6A Region II Defensive Underclassmen On The Rise

Herman Thomas December 1, 2020 @ 08:04 AM

These underclassmen have left their marks on this season and have contributed to their teams success. They all have the potential to play next level ball and with training and continued experience, it will happen. These are names you may want to get familiar with because you will see and hear them pop up for the next few years. I am excited to see how each of these players step up their game for the playoffs. Jarra Anderson SO - DL, Cypress Park - Anderson is a two way player who is dominant on both sides of the ball. He is a raw player who just goes. Anderson goes 100 mph every play and if he makes a mistake, its just as fast. Great effort from him. From the start, he has an great first step and explosion out of stance. Uses his length to his advantage. Presses arms and locks out in order to see what's happening in the backfield and shows incredible ability to get off of blocks. Anderson leads the district in tackles for losses with 18.5 and is second in sacks with 6.5. I believe he possesses a great body frame to continue growing physically and with the experience he is getting, Anderson will be an issue in the upcoming years. Remember the name. Dylan Rogers SO - LB, Cypress Woods - The first thing you notice about Rogers is his size. He pops out on film at the linebacker position and he does not disappoint. Rogers has a nose for finding the ball. He is either making the tackle of involved in the play. He does a great job of flowing with the ball and not getting caught up in blocks. Once he sees the ball, Rogers puts his foot in the ground and attacks. He sits third in total tackles in the district with 70. He is another underclassmen who shows potential and somebody you may want to watch grow as a player. Ashton Porter SO - DE, Cypress Ranch - Porter has the ideal frame for a college edge rusher. Great, long reach and decent speed to go along with his physicality. Shows very good hustle as well. As a sophomore, Porter has racked up 3 sacks on the season as well as 10 tackles for loss. The potential is high for Porter and the play time he is getting now will only make him better. Utilizes dip and rip move well and shows good quickness off the snap. As said before, the more he plays the more he will develop and I believe he will be a favorite in the state. Looking forward to covering him in the future. Teylan Nelson JR - LB, Cypress Ranch - Nelson is a true thumper. A great open field tackler who can also bring the pain. He does a great job avoiding blockers and not giving them a full body. Nelson is quick on his reads and attacks. A great run stopper who fills gaps correctly and can run you down from sideline to sideline as well. Nelson has also been positioned on the edge and provides a great rush from that position. I would love to see him drop back into coverage more to get a look at it but as for now his ability to blitz from the second level is fantastic. Nelson is eighth in the district in total tackles with 54 with 7.5 being for a loss.