Previewing PA Prospects at the Legacy MW 7v7 in Michigan

The 6th annual Legacy  Midwest Champions 7v7 Tournament, a Pylon national qualifier, will be set to kick off in four days in Michigan with multiple ranked and soon-to-be-ranked prospects from Pennsylvania. We will preview said prospects in this piece and hope to again highlight any of them who perform well. We will break down the preview by Ranked and Soon-To-Be-Ranked categories.  

Ranked Propsects

Jake Phillips Jake Phillips 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Hempfield Area | 2023 State PA - QB 6’2", 190, Hempfield HS, C/O 2023 We begin with Hempfield’s multi-sport sophomore quarterback who carries the ideal build for his position. We saw 1500+ yards through the air and 17 total touchdowns out of Phillips this past season, all career highs for the young prospect on the rise. He keeps the football high and tight throughout his dropback. Phillips release is mechanically sound, problem is that release is pretty drawn out and hesitant to fire at times. I like his field vision, can see his head/eyes dart around the field from read to read trying to find an open target. Displays he can vary his ball velocity to ease in fades in the back of the endzone or rocket balls into tight windows down the seams. Phillips has to begin marrying his feet with his eyes. He sees where he wants to go with the football but isn’t always ready to throw, causing awkward deliveries and delivery angles, which then leads to inaccuracy. He isn’t a threat to run with his legs but is asked to throw on the run plenty by Hempfield. His deep ball accuracy and range are areas he can improve on. Noah Dudik Noah Dudik 5'11" | 165 lbs | WR Bishop Chatard | 2023 IN - WR/DB 5’11", 165, Norwin HS, C/O 2023 I like what I saw at defensive back from Dudik. Coaches around him have been speaking about how well his hands are developing on the offensive side of the ball. From his Hudl tapes, I like this prospect at defensive back. Multiple interceptions and multiple pass deflections are shown, as well as his knack for being at the right place at the right time. A ton of what Dudik does is solid. To some, solid is a bad connotation but not here. A solid break on the football, solid transition from backpedal to sprint, and solid ball skills. Dudik is accountable and trustworthy, you can’t ask for much more from a sophomore defensive back. Excited to see how his game has grown on the offensive side of the ball. Mikey Bentivegna Mikey Bentivegna 5'8" | 185 lbs | ATH York Suburban | 2023 State PA - RB/WR 5’8", 175, York Suburban HS, C/O 2023 What can’t Bentivegna do on the football field? It seems as if he excels anywhere you put him. Bentivegna is the best play-maker on this list and possibly the best athlete as well. He displays great open-field vision and awareness, great balance through the hole and in and out of his cuts, and great lateral agility with a ton of displacement when cutting. He can make you miss, run past you with good straight-line speed or attempt to run through you. He isn’t a physical menace by any means but is more than willing to lower his shoulder and make you earn a tackle. The York Suburban sophomore has the IQ to play safety and tracks the ball really well. This translates to wideout as well, where Bentivegna also gets reps. Little stiff in his route running but he displays really strong hands and his coaches clearly trust him to catch the ball out of the backfield, being heavily involved in the screen game behind the line of scrimmage. Oh yeah, this kid can absolutely lay the wood from his safety spot as well and return punts and kicks. We expect big things at this event for Mikey. Aanjay Feliciano Aanjay Feliciano 6'2" | 195 lbs | WR Conrad Weiser | 2022 State PA - WR 6’2", 180, Conrad Weiser HS, C/O 2022 If there was a physical menace on this list it would be this kid. The junior at Conrad Weiser boasts an impressive muscular build that he uses to box out and ward off physical defensive back play from his wide-out spot. Feliciano accounted for 28 receptions, 600 yards, and 7 touchdowns this past season. He is a legitimate deep threat thanks to his long stride that allows him to separate downfield and his good ball tracking skills. I like his alignment versatility, he isn’t a one-trick pony as many bigger targets are. The best part of his game is exactly what you’d figure an almost 6’3 receiver to have. High-pointing ability. He can leap and snag balls out of the air over defenders’ heads. He tends to do whatever he wants against smaller DB’s. He isn’t spectacular after the catch. He’d prefer to beat you by building up speed and lowering his shoulder to gain extra yards. There are reps to be found at defensive back and punt returner that intrigues us as to how well he’ll do at this event. Jahiem White Jahiem White 5'9" | 190 lbs | RB William Penn (York) | 2023 State PA - RB 5’9", 185, William Penn, C/O 2023 If anyone were to rival or surpass Bentivegna’s playmaking ability on this list, its Jahiem White Jahiem White 5'9" | 190 lbs | RB William Penn (York) | 2023 State PA . 1300 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns accounted for this past season. The Hudl tape was fun to watch. The big-bodied running back boasted a whopping 11 yards per carry last season showing off his home-run hitting ability by taking two 90+ yard runs to the house. Defenders are often reluctant to take on White in the open field, so they’ll have a night off at the event knowing they won’t have to bring down this kid over and over. He displays impressive acceleration through the front seven and gets downhill in a flash. His combination of good vision and great toughness allows him to be pretty much automatic in the red zone. Deceptively quick feet, he runs through so many defenders, his lateral movement tends to catch guys off-guard frequently. White flashed impressive pass-catching ability towards the end of his tapes. That’s what I want to see more of, just how well can he catch the ball? It’ll determine whether or not he gets a jump in our rankings.

