The offenses were great, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some great defensive plays. We’re looking at some of the best defensive players from Friday’s matchup.
Rylan Crawford - Leo - WR/CB - 6’3" 175 lbs
Crawford plays both ways and he did make some offensive plays but it was his defense that stood out. He’s clearly one of the taller people on the field and Friday he was able to go up and pluck a ball out of the air that no one else was able to get. He returned the ball all the way down to the enemy 5-yard line before lowering his shoulder and trying to truck his way into the endzone. He fell short, but nonetheless, a great effort by Crawford.
Ethan Crawford - Leo - RB/OLB - 5’9" 155 lbs
Rylan’s younger brother Ethan had himself a great game defensively. Ethan is noticeably smaller than Rylan and hasn’t been quite as impactful on a regular basis for the Lions. However, Friday when East Noble was driving with a chance to win the game, Ethan made the stop. Ethan laid out for a ball and tipped just enough of it that it fell to the ground. That play was 4th down with just a few seconds left. Ethan helped seal the win for Leo by making the play.
Alex Holcomb - Leo - MLB - 5’11" 180 lbs
Holcomb was out there just practicing his tackle drills on Friday. Every single time a ball carrier came near him, he made the play. He would come to balance, stay square, and attack their outside hip just like it was taught. He didn’t miss 1 tackle all evening and then finished the game with 11 tackles and 9.5 solo tackles. On the most important drive of the day for the defense, Holcomb decided to have a head-on-head collision with Carico. He made the stop but the lick he took will probably make him think twice before trying that again.
[player_tooltip player_id="98070" first="Rowan" last="Zolman"] - East Noble - ATH - 6’5" 210 lbs
We’ve covered Zolman multiple times before and probably more in the future. He’s so explosive on the defensive side of the ball that he basically gives the defense 1 free takeaway a game. Friday, he got another. Zolman just ripped the ball from the opposing WR and just took off the other way with it. He didn’t score but it was one of the wildest plays I’ve ever seen live. He hasn’t signed to play in college yet, but when he does, he’ll be on the top of the list to talk about.
Bryce Charles - East Noble - DT - 6’1" 255 lbs
Charles definitely isn’t the most impactful player on the team, but he seemed to always be right where the ball was on every play. Anywhere the tackle was made, Charles was always right by the ball. It didn’t matter if it was a 1-yard run right at him or a 40-yard pass downfield, Charles always busted his butt to get to the play. He made a bunch of tackles because of it. The high-energy motor stood out to me. I counted 14 straight defensive snaps where I saw Charles within 5-yards of the ball when the ball carrier was down.
