Team Preview: Cathedral Fighting Irish- Part 2

Yesterday, we began the two-part preview of the reigning 5A state champion Cathedral Fighting Irish. We discussed how the Irish will be dominant on defense and in the trenches. Today, the preview of Cathedral’s title defense concludes, with a look at three more outstanding prospects. These three rising student-athletes are sure to turn heads, and give the Fighting Irish a boost, this season. All three will be hoping for a return trip to downtown Indianapolis this November. [player_tooltip player_id="107080" first="Jaron" last="Tibbs"], 6’4, 190 pounds, Wide Receiver, Junior [player_tooltip player_id="107080" first="Jaron" last="Tibbs"] is the top-ranked receiver in the Junior class entering this season. Overall, Tibbs is the number 6 player in the Class of 2023 state rankings. Tibbs is a smooth and composed route-runner, who consistently gets open, making life easier on the quarterback. Tibbs has reliable hands, and he is a special player after the catch is made. Tibbs is an elusive player with remarkable athleticism. Tackling Tibbs one-on-one can be virtually impossible, making [player_tooltip player_id="107080" first="Jaron" last="Tibbs"] the perfect receiver to run end-arounds, jet sweeps and other gadget plays. He is also a serious threat on screen passes. Tibbs is an elite red zone receiver. Even down close to the end zone, where there is less space to operate, he is still able to get open, while finding enough real estate to get his feet down in bounds. [player_tooltip player_id="98003" first="Jeffrey" last="Utzinger"], 6’2, 215 pounds, Linebacker, Senior [player_tooltip player_id="98003" first="Jeffrey" last="Utzinger"] has the potential to be a legitimate college linebacker. Utzinger enters his senior year as the fourth-ranked linebacker in the Class of 2022, and he is the 52nd-ranked player overall in the class. Utzinger is a linebacker who gives all-out effort on every snap. He is always around the football, and he exhibits relentlessness throughout the duration of the play. Utzinger has great speed. He can be that sideline-to-sideline linebacker that college coaches are looking for. Utzinger’s speed allows him to keep up in pass coverage. When Utzinger blitzes, he does so with authority, wreaking havoc in the offensive backfield. [player_tooltip player_id="98003" first="Jeffrey" last="Utzinger"] can be the heart and soul of any defense. [player_tooltip player_id="98071" first="Owen" last="Wood"], 6’3, 315 pounds, Offensive Lineman, Senior As the season beckons, [player_tooltip player_id="98071" first="Owen" last="Wood"] is ranked as the number 18 offensive lineman in the Class of 2022, a standing that I certainly see him improving upon, this fall. Wood is an aggressive left tackle, who sets the tone on a dominant Cathedral offensive line. Wood is tremendous off the ball. He gets a good jump and attacks his opponent. Wood plays with good low leverage, allowing him to generate great power. Wood finishes his blocks extremely well, often leaving his opponent on the ground. Wood does a good job on blocking assignments that require him to pull across the line-of-scrimmage.