Week 2 Top Performers: Inter-Academic League

Vic Castillo September 8, 2021 @ 06:50 PM

This marks my first time covering I-A football in-season. A small sample size of teams but loads of talent all across the board. Here are some prospects, ranked and unranked, that stood out after the first week of I-A play. All prospects mentioned will stay on my watchlist to either jump up our rankings, or land on them if currently unranked.   * Episcopal Academy 27 - West Catholic 12 <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="164530" first="Na’Rome" last="Rayborn"] | 6’1, 170 | ATH | 2024</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="91475" first="Jake" last="Fant"] | 6’2, 195 | QB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="150009" first="Bryce" last="Cooper"] | 5’10, 155 | WR | 2022</li> </ul> Here are three ranked prospects out of the Episcopal Academy, all of which played a big part in helping their team get to 1-0. I couldn’t find hardly any film on the game, yet heard from coaches that [player_tooltip player_id="164530" first="Na’Rome" last="Rayborn"] secured a pick-six early in this one to set the tone. Fant and Cooper apparently struggled, yet the senior connection was able to find the endzone twice on the night. * Germantown Academy 48 - Simon Gratz 18 <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="140952" first="Tristan" last="Machado"] | 6’0, 185 | QB | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="142803" first="Taj" last="Dyches"] | 5’8, 165 | ATH | 2024</li> <li>Brian Allen | ATH | 2022</li> </ul> Again, not much film to crack open on this one. Game notes were shared by coaches. I hear [player_tooltip player_id="142803" first="Taj" last="Dyches"], a Watchlist 2024 prospect I am fond of, scored twice on just four touches. Machado, our 211th ranked junior, was clean, connecting on 11 of 15 passes for just under 200 yards and 1 touchdown. The top performer on the night was running back Brian Allen, a new name to the site, who ran for 186 yards on 16 carries and added two touchdowns. Impressive for a newcomer!   *Haverford School 7 - Downingtown West 13 <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="159723" first="Michael" last="Benincasa"] | 6’2, 200 | QB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="87833" first="Isaiah" last="Boyd"] | 6’3, 265 | DL | 2022</li> </ul> [player_tooltip player_id="87833" first="Isaiah" last="Boyd"] was a man amongst boys as usual. It’s safe to say I almost expect every game to turn out this way. He had his way on both lines, displaying great get-off and elite impact power. He ate blocks and shed for tackles, and was often meeting the backs before they could hit or even find the hole. Benincasa is an intriguing prospect in large part due to his size and prototypical build at quarterback. I saw three throws from the huddle that showed off a stiff, but mechanically sound release. Want to see more out of him! *Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy 38 - Cheltenham 14 <ul> <li>Aidan Dooley | 6’1 | QB | 2022</li> <li>Ivan Thorpe | 5’9, 170 | ATH | 2022</li> <li>Tommy Shelinsky | 5’11, 180 | DB/WR | 2022</li> </ul> No film from this one, but an unranked and new name to the site Aidan Dooley put up an impressive stat line. The senior quarterback connected on 20 of 26 passes, throwing for a whopping 340 yards and 4 touchdowns! Have got to get my hand on film from this squad, because senior Ivan Thorpe caught 10 of Dooley’s 20 completions. Add 183 yards and a touchdown for Thorpe on the night. On defense, another unranked senior Tommy Shelinsky secured two interceptions and one TFL on the night. *William Penn Charter 35 - Boys Latin 8 <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="99377" first="Colin" last="Schumm"] | 6’4, 220 | QB | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="95770" first="Chandler" last="Turner"] | 6’0, 195 | ATH | 2022</li> </ul> No film or game notes out of this one. Hope to see cumulative tape including this game at some point this season. We are fond of [player_tooltip player_id="99377" first="Colin" last="Schumm"] and [player_tooltip player_id="95770" first="Chandler" last="Turner"], each ranking as top 150 players in their respective classes. *Malvern Prep 7 - LaSalle College HS 10 <ul> <li>Jaylyn Evans | 5’10, 190 | DB/RB | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="66057" first="Kevin" last="Miller"] | 6’4, 285 | OL/DL | 2023</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="95795" first="Coltin" last="Deery"] | 6’4, 275 | OL | 2022</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="27686" first="Isaiah" last="Wright"] | 5’8, 180 | RB/DB | 2022</li> </ul> New name out of Malvern Prep, LB/S hybrid Jaylyn impressed me when turning on the tape for the first time. This is a tough LaSalle team, Evans was up to the task, securing 7+ tackles on the night, making sure he left his mark on the field. He moves and breaks down well in space, has some thump in his pads, and can provide reps at multiple alignments (EDGE, LB, DB). [player_tooltip player_id="27686" first="Isaiah" last="Wright"]’s measurables do not scream tough north-south runner, that’s exactly what he was against LaSalle. Tough run after tough run, Wright buried his head and ran through the trenches for chunks a clip. No home runs, but plenty of singles, as well as providing MP with its lone score. Maryland commit [player_tooltip player_id="95795" first="Coltin" last="Deery"] has been incredible in two games thus far. He’s been just as dominant on the defensive side of the ball, as he has at center. He’s been mauling opponents which is nothing new. [player_tooltip player_id="66057" first="Kevin" last="Miller"] has had some pancakes thus far. He’s showing how proficient he is in the run game and as a pulling guard. He moves well and is a stalwart when in pass pro. I can’t wait to get my hands on more film for deeper evals. [caption id="attachment_35045" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-35045" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/v9UBD2BF.jpg-large-e1631144896129-300x184.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /> Photo: @02Iwright[/caption]