Jordan's Road Trip Week 9: St. Francis Standouts

It was a back and forth game between St. Francis and IC Catholic Prep throughout the 1st Quarter with each defense making stops forcing the other team to punt. This all changed when [player_tooltip player_id="20886" first="Adam" last="Criter"] took the wildcat snap to run "student body left" using his speed to turn the corner to get into the endzone off the 8 yard run. The extra point was blocked giving St. Francis the lead 6-0 over IC Catholic Prep with 46 seconds left in the 1st Quarter. From here on out, it went back to being a defensive battle where each team wouldn't let up. This changed when IC Catholic Prep had a LONG drive in the 2nd Quarter that started inside their own 5 utilizing most of the time in the Quarter. Once they got to midfield, [player_tooltip player_id="161346" first="Dennis" last="Mandala"] hits Eric Karner with a quick pass resulting in a 45 yard TD giving them the lead over St. Francis with 1:45 left in the 2nd Quarter (7-6 IC Catholic) which was also the score heading into halftime. In the 2nd Half, St. Francis was able to utilize the wildcat formation again running "student body left" with [player_tooltip player_id="20886" first="Adam" last="Criter"] as he further demonstrates his speed to turn the corner resulting in his 2nd TD on the night. St. Francis went for 2 and fell just short resulting in a 12-7 score with 4:29 left in the 3rd Quarter. On St. Francis' next possession, [player_tooltip player_id="165455" first="Blake" last="Lawson"] finds a hole and hits it hard resulting in a 47 yard TD run with 11:29 left in the 4th Quarter widening the gap St. Francis has (19-7 St. Francis). We now skip forward towards the end of the game when [player_tooltip player_id="161346" first="Dennis" last="Mandala"] finds [player_tooltip player_id="155520" first="Deontae" last="Oatman"] on the screen play resulting in a 72 yard gain setting up IC Catholic inside the 20 with 1:19 left in the 4th Quarter. This was their last chance at a comeback. [player_tooltip player_id="161346" first="Dennis" last="Mandala"] hikes the ball and drops back, he's looking to his right and launches a level 3 throw to the back of the endzone. His receivers are trying to get to the spot, but [player_tooltip player_id="135690" first="Ryan" last="Calcagno"] comes away with the INT in the back corner of the endzone to seal the win for St. Francis with 39.9 seconds left in the 4th Quarter. Final Score: St. Francis 19 IC Catholic Prep 7 <a href="https://youtu.be/GQ9YFcNwQnU">Game Highlights</a> <hr /> #2 [player_tooltip player_id="20886" first="Adam" last="Criter"] 6'2 195 22' WR <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamCriter">Twitter</a> Mr. Criter had himself a game on the offensive side of the ball being the Wildcat QB getting into the endzone twice showcasing his ability to change gears quickly and the speed to turn the corner. Once the ball is in his hands, he reads his blocks and keeps his feet driving fighting for extra yards as he hits the hole. When he lines up at receiver, he's quick off the line of scrimmage where he can either break the defender off at the top of the route or take the top off of the defense, we didn't get to see much of this as he was bracketed for most of the game. Check out his 2 TDs below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452640561240977411?s=20 #3 [player_tooltip player_id="135690" first="Ryan" last="Calcagno"] 6'3 190 22' DB <a href="https://twitter.com/ryancalcagno1">Twitter</a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5951-rotated-crop-2716x1783-1634999714.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-221947 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5951-rotated-crop-2716x1783-1634999714-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="203" height="133" /></a> Mr. Calcagno does a good job of playing the alley where he attacks downhill to make open-field tackles and fills holes in run support. He stays with his man in coverage when in pass coverage and doesn't allow the receiver to gain a step on him. His closing speed is impressive, he uses it to cover sideline to sideline and cover ground quickly as seen with the game-sealing INT below. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1451742683832197125?s=20 #4 [player_tooltip player_id="158008" first="Quinn" last="Colbert"] 6'1 190 23' DB <a href="https://twitter.com/QuinnColbert2">Twitter</a> Mr. Colbert makes open-field tackles when attacking downhill in run support, when he does so he squares up to the defender before bringing the ball carrier down. He uses his closing speed to cover ground quickly when he's dropped back in coverage to make the tackle for no gain on the play. Check out his Game Clips below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452642170352119812?s=20 #5 [player_tooltip player_id="132228" first="Domenic" last="Beres"] 5'10 195 24' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/DomenicBeres55">Twitter</a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5950-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1634999619.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-221945 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5950-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1634999619-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="165" /></a> Mr. Beres fills holes in run support where he can meet the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage resulting in no gain on the play. He's able to get off blocks to make the tackle, this is seen below where he disengages the block and covers ground quickly to get the sack on the quarterback as he's trying to turn the corner. When in pass coverage, he stays with his man and can jump routes by undercutting them which results in pass deflections. He's going to be a 24' a lot of coaches are going to want on their radar as he continues to develop and hone his craft. Check out his Game Clips below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452641530703925260?s=20 #9 Joseph Ayala 6'3 200 23' DL <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyAyala16">Twitter</a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5949-rotated-crop-2997x1968-1634999524.