Bishop Gorman @ Hamilton: Offensive Standouts

The ESPN featured matchup between nationally ranked #7 Bishop Gorman @ Hamilton was the craziest high school football game I have ever witnessed. Hamilton was able to recover two onside kicks, and score 18 points in under 2 minutes to comeback from a 24-7 deficit to upset Bishop Gorman 25-24. The most talent that has been on a high school football field in Arizona was on full display Friday night, and the energy at Hamilton High was off the charts. Here's a look at the top offensive players from that dog fight of a game: &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="42783" first="Nicco" last="Marchiol"], <em>QB, Hamilton ’22<img class=" wp-image-64639 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4647-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="196" height="261" /></em> Marchiol threw for 142 yard and 3 TD’s, but his best play came on the ground on a scramble to the front corner of the endzone on a 2 point conversion to help Hamilton score 18 points in under 2 minutes to beat the #7 ranked team in the country. The West Virginia commit processed reads quickly and delivered accurate throws with velocity. People need to start talking about his ability to make plays on his feet, because this kid was elusive and an escape artist all night. He was frequently pressured and extended numerous plays with his legs. Marchiol dug deep to lead a comeback drive, and literally vomited as he took the snap, then threw a strike on a seam to set Hamilton up for the game winning two point conversion. I’ve never seen anything like it, and it was a highly impressive performance for Marchiol. &nbsp; <strong>Will Stallings,</strong> <em>RB, Bishop Gorman '23</em> Stallings had himself a solid night as he broke numerous impressive runs on Friday night. He sizes up with a good frame and build at 6'1" 215lbs and possesses a strong lower half and overall functional strength. He accelerates well and hits the hole with purpose and possesses a good pad level at the POC. Stallings runs angry with the demeanor to run though opponents. He had a few runs where he should'be been stuffed after about 2-3 yards, then dragged opponents to pick up first downs. Good vision all-around and flashed a brutal north-south style with excellent physicality on Friday night. &nbsp; <strong>Micah Alejado,</strong> <em>QB, Bishop Gorman '24</em> Alejado showcased his athleticism and his natural ability to extend plays Friday night, as he is a legit and dangerous playmaker behind center. The southpaw hits throws with good timing and placement with the ability to use velocity or touch. He reads coverages well when he sits in the pocket, and has flashed the ability to hit all 3 levels of throws. Good arm strength to stretch the field vertically and he showed the ability to throw receivers open Friday night as well. Elusive and speedy as ball carrier with the ability to change the game on his feet if he needs to. He looks to be developing into a legit FBS level prospect with strong potential going forward. &nbsp; <strong>Zachariah Branch</strong>, <em>ATH, Bishop Gorman '23</em> Branch was the best all-around athlete on the field, as he had numerous plays that made your jaw drop. The first of which came in the 1st quarter on what looked like a corner route, as he lunged out, pulled it in one handed, and still manged to keep a foot in bounds. In the 4th quarter, he caught a deep out, made an opponent look silly in the open field, and used his speed to take it to the house. Branch possesses top tier speed as he is able to hit top speed almost immediately, excellent twitch and COD, body control, field awareness, and all the intangibles to become a multi year starter at the next level, which is why he holds around 22 offers thus far. &nbsp; <strong>Nick Switzer</strong>, <em>RB, Hamilton ’23</em> Switzer was able to snag a 22 yard TD on a seam ran from the RB spot to set Hamilton up for the game winning 2 point<img class="size-medium wp-image-64677 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4635-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> conversion. He did a great job on his route to flash a slight delay, then burst upfield, leaving him wide open, then flashed good physicality at the POC to barely punch it in from 22 yards out. Did decent as a ball carrier as he recorded 33 yards on 3 carries as well. He stepped up when he needed to and delivered one of the biggest plays of the season. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="42837" first="Christian" last="Anaya"], <em>WR, Hamilton ’22</em> Anaya was the leading receiver on the night as he racked up 6 catches for 47 yards. He did a great job identifying the soft spot in coverages and getting out of his route and his head around quick. He possesses solid body control all around and did a good job after the catch as well. Loose and flexible both upper and lower half which contributes to his body control, and he also flashed good COD to make a few initial opponents miss and burst upfield on various screens.