Ten Standout Players from Newman’s and Mandeville’s Wins

Two games I was able to watch last weekend were Newman vs. Booker T. Washington and Mandeville vs. Slidell. Although Newman and Mandeville both won pretty handedly, all four teams had players that stood out in those games. Here are my top players from the two games. <u>Newman</u> Arch Manning, 6’3”, 200, QB, Sophomore Arch Manning seems to have it all. Only a sophomore but in his second year as a starter, Manning has not only put up great numbers but has also shown the tools to be an elite quarterback at the next level. Manning has a very strong arm and consistently puts the ball in the right places. He has athletic ability that allows him to extend plays and scramble when needed. With ideal size to go along with his playing ability, Manning looks to be one of the top players in the 2023 class across the country. &nbsp; A.J. Johnson, 6’3”, 200, WR, Junior A.J. Johnson is playing his first year at Newman after sitting out a year for transferring. Even so, he has already collected scholarship offers from some of the best colleges around the country. He possesses great size to go along with special athletic talent. He is a crisp route runner and has already made some highlight catches most other receivers would not have been able to pull down. With a strong passing attack led by Manning, I’d expect Johnson to put up some crazy numbers in his two seasons with the Greenies. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="63646" first="Sterling" last="Scott"], 5’11”, 175, CB/RB, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63646" first="Sterling" last="Scott"] is currently a Harvard commitment, and they must be even more excited to welcome Scott next year after his performance last week. Scott accounted for three touchdowns against Booker T. Washington: one pick six and two rushing touchdowns. Scott is a great athlete who plays on both sides of the ball, but he will probably stick with cornerback at the next level. He is a very smart player who supposedly spends more time than anyone watching his opponents’ film. Scott has a knack for making plays and should continue to do so at the next level. &nbsp; <u>Booker T. Washington</u> Arnold Barnes, 5’9”, 190, RB, Sophomore Arnold Barnes is a shorter running back who makes it very difficult for defenders to wrap him up. He is a powerful runner who makes sure defenders regret trying to tackle him. He has good speed, but the strength of his game is running between the tackles. Only a sophomore this season, Barnes will look to make a name for himself while displaying some great stats over the next three years. &nbsp; <u>Slidell</u> [player_tooltip player_id="63693" first="Markeegan" last="Gray"], 5’10”, 175, FS/RB, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63693" first="Markeegan" last="Gray"] is a prominent player for Slidell on both sides of the ball. He rotates in at running back frequently, but he is their full time starter at free safety. His most potential is at safety; however, Gray had a more productive game against Mandeville playing running back. He showed great burst of speed on a few runs allowing himself to get the edge and run for big gains. He is good in coverage but needs to get more involved in defending the run to reach his full potential. &nbsp; Torian King, 5’10”, 180, RB, Senior Torian King got the Tigers off to a fast start scoring the first touchdown of the game against Mandeville on a fifteen yard run. He is good running between the tackles, but the best part of his game is beating defenders with speed to the outside. He looks to have good hands coming out the backfield. I think if he becomes a real threat in both the run game and the passing game, he can really improve his chances of impressing college coaches. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="63618" first="Gabriel" last="Carbajal"], 6’4”, 275, OT, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="63618" first="Gabriel" last="Carbajal"] has great size for an offensive tackle. His strength to his game is his run blocking and ability to reach defenders at the second level. He comes out of his stance pretty high which you can get away with in high school, but will need to improve on his flexibility and getting lower on defenders to be a good college offensive lineman. Even though he allowed a sack and a couple pressures on the quarterback against the Skippers, he looked athletic in pass protection attempting to block a much smaller and faster defensive end. With improved technique, I think he has potential to be a solid pass protector. &nbsp; <u>Mandeville</u> Landon Ibieta, 5’11”, 180, WR, Junior Landon Ibieta is one of the better receivers I’ve scouted this year in Louisiana. An average height receiver with deceiving speed, Ibieta is a fantastic route runner with great hands. He has a knack for finding the open wholes in defenses’ coverages. He can also beat defenders over the top mainly due to his crisp routes and stutter moves. Already with five touchdowns on the year, I think Ibieta will be in position to be one of the top receivers statistically in 5A this season. &nbsp; Douglas McGowan, 5’9”, 175, RB, Junior Douglas McGowan was not on my radar entering the Slidell game; however, he quickly changed that with his performance. McGowan scored the first touchdown for the Skippers on a sixteen yard receiving touchdown after running a nice angle route from the backfield He then contributed two more rushing touchdowns during the game. He is a hard runner who is at his best and most frequently runs north and south. He also showed his burst of speed on a thirty-eight yard run in the fourth quarter. McGowan is one of those runners that whenever you expect him to be tackled, he keeps running his legs for at least another two-three yards. I expect he will be on more coaches’ radars after his junior year and entering his senior season as the main every down back for the Skippers. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="63653" first="Caden" last="Costa"], 6’0”, 185, K/WR, Senior My favorite player from the Mandeville-Slidell game was [player_tooltip player_id="63653" first="Caden" last="Costa"]. Costa is committed to Ole Miss as a kicker, but he is also a solid receiver for the Skippers. All but one of Costa’s kickoffs were touchbacks against Slidell, frequently going through the uprights. Having to kickoff from his own twenty after a safety, Costa booted it seventy yards in the air to the Tigers’ ten yard line. His most impressive play of the game was his successful fifty yard field goal after playing every down at receiver of a two-minute drive to end the first half. In addition, Costa was targeted a few times at receiver and was used in the run game kicking out defensive ends after coming in motion. Costa is a tough player, and I cannot wait to watch him kick in college.