Bishop Gorman @ Hamilton: Defensive Standouts

The biggest game so far of the Arizona high school football season ended in a 25-24 Hamilton victory over Bishop Gorman, where Hamilton was able to recover two onside kicks and score 18 points in under 2 minutes to come back from a 24-7 deficit. To say this game was stacked with talent is an understatement. Bishop Gorman standouts Zion Branch, Fabian Ross, and Cyrus Moss were all extremely impressive. Hamilton’s [player_tooltip player_id="100647" first="Russell" last="Davis"], Timothy Weddell, and [player_tooltip player_id="42896" first="Taye" last="Brown"] also had significant impacts and performances. However, there were a handful of other players that need recognition, so take a look at some of the many defensive standouts from Friday night’s ESPN matchup: &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="162027" first="Tre" last="Tate"], <em>DB, Hamilton ’22<img class="size-medium wp-image-204398 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_6483-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1632177827-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></em> Tate had a huge night for Hamilton and was a major contributor. He racked up 10 total tackles, 2 PBU’s, and had a clutch INT in his own endzone on a promising Bishop Gorman drive. He sizes up at 6’4" 195lbs and possesses tremendous length. Long and lanky FS with room to add weight, and possesses good range and instincts as he flies to the ball well. He went up against some of the toughest competition in the country and was able to have a very impressive and productive performance. &nbsp; <strong>Aiden McComber</strong>, <em>DL, Bishop Gorman ’23</em> McComber was a menace along the Bishop Gorman defensive line. He showcased an excellent swim move to frequently make his way into the Hamilton backfield. He did a great job mixing up his arsenal, as aside from his swim move, he flashed a solid punch and bend to generate separation to give himself room to move and make plays. Good lateral mobility as he showed the ability to make plays down the LOS. Good position versatility as he showed the ability to line up at NG, 3-tech, or DE and find success along the DL. &nbsp; <strong>Alex Mclaughlin</strong>, <em>LB, Hamilton ’23</em> Mclaughlin stepped up and made a huge impact for Hamilton, as he recorded 15 total tackles and a sack. Mclaughlin forced his way into the backfield a handful of times throughout the night against a highly touted Bishop Gorman offensive line. He did a good job identifying opening lanes to put himself in position to make plays. Flashed a good football IQ to identify cutback lanes and blow up ball carriers, and also flashed the ability to make the tackle in the open field and holds strong potential as an OLB as he continues to develop. &nbsp; <strong>Noa Yamauchi,</strong> <em>DL, Bishop Gorman ’22<img class=" wp-image-24526 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-3-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="319" height="199" /></em> Yamauchi did a great job along with the rest of the Bishop Gorman DL to put constant pressure on Marchiol. He shows a nice initial ball get off and flashed a quick and smooth swim move to blow up ball carriers. Excellent combination of strength and quickness to use both power or finesse moves as he looks to have a pretty creative arsenal. He’s strong at the POA and explosive through the tackle if he can get squared up with a nice striking ability. Solid night for Yamauchi. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>*Special Teams</strong></span> <strong>Cooper Leduc</strong>, <em>DB, Hamilton ’23</em> LeDuc was able to recover two onside kicks in a row to give Hamilton possession and the opportunity to come back. His efforts on special teams played a major part in the Hamilton win. He played DB and went up against some highly touted Bishop Gorman receivers as well. &nbsp; <strong>Jacob Medina</strong>, <em>K, Hamilton ’23</em> Medina went 2-2 on XP’s, hit a 46 yard field goal to make it a two score game, then kicked two perfect onside kicks which put Hamilton in position to comeback and win. Huge and clutch performance for Medina.