Defensive Spotlight: Linebackers Shining in AZ

Arizona is seeing some great defensive players shining on the football field. More specifically, the linebacker core  are the ones making a statement to offenses all around the state. With a number of prospects being young, this shows how the talent is just starting for the schools in the Arizona area. Here are three of the massive performers showing out in the Grand Canyon State. [player_tooltip player_id="42830" first="Parker" last="McClure"], MLB, 6’0" 220lbs, JR, Red Mountain High School <img class="size-medium wp-image-127589 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/Prep-Redzone-GrabbingtheSpotlight-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> McClure averages 10 tackles per game with 73 total tackles, 18 of those being solo plays. He is a leader of the defensive side of the ball and takes control of the perimeter of the field. He uses his strength to bully the opponent and shoot the gaps with speed and aggression. Parker has the talent to fill the hole whenever it appears, giving the offense such forceful hits that they think twice before running the ball again. McClure has worked h<span style="font-size: 1rem;">ard to find his way into backfields and disrupt plays, leaving quarterbacks with not much room to move. He shows strength on the double team and finesse when handling blockers. Parker, being such a disruptive force, has also helped the Mountain Lions’ defense in certain plays to pick off balls and make big plays. Parker has massive amounts of potential to be a big disruptor in the next level. He has the size that college programs will love to see with his kind of speed and talent. </span> [player_tooltip player_id="42851" first="Richard" last="Cortez"], ILB, 6’1" 190lbs, JR, Peoria High School Cortez is a dual athlete with a big frame starting at LB and TE for the Panthers. He is a speedy LB, picking off interceptions and making plays for Peoria High School. Putting up huge numbers, he averages 10 tackles per game with a total of 82 tackles, 42 of those being solo hits. Cortez is a consistent player for the Panthers, finding himself in every play where the ball is. He shows passion and hard work with his style of play putting his helmet wherever it needs to be. Cortez knows how to fill the gaps and also play laterally with the ball. With his size and gameplay, Cortez will start to see tons of attention from college coaches in the near future. Cortez is a leader on the team and has the talent to move onto the next level with college programs. [player_tooltip player_id="110107" first="Caden" last="Shipley"], OLB, 6’1" 170lbs, SO, Paradise Honors High School [player_tooltip player_id="110107" first="Caden" last="Shipley"] was a force to be reckoned with for the Paradise Honors High School team playing OLB and WR. With a short 5 game season, due to COVID cutting the season short, Shipley managed to make the most out of the time he had on the field. Caden racked in 9 sacks in this short period, totaling in 35 tackles. Shipley is a ball hawk and gets to the ball quickly recovering fumbles throughout the season. He shows great football IQ with his gameplay and shows his speed and agility when lining up against the opponent. Caden is young, but has massive potential to be a ball player for years to come if he keeps it up. &nbsp;