Cherry Creek @ Chandler: Defensive Standouts

It was a defensive game in Chandler Friday night, with Chandler securing a 17-7 win over Cherry Creek. Both defenses played very well against two explosive offenses. Chandler’s pass rush was solid all night and the Chandler secondary was absolutely lockdown, as the Cherry Creek pass game was almost non-existent. Here’s a look at the top defensive players of the game: &nbsp; <strong>Samori El-Amin,</strong> <em>DL, Chandler '22<img class="size-medium wp-image-24527 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-2-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /></em> El-Emin was everywhere on Friday night, as he is a fly around player with a high motor. He frequently put pressure on the Cherry Creek QB to constantly force him outside the pocket. I believe you could count on one hand how many times the Creek QB even attempted to stay in the pocket, and a large part of this was because of El-Amin. He racked up 9 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL's. His quickness off the ball was unmatched as he was able to shoot through gaps, and he did a great job using violent/athletic hands along the edges as a DE. Loved what I saw from El-Amin on Friday night. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="42869" first="Travis" last="Roberts"], <em>DB, Chandler ’22</em> Roberts was lockdown at CB all night, and even came up with a clutch INT. He did a great job tracking the receivers hips and plays well in space. Good short area quickness with good speed as he possesses solid rage as well. He showed solid ball skills Friday night and did a great job locking up some talented Creek receivers. &nbsp; <strong>Angelo Petrides</strong>, <em>LB, Cherry Creek ’24</em> This young prospect was impressive, as he is developing into a sure field general at LB. He has excellent range with the ability to make plays sideline to sideline, and flashed the ability to diagnose and use his instincts. He’s a fly-around type of player for Cherry Creek with a high motor, and flashed strength at the POA. He sizes up with a solid frame and build at 6’1" 200lbs with division 1 potential as long as he continues on the same trajectory. &nbsp; <img class=" wp-image-200805 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_6458-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1631563740-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="343" height="225" /> <strong>Blaine Mourning</strong>, <em>DB, Chandler ’22</em> Mourning was a beast as he racked up 6 total tackles and a big INT on Friday night. He did a great job locking up a deep out route to break on the ball quick to undercut it for the pick. He forced another PBU along the boundary, and did a good job reacting to the ball well all night to put himself in position to make plays. Solid night for Mourning. &nbsp; <strong>Thomas Fischer</strong>, <em>DL, Cherry Creek '22</em> Fischer was a constant menace in the Chandler backfield. He was able to record a sack on the night, and flashed a good initial ball get off with solid power at the point of contact. He flashed violent hands and is strong at the POA, and looked like a well-rounded pass rusher on Friday. Excellent functional strength with his build at 6'2" 235lbs with good potential going forward.