Friday Night’s Stars: Alief Taylor vs Pearland

The place to be last Friday night was at The Rig (Pearland ISD Stadium). Alief Taylor and Pearland dueled it out to the last minute, where Pearland was able to score on a 96-yard drive to win the game.   Alief Taylor WR Bricen Brantley | 6’2 160lbs | Junior Alief Taylor’s Bricen Brantley has the size you look for in a wideout. Standing at 6’2 Brantley is strong at the catch point and uses his hands to attack the football. Brantley is also a strong runner after the catch. He was able to spin off a defender, break a tackle, then displayed his speed down the sideline for a 46-yard score. His nice frame and speed allowed him to rack up 111 yards and two touchdowns Friday night.   QB [player_tooltip player_id="60838" first="Chase" last="Jenkins"] | 6’0 190lbs | Junior [player_tooltip player_id="60838" first="Chase" last="Jenkins"] has been one of the more efficient and effective dual-threat quarterbacks in the city of Houston. His quick decision-making, accurate ball placement, and ball security have led him to 11 TD and 0INT with a 108 rating. Jenkins has an outstanding ability to see his routes develop and knows where to go with the football. Friday night he tossed for 254 yds 3TD and added 45 yards on the ground. Jenkins currently holds an offer from Coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State.   LB Blaise Tita | 6’1 200lbs | Senior Lining up as the Will backer spot, Blaise Tita could be seen all over the field against Pearland. Tita who is a secure tackler is also fearless in the hole. He drives on contact until the ball carrier is on the ground. It never seemed like Tita was lost on the field. His quick reads and play recognition allowed him to be around the football almost every play. His 14 tackles and three tackles for loss on Friday both were team highs.   Pearland   QB [player_tooltip player_id="125229" first="Jake" last="Sock"] | 6’2 185lbs | Senior<img class="size-medium wp-image-221156 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1489-233x300.jpg" alt="" width="233" height="300" /> The Oilers’ dual-threat signal-caller had a phenomenal 4th quarter their comeback win. Sock has the confidence and poise you like to see, regardless of the situation. Sock has overall good arm talent. His ball placement is reliable and he always seems to know where he’s going with the ball. His solid footwork allowed him to work really well off the RPO and play-action game where he would make the correct read and deliver an accurate ball to his receivers. His night was highlighted by a 96-yard game-winning drive, where he looked cool, calm, and collected. Sock put up 320 passing yards, three touchdowns, 74 rushing yards, as well as a rushing touchdown. Sock currently doesn’t hold any offers.   WR Izeal Jones | 5’11 190lbs | Senior<img class="size-medium wp-image-221144 alignright" style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1473-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" />   If you’re looking for a playmaker, then Izeal Jones is your guy. With his ability to separate and his speed, he can turn any play into a house call. Jones can do it all and is a selfless player. He had an amazing downfield block where he caught up to the ball carrier and walled the defender off. Jones catches the ball with his hands and turns upfield in search for six on every play. Jones seems to have a grasp on leverage in his routes. After the catch, he fights for every yard. He led his team with seven receptions, 154 yards, and a touchdown. Overall, Jones is a next-level receiver. He currently holds a handful of DII and NAIA offers. <img class="size-medium wp-image-221151 alignleft" style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1472-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> WR Christian Pitts | 5’11 155lbs | Junior   Christian Pitts was a big play machine Friday night. When he has the ball in his hands you notice his speed, fluidity, and shiftiness. Pitts lines up anywhere on the field and even was used as a wildcat quarterback where he took a direct snap and picked up 76 yards. His route running is very subtle and he accelerates out of his breaks very well to create separation. Late in the fourth, he picked up 57 yards off a bubble screen and was out running defenders and was slipping off tacklers left and right. His biggest play of the night was the game-winning touchdown. On this play he did a phenomenal job out the slot of getting outside leverage, working through contact, and stacking his defender to catch the ball to win the game. Pitts, who’s only a junior, currently holds no offers.   LB K’Von Sherman | 6’3 215lbs | Senior<img class="size-medium wp-image-221150 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1467-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> The Oilers defense is led by standout linebacker K’von Sherman. The New Mexico commit can do it all and shoots gaps with no hesitation and brings his pads every time he makes contact. Sherman forcefully drives ball carriers to the ground. Sherman doesn’t get lost in the flow of the play as he moves through traffic well. Whether he was in pass coverage, blitzing, or working in the run game Sherman looked like the best player on defense. His skill set was on full display against Alief Taylor as he racked up 12 tackles, eight TFL, and two sacks.