West Texas Showcase Defensive Standouts

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">West Texas Showcase Defensive Standouts</span></strong></p> <img class="size-medium wp-image-24524 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-5-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" />On March 7th, Coach O and the 806 High School Sports Connection hosted a skills showcase in Lubbock for athletes in the West Texas area.  Lubbock was well represented, with Estacado, Coronado, Monterey, Frenship, and Cooper all having students attend, joined by players from Amarillo, San Angelo, Childress, and McCamey. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Defensive Line</strong></span> <strong>DL MVP – Andres Sanchez – San Angelo Central 2022 – 6’2 228lbs</strong> Sanchez has a burst off the line that closes the space between him and the offensive tackle quickly. He has good length and hand usage to keep hands off of his body, allowing him to get the corner in a hurry. On top of being a standout pass rusher, Andres is also the starting left tackle for the Bobcats, using his movement skills and length to win battles on the offensive side. <strong>Julius Maze – Coronado 2022 – 6’0 285lbs</strong> Maze is a fire hydrant in the middle of the defensive line, using his stout frame to anchor down and be an immovable force. His improving hand usage helps him when trying to shed blockers and to fight through double teams. If this run-stuffing nose tackle can become more of a force in the pass-rushing category, he could really turn some heads in the fall. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Linebackers</strong></span> <strong>LB MVP – Kyle Lewis – Lubbock Cooper 2022 – 5’9 175lbs</strong> Lewis is a fiery go-getter that plays with a high motor. He has good burst, explosion, and change of directions skills, and is a great asset in zone and man coverage. His baseball background is evident when he is tracking a ball downfield. In addition to being the top performer at linebacker at this camp, Lewis also took reps at corner and receiver to show off his versatility, excelling at both spots as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60697" first="Kobie" last="McKinzie"] – Lubbock Cooper 2022 – 6’3 230lbs</strong> The OU verbal commit showed off his athletic ability in the cone and bag drills to start the camp. He is a well-built athlete with 15 D1 offers because of his outstanding middle linebacker play. He is able to lock onto the ball carrier target and explode through the tackle. Mckinzie can also time up his blitzes well and sift through the traffic to get home on the quarterback. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60876" first="Isaiah" last="Crawford"] – Post 2023 – 6’4 210lbs</strong> Crawford has a long and lean athletic build, with silky smooth footwork, and the ability to really bring the boom on defense. His length and hand usage allow him to disengage from blockers with ease. It’s no wonder this sophomore has 6 offers from D1 schools already. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Defensive Backs</strong></span> <strong>DB MVP - Ju’Raylin Shaw – Lubbock Cooper 2022 </strong> Shaw was physical in press coverage, putting his fluid hips and speed on display after jamming the receiver at the line of scrimmage. His change of direction skills helped him stay in the hip pocket of the receivers all day on their breaks, where he was able to show off his good ball skills to knock down or intercept the passes. <strong>Ted Gilmore – Coronado 2023 – 5’8 165lbs</strong> Gilmore took most of his reps at corner in this camp, showing quiet feet, a good jam, fluid hips, and good speed to match the receiver’s routes. He is a free safety normally, with a strong safety’s run-stopping mentality. Ted is able to cover ground in a hurry in pursuit and throws his body around to make tackles. He also has great ball skills. <strong>Kaleb Pillow – Coronado 2022 – 6’1 170lbs</strong> Pillow wasn’t able to compete at the camp because of an injury, but he still showed up to support his teammates, and help coach up the younger attendees. This corner has quick burst, fluid hips, and good hands. A good senior season should help him to add to the 2 current D1 offers he holds.