Soon to be Ranked

Cruce Brookins - DB/QB 6’0", 170, Steel Valley HS, C/O 2023 There has been hype growing around this prospect as multiple coaches I have spoken to have raved about this kid’s development. I’ve heard Cruce has been able to lock up some of the best talent the 2023 class has to offer. His Hudl doesn’t necessarily show an elite-level defensive back, but what it does show is an impressive improvement from freshman to sophomore year. The long-limbed and somewhat scrawny freshman put on some pounds and is starting to fill out his pads. No matter his weight, Brookins plays with an attitude and an edge about him. He seeks to be physical and play the ball and time after time, there he is disrupting passes. Quick feet and poise at the cornerback spot, as well as an accountable tackler as the defenses’ last resort. Reps at quarterback allow him to show off his athleticism and explosiveness in the open field. How Brookins plays at this event isn’t the end-all-be-all to his development, yet I can say we are excited to see if he has developed any further.

  Zaire Warren - DB 5’10", 150, Valley HS, C/O 2022 The soon-to-be senior at Valley HS shows off some stellar athleticism and versatility. Warren may be in a situation that warrants him to stay at defensive back because I think he can excel at multiple spots on the field. He’s a highly productive kick/punt returner who’s got some good ball skills! He’s a turnover waiting to happen as he plays the opposing player’s triangle really well. He’s got some of the best turn and run ability on this list. He carries excellent change of direction ability as well as good open-field vision and awareness. I would love to see more reps at wide-out or more reps with the ball in his hands in any way. I think there’s more player left to uncover with Warren. This event should highlight his ball skills and athleticism, we’ll be looking for it. Kavan Markwood - LB/DB 5’11", 181, South Allegheny HS, C/O 2022 Good dual prospect here who is equally skillful at running back as he is at linebacker. Kavan Markwood, a junior out of South Allegheny HS is an angry runner who excels in the red zone. He’s got a low center of gravity and can get skinny in the trenches. Where I like Markwood is at linebacker, specifically outside. The reps at running back translate over to the defensive side of the ball where Markwood is often meeting ball carriers in the hole before backs can even get there. He’s decisive in his movements and doesn’t show hesitation when attempting to fill gaps. He’s willing to take on blocks and shed them with speed, using quick hands and feet to flash past initial blocking. His best trait is his impressive get-off the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t have the ideal build to rush the passer but can absolutely wreak havoc as a timely blitzer off the edge. Would love to see what Kavan brings to the table at a 7v7. Hands? Pass-coverage?

  Gino Caesar - WR/LB 5’10", 200, Hempfield HS, C/O 2023 The next three players can all be tied for the toughest of the list. We start off with Gino Caesar, who primarily plays outside linebacker for Hempfield. As Markwood can beat you with quickness around blocks, Caesar wants to win with power. Every coach wants a player like him, one who gives maximum effort and provides one hell of a pursuit from his linebacker spot. He sets the edge well against the run and is an intimidator based on how aggressively he wants to bring you to the turf. Caesar’s game is driven off a motor running high and loud. He’s an excellent special teams contributor and good blocker off the edge when getting wideout reps in. Want to see just how good his hands are.

  Amari Mack - ATH 5’11, 175, Greensburg CC, C/O 2023 One look at Mack’s Twitter and you can see the work he and his coaches put in the weight room. He carries a thick and cut-up build suitable for his versatile game. This kid is all over the field, providing reps at running back, wide receiver, corner, and safety as well as on special teams returning kicks. He’s as good an athlete as anyone on this list and has quickly become one of my favorite prospects to watch. Mack has a future in football, it’s just a matter of where. I love his size playing defensive back, he plays the ball well and can run with speedy wideouts while maintaining leverage because of his size. Yet he tends to get turned around early on, he could improve his line of scrimmage game at corner. It’s hard suggesting defense for Mack because of his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands. He’s good solid hands and track speed to eat up yardage. I’m more interested in where Amari develops in the future than his performance at this event.  He’s already on our watch list for our summer rankings update. Ethan Fike - LB 6’0, 200, California HS, C/O 2022 Last but not least is another high-energy, motor humming prospect out of California HS. Ethan Fike is relentless at his inside linebacker spot. This kid is as disruptive as they come. He times his blitzes well and has a knack for getting through the line unblocked because of it. He, much like Caesar, wreaks havoc on the backfield. He’s an incredibly strong player who has a good combination of upper/lower body strength. He breaks down well in space and is as sure as they come as a tackler. Hard to see how we missed this kid on our initial rankings. He sees the ball carrier through traffic very well and has a great understanding of flow, not seen over-pursuing often. He’s a fumble-forcer who loves to create energy through turnovers. He’s a stud with pads on where it matters, interested to see what he brings to the 7v7 table. 412Elite, a 7v7 program that we have covered has been running through tournaments recently will also be in attendance. Here are some studs on 412Elite that we haven’t mentioned on the site yet. Vernon Settles - WR/DB, Elizabeth Forward HS, C/O 2024 Cam Price - WR/CB, Gateway HS, C/O 2024 Jaquon Reynolds - DB/RB, Gateway HS, C/O 2024