in tracking down ball carriers from behind. In addition, he is a nightmare for opposing return teams to deal with on both kick and punt returns. If Hankins can improve his technique in the secondary and continue to get faster and stronger, he could be a steal for a collegiate program next year. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="63738" first="Luke" last="Besh"], 6’1”, 185, WR, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63738" first="Luke" last="Besh"] is the top receiving target for the Blue Jays’ offense this year. He comes into the season with a lot of experience and has not disappointed this year. He has good size playing usually as an outside receiver, but I can see him playing more in the slot at the next level. Besh has deceiving speed and very good hands making him a consistently reliable target. His route running would need to improve to be a very effective slot receiver, but with his size, speed, and hands has great potential. &nbsp; Luke LaForge, 6’2”, 200, QB/WR/LS, Senior Luke LaForge is one of the more intriguing players to scout in Louisiana. While he starts the games at quarterback, he plays about every other series at receiver. In addition, he is an exceptional long snapper which will probably be the position he is most sought out to play in college. He has good arm strength and running ability as a quarterback, but will need to improve his accuracy to be a quarterback at the next level. As a receiver, he is a tall target with good hands making him tough to matchup against with smaller defenders in the secondary. I am very interested to see how LaForge’s recruitment goes being such a versatile prospect. &nbsp; Jack Larriviere, 6’2”, 205, QB, Junior Jack Larriviere is the other quarterback for the Blue Jays this season. He switched every series with LaForge during the Holy Cross game and played very well in helping Jesuit beat their biggest rival. Larriviere is also an athletic quarterback who likes to run but is a more consistent passer for the Blue Jays. With ideal height and weight and the expected full time starter for Jesuit next season, he could become a big time prospect in the 2022 quarterback class. &nbsp; <u>Holy Cross</u> [player_tooltip player_id="63597" first="Jaden" last="Handy"], 5’10”, 195, RB, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63597" first="Jaden" last="Handy"] is a dynamic playmaker for the Holy Cross offense. He is an every down back who also lines up plenty as a slot receiver and is just as effective. Handy runs hard and has great vision. He has good speed and decent cutting ability. His ability to be a receiver out of the backfield or in the slot is the part of his game that separates him from most running backs. He has numerous rushing touchdowns this year as well as receiving touchdowns making him a tough threat for defenses to gameplan against. Handy has multiple D1 offers and has already verbally committed to Tulane, but I expect him to get more offers before this season is over with. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="63576" first="Kolbe" last="Cage"], 6’0”, 210, OLB/SS, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63576" first="Kolbe" last="Cage"] is a hard hitting outside linebacker for the Tigers who has the ability to play strong safety as well. A strong and fast player, Cage is solid at getting off blocks and loves to fly in and make big hits either in the backfield or downfield. He is also a very good special teams player, making big blocks on return teams and tracking down returners while defending them. Cage is a much more natural linebacker, but will need to gain weight to play the position in college or move to a safety or nickel position. Because of his speed, strength, and tenacious play, he will be a great option for coaches to turn into a project at the next level.