Raiders vs. Eagles: Defensive standouts
It was a low-scoring, hard-hitting game Thursday night in Hastings between the Hastings Raiders and the Apple Valley Eagles. Neither offense had much success, and only one offense – the Raiders – got any consistent play. Most of those struggles…
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Continue ReadingIt was a low-scoring, hard-hitting game Thursday night in Hastings between the Hastings Raiders and the Apple Valley Eagles. Neither offense had much success, and only one offense – the Raiders – got any consistent play. Most of those struggles came from solid defensive play. Here are some defenders that stood out to me during Hastings’ 21-0 victory.
Luke Chorlton Hastings DB
Chorlton read an end-around and made a tackle for a short loss. Later he was the only one left between the runner and a huge gain. The sophomore made an open-field tackle to prevent a big play.
Jaden Garrison Apple Valley DB
Garrison first came up in run support to make a tackle for loss. Then, he made an open-field tackle for a short gain, likely preventing a first down.
Tayvion Gardner Apple Valley DE
Gardner’s team lost the game, but Gardner might have been the best player on the field. Early in the game, he picked up a sack. Later, he got instant penetration into the backfield. He didn’t make the tackle, but he blew up the play. Again, he got immediate penetration, forcing the runner into help for a short gain. In the second half, the Raiders’ offense seemed to stop running wide and found more success.
Danny Millner Hastings DB
Millner made an open-field tackle early in the game. Later, he made a play that likely changed the course of the entire game. Hastings had just botched a punt snap – giving Apple Valley the ball near the red zone. On the next play, Millner undercut a deep post route and picked off a pass on the goal line, preventing a touchdown and turning the game’s momentum. Apple Valley would not get anywhere near that close to scoring again.
Pacer Ruble and Jacob Landoll-Bleed Hastings DL
Both Ruble and Landoll-Bleed were instrumental in shutting down the Eagles’ inside running game. Among other plays, the pair made were a tackle on the inside for a short gain by Ruble and Landoll-Bleed’s pressure up the middle that forced a quick throw.
Austin Lefley Hastings DL
Lefley scraped down the line of scrimmage and stuffed an inside run. Later, he put pressure on the quarterback and picked up a quarterback sack.
John Chorlton Hastings LB
Chorlton was not fooled by a naked bootleg and made an open-field tackle. Late in the game, he tracked down the scrambling quarterback and tomahawked the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. The strip-sack resulted in a fumble that rolled out of bounds, but the senior’s effort resulted in a loss of yardage.
Thomas Reifenberger Hastings LB
Reifenberger held outside contain, allowing his teammates to make the tackle. Later, Reifenberger didn’t leave it up to his teammates and made a tackle for a short gain. He sacked the quarterback on a rollout. If he had missed the tackle, it would have been a quarterback scramble for a big gain. Later, he read an end-around and made a tackle for a short loss.
Quick hits
Stephen Reifenberger Hastings DB – had step for step coverage on the outside on a fly pattern
Tom Kennedy Hastings DB – stepped up to make an open-field tackle
Hayden Hansen Apple Valley DB – put pressure on the quarterback, forcing a rushed throw
Deon Kelson Apple Valley DL – tackle on the inside for a short gain