Underrated junior defensive stars from 2020 fall season

With the fall season in the books, we take a look back at some of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball at all three levels: the defensive line, linebacker core and in the secondary. This is a look at some of the underrated prospects from the Class of 2022 that had solid seasons this past fall. <h2><strong>Defensive line</strong></h2> We’ll start with getting a solid edge rusher who can also set the edge in stopping the run. <strong>Coulson Hollembeak</strong> of Hotchkiss had seven sacks this past fall, one of the best for junior defensive ends in the state. He does a good job staying home and making plays on counter and read-option runs his way. When his team gets to passing downs, he plays downfield with great leverage and finishes at contact. As he continues to build in his 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame, his IQ and fundamentals will continue to give him an advantage. On the interior, there are two prospects from Class 1A that have great size and athleticism. First is [player_tooltip player_id="58944" first="Aidyn" last="Shafer"] of Holyoke, a solid small-school prospect at 6-foot and 260 pounds. He plays with a physical streak on both sides of the ball, and his size and strength allowed him to handle smaller lineman and to draw double teams to open up room for others to make plays. He finished with 61 tackles and recovered three fumbles in six games. The other is <strong>Mohamed Ibrahim</strong> of Wiggins, a big prospect at 6-foot-3 who is nimble on his feet. His skill set allowed him to record 60 tackles and an interception in seven games. <h4><strong>Others to watch</strong></h4> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22716" first="Cade" last="Killin"], Holyoke; Cesar Hinojos, Brush; Ryan Dirksen, Eaton; Logan Hafey, Moffat County.</strong> <h2><strong>Linebackers</strong></h2> There are plenty of solid linebacker prospects in the state. For this position group, we look at the guys who found their way to the football and fly all over the field. First up is [player_tooltip player_id="22729" first="Ian" last="Loomis"] of Loveland. A defensive MVP for the Class 4A state champions, he was a tackling machine, finishing with 105 total tackles. He can play downfield and rush the passer (four sacks) but can also drop in coverage and get in passing lanes (three interceptions). He is a complete linebacker and find himself around the football in every game that he plays. A good anchor from the middle linebacker spot is <strong>Bode Greiner</strong> of Montrose. He is 6-foot and 205 pounds and works well in space. He is physical and a sure tackler when he makes the point of contact. His season ended with 92 tackles and a sack. The other linebacker selected is an outside linebacker who excelled in pass rush off the edge and from the second level. <strong>Clayton Robinson</strong> of Roosevelt would record 5.5 sacks on the season, disrupting pass plays and getting pressure on quarterbacks on multiple occasions. While he did a good job rushing the passer, he could also drop in coverage and break up passes. While undersized at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, he plays with great heart that makes up for it. <h4><strong>Others to watch</strong></h4> <strong>Zach Buhr, Centauri; [player_tooltip player_id="22736" first="Dorian" last="Pacheco"] Lutheran; Cole Carlucci, Monarch.</strong> <h2><strong>Secondary</strong></h2> In the secondary, we find a number of ball hawks that can lock things up on the back end. <strong>Nate Early</strong> of Banning Lewis Academy led the state with seven interceptions. The rangy defensive back displays the athleticism and sure hands to follow receivers closely and win battles in the air to haul in passes. In addition to his seven interceptions, Early made 35 tackles on the back end for his team. The other two defensive backs on the list had six interceptions each. First is [player_tooltip player_id="58955" first="Eddie" last="Lemos"] of Resurrection Christian. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound safety plays great in space and lock things up over the middle of the field for the Cougars. As for [player_tooltip player_id="22732" first="Kahden" last="Rullo"] of Grandview, he played at the outside cornerback position and was strong in both zone and man coverage. He can also come up field and make tackles in the run game. His versatility resulted in 34 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. <h4><strong>Others to watch</strong></h4> <strong>AJ St. James, Arvada West; Curtis Jackson, Fountain-Fort Carson; Gage Sims, Conifer; Tyson Williams, Loveland.</strong>