Offensive Underclassmen of the Week

Some young faces lit it up in Arizona on Friday night with some solid performances. Everywhere from the city to the small towns, the young bucks showed up to play. Take a look at 5 underclassman who played lights out on Friday: Matthew McClelland, QB, Gilbert Arete Prep (C/O 2022) McClelland was unreal on Friday by accumulating 7 total TD’s with 616 total yards. He threw for 326 yards and 3 TD’s while adding another 290 yards and 4 TD’s on the ground in a 58-57 loss. McClelland did a great job of throwing his receivers open, and was very accurate throwing on the run in both directions. He was a flat out playmaker, as he was consistently turning would be sacks into first downs. McClelland was elusive as a ball carrier and showed very impressive speed and vision. He was able to accelerate to top speed quickly and showed to be a shifty, slippery ball carrier. His athleticism gives him a major upside for recruiting, and should continue to have a solid junior season.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-46178" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/08/IMG_20200825_161759832_HDR-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="42871" first="Zach" last="Hammett"], ATH., River Valley HS (C/O 2022) I mentioned Hammett was a stud sleeper in the pre-season, and he went off. He played one half of football in the 56-0 blowout vs Kingman Academy, while touching the ball a total of 9 times with 5 total TD’s. He was clearly on a different level than anyone on the field. He showed great speed with lateral agility and quickness, and he hits top speed very quick which separated him from everyone else. He took 2 punt returns to the house, which included a 75 yard TD in which he juked and shook about 6 defenders. Hammett is an explosive athlete and can play nearly anywhere on the field, which will be a big factor in his recruiting. Savion Boone, WR, Fountain Hills HS (C/O 2022) Boone proved he could not be covered by reeling in 12 receptions for 275 yards and 5 TD’s, which included the game winner in the 48-47 comeback win vs Florence. He did a great job forcing an outside release with good technique on fades and hole shots. DB’s started to play him 8-10 yards off, and he was still able to use his speed and explosiveness out of breaks to get over the top of them. He did a solid job of continuing his route with the flow of the play as the Fountain Hills QB was able to find him downfield multiple times while scrambling. Boone thrived off pressure, and was able to step up big for Fountain Hills. [player_tooltip player_id="42811" first="Angel" last="Flores"], QB, Casa Grande HS (C/O 2022)<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24525" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-4-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> Flores had a solid game Friday by throwing for 148 yards and 3 TD’s and adding another 94 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground. Flores showed the ability to fit the ball in tight windows with good velocity, had good timing with receives, and had a good pocket presence. He had an impressive 30 yard TD run in which he put a move on the linebacker through the middle, and showed good speed in the second level to take it to the house. Conner Aldridge, QB, Trivium Prep (C/O 2023) Aldridge threw for 364 yards and 4 TD’s in the 27-26 loss to Scottsdale Prep. He accounted for all of Trivium’s TD’s, and proved to be a tough competitor. He was slinging it around during his 25 attempts, and was able to connect with Luke Willingham for 235 of those yards. As a sophomore, Aldridge will continue to mold into a solid QB and will be an upcoming stud throughout the next couple years.