Blue Valley North vs. Bishop Miege preview

The curtain finally drops on the 2021 season at the Blue Valley Sports Complex, Thursday night, 7pm CST, as Blue Valley North hosts Bishop Miege in a star-studded top-25 showdown. Here are 9 players worth keeping an eye on during this blockbuster season opener. <strong>BLUE VALLEY NORTH</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="89200" first="Mekhi" last="Miller"], 6’1 185 Wide Receiver (Prep Redzone SR WR1)</strong> The Mustangs boast what, on paper, could be one of the best passing attacks in the state, led by receiver [player_tooltip player_id="89200" first="Mekhi" last="Miller"]. With a potential for fireworks every time he touches the ball, Miller boasts an electric burst that he can hit with terrifying suddenness, and a seemingly effortless, gliding running style with the football in his hands that is similar to former North Carolina receiver Dyami Brown. Miller additionally shows excellent body control and confounding speed variance in his routes, making him an impressively complete wide receiver prospect. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35554" first="Henry" last="Martin"], 6’1 195 Quarterback (Prep Redzone SR QB2)</strong> Martin put up eye-popping numbers in 2020, in the form of 4,065 yards and 53 TDs hitting 63% of his 572 attempts. The numbers are in large part a product of his uncanny accuracy, touch, and timing on vertical routes, routinely allowing receivers to run underneath the ball without breaking stride. Similar to former Washington State QB Gardner Minshew, Martin has a sixth sense for extending plays. With nimble feet and the spatial awareness and anticipation to relocate his launch point, he will have opposing defenders chasing shadows all season long. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="113287" first="Cole" last="Stratton"], 6’0 170 Wide Receiver (Prep Redzone SR WR13)</strong> Lining up with Miller at receiver is a formidable weapon in his own right in [player_tooltip player_id="113287" first="Cole" last="Stratton"], who caught 57 balls for 705 yards and 5 TDs in 2020. A nightmare to cover thanks to not only his quickness and feather-light feet, but route disguise not commonly displayed by players that have only 3 years of high school ball under their belt. Equally as impressive are his patience and innate understanding of his opponents position, allowing him to set them up and create sudden separation. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="126735" first="Alonzo" last="Morgan"], 5’11 162 Cornerback (Prep Redzone JR CB1)</strong> A smooth, long-armed cornerback prospect, Morgan proved himself to be a corner that can be left on an island with opposing receivers last season. He has the ability to flip his hips and accelerate in the same motion, allowing him to run stride for stride on vertical routes, and also closely shadow on slants and in-routes. There is some physicality to Morgan’s game as well, which starts with instant acceleration when he’s asked to break downhill out of his backpedal, and he meets the ball carrier with considerable force. To add to that, he may have a slender frame, but he has that wiry strength long-armed corners use to reroute their assignment at the LOS and shed blockers in the run game. <strong>BISHOP MIEGE</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="35541" first="Collin" last="Williams"], 6’3 240 Defensive Lineman (Prep Redzone SR DL3)</strong> Anytime the word “throwback” can be used when describing a defensive lineman, his film will, more often than not, be fun to watch. When watching Williams’ film, the fun (not for opposing offensive players) starts in a blink, as he absolutely fires off the snap, and shows savvy beyond his years in his ability to decipher snap counts. He shows balance and core strength in the run game, allowing him to stack and shed effectively. With very good upper body strength, he has the ability to violently rip down ball carriers. In pass rush, he flashes terrifying speed-to-power when his pads are low, and he’ll arrive at the QB with nothing but the worst of intentions. <strong>Jaylen Burch, 5’9 164 Running Back (Sr Unranked)</strong> Jaylen Burch might not be a household name just yet, but I firmly believe that is all about to change. Burch is the type of running back that can see a crease, put his foot in the ground, and show 11 defenders the back of his jersey before they know what hit them, as was made evident by his 100 yards a game average in 2020. Although listed at 164 pounds, Burch is a capable between the tackles runner due to his well-developed legs, that are in constant motion, making it difficult for bigger defenders to square him up cleanly. In addition, he has very good vision and anticipation, allowing him to find secondary running lanes as they open up. <strong>Aiden Wing, 6’4 190 Safety (Prep Redzone Jr DB4)</strong> Looking more like a linebacker than a safety, range is the name of the game for the 6’4 junior. What makes him so dangerous in that aspect is that it does not look like he’s moving very fast, but his anacondas for legs eat up ground rapidly, and he has the fluidity to change direction in higher gears. To compound the headache for opposing QBs, he has very good instincts, allowing him to anticipate routes and beat the receiver to his spot. Wing is also a solid contributor in the run game, as his range and footwork allow him to flow sideline to sideline and track down ball carriers on outside zone runs. <strong>Jake Welsh, 5’11 210 Linebacker (Unranked Sr)</strong> Another throwback on the Stags defense, and he’s as nasty as they come. Registering 57 tackles in 2020, Welsh has excellent explosion that requires little to no downhill momentum at his back, and if he is coming downhill, buckle up for some bone-chilling hits. Despite his size, he is adept at mixing it up between the tackles thanks to his quick feet and low center of gravity. His tackling form will put a smile on the face of any purist of the game watching his film. The explosion, pad level, and leg drive make him extremely difficult to break free from when he can make clean contact, especially when both of the ball carrier’s feet are off the ground, which is quite a frequent occurrence.