Defensive standouts – South vs. Edison

It was a defensive battle from the start Thursday night at Edison High School. There were only two offensive touchdowns, and the Minneapolis South defense added to the scoring with a safety. Along with the safety, there was plenty of solid play on the defensive side of the ball during <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/linemens-dream-keys-souths-win/">South’s 16-6 victory</a>. Here are a few of the guys I felt made a big impact. <strong>Rey Saice South LB</strong> Saice filled a hole and shut down a run on a second and short. Then, he was so quick into the backfield that he almost took the handoff and made a tackle for a three-yard loss – forcing a fumble in the process. Later, Saice got into the backfield and forced the runner wide into his teammates. Late in the game, he pressured the quarterback and forced a rushed – incomplete – pass. <strong>Elijah Jones Edison DB</strong> Jones came up strong from his safety position and made a tackle on the outside. In pass coverage, he showed tight one-on-one coverage. Then, he adjusted to a corner route and came up with an interception. <strong>Rio Starr South LB</strong> Along with <strong>Teddy Lovan-Jackson</strong>, he sacked the quarterback for a safety. He put pressure on the quarterback again and deflected a pass. Later, he put immediate pressure on the quarterback. He didn’t get the sack, but he forced the quarterback into a teammate for a sack. He beat his blocker to get into the backfield for another sack. [player_tooltip player_id="116495" first="Adam" last="Kelbrants"] <strong>South DB</strong> Two big plays stood out for me with Kelbrants. He made an open-field tackle on the outside, preventing a long gain. Then, despite being held, he made a tackle on a sweep for a big loss. <strong>Teddy Lovan-Jackson South LB</strong> Lovan-Jackson almost single-handedly stopped a Tommies’ drive. He recorded a quarterback sack. The very next play, along with Starr, he got to the quarterback again for a sack and a safety. <strong>Zytavious Williams Edison DB</strong> In one-on-one coverage, Williams made two great plays. First, he deflected a pass in the endzone. Then, he deflected a ball on a fourth-down – giving possession back to his offense. <strong>Aiden Luhman South LB</strong> Luhman made at least a pair of plays behind the line of scrimmage. He beat a blocker and made a tackle for loss. Then, he pressured and put a hit on the quarterback for a sack. <strong>Quick hits</strong> <strong>Tremayne Graham Edison DB</strong> - came up strong from the secondary to stop a sweep <strong>Deshaun Gadsden South DL</strong> - came down the line of scrimmage for a tackle from behind for a short gain <strong>Emmaus Williams Edison DL</strong> - beat his blocker and made a tackle for loss <strong>Cyrus Jones Edison DB</strong> - tackle for loss on a wide receiver screen <strong>Derrick Hogan Edison DL</strong> - tackle for loss, tackle for a short gain <strong>Justin Benjamin Jr. South DB</strong> - knocked away a ball on a post pattern <strong>Andrew Rose Edison DL</strong> - penetration to blow up an inside run <strong>Lamar Sloan Edison LB</strong> - open-field tackle on a screen pass preventing a first down <strong>Toby Carr Edison DB</strong> - used his closing speed to deflect a deep post pattern