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-221943 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5949-rotated-crop-2997x1968-1634999524-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="275" height="180" /></a> Mr. Ayala had himself a game on the defensive side of the ball disrupting the opposing offense throughout the night. He fills gaps in run support where he will hold his gap responsibility before getting off the block to make the tackle at the line of scrimmage. During passing downs, he has a quick first step paired with using his hands at the point of attack enables him to collapse the pocket to get pressure on the quarterback (as well as sacks). This is seen in one of the clips below where he uses that first step to blow by the offensive tackle delivering a hard hit on the quarterback to force a fumble on the play. He has a good frame where he can add more weight while still keeping his quickness, a 23' DL that's stock is going to rise as we continue through the playoffs. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452447352359358467?s=20 #11 [player_tooltip player_id="121350" first="Alessio" last="Milivojevic"] 6'1 200 24' QB <a href="https://twitter.com/alessiomilivoj1">Twitter</a> Mr. Milivojevic can step up in the pocket where he delivers level 1 & 2 throws to his receivers downfield. He can put zip on the ball and touch on it depending on the coverage. What's most impressive about this young QB is his ability to get the ball off under pressure as he goes through progressions. The passing game didn't air it out as much as they typically do in this tight battle, but with that being said as this young man continues to hone his craft he's going to be one to keep an eye on. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452637145856872451?s=20 #15 [player_tooltip player_id="170604" first="Sammy" last="Atkins"] 6'0 200 22' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/SammyAtkins15SF">Twitter</a> Mr. Atkins fills holes in run support, once he diagnoses the play he attacks downhill using his closing speed to make the tackle on the play. He can make open-field tackles, get pressure on the quarterback and drop back into coverage quickly. The Senior LB plays a vital role in this defense. Check out his QB Pressure below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1452642505665699856?s=20 #21 [player_tooltip player_id="165455" first="Blake" last="Lawson"] 6'0 185 22' RB <a href="https://twitter.com/_BlakeLawson">Twitter</a> Mr. Lawson bursts through the line of scrimmage and keeps his feet driving playing through contact. He's a patient runner that waits for running lanes to open up before accelerating through them. In wildcat formation, he's used as the quarterback switching out with [player_tooltip player_id="20886" first="Adam" last="Criter"]. In doing so, he's able to bounce plays outside and use his speed to turn the corner. In the passing game, he's able to catch coming out of the backfield and once he secures the catch he gets upfield. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1451734370113441800?s=20 #52 [player_tooltip player_id="119351" first="Tyler" last="Wood"] 6'2 285 23' OL/DL <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerJWood3">Twitter</a> Mr. Wood gets hands-on, once he does he keeps his feet driving to create running lanes for his teammates. In pass protection, he holds his own one-on-one where he stays square to the defensive lineman and angle blocking him out to keep the pocket clean for his quarterback. On defense, he does a good job of filling gaps in run support to clear up the linebackers to make the tackle on the play. #54 [player_tooltip player_id="20837" first="T.J." last="McMillen"] 6'3 275 23' OL/DL <a href="https://twitter.com/tjmcmillen44">Twitter</a><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5948-rotated-crop-2840x1865-1634999438.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-221940 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_5948-rotated-crop-2840x1865-1634999438-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="256" height="168" /></a> Mr. McMillen gets hands-on quickly by firing off the ball. Once he does so he keeps his feet driving to push the defender back creating running lanes. In pass protection, he's able to stop the rushing defensive lineman in his tracks keeping the pocket clean and holding his own one-on-one. On defense, he fills gaps in run support where he gets off blocks by using his hands at the point of attack to make the tackle and meets the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage resulting in no gain on the play. His attacking playstyle on both sides of the ball is impressive and is why he's one of the Top 3 players in the State for his class. Notables #77 [player_tooltip player_id="137911" first="Jack" last="Donovan"] 6'1 250 24' OL <a href="https://twitter.com/JackDonovan65">Twitter</a> #18 [player_tooltip player_id="157980" first="Dash" last="Dorsey"] 5'11 175 22' WR <a href="https://twitter.com/DashDorsey">Twitter</a> #19 Ian Willis 5'8 150 25' WR <a href="https://twitter.com/ianwillis0">Twitter</a> #20 [player_tooltip player_id="157739" first="Brady" last="Piper"] 5'10 190 23' RB/LB <a href="https://twitter.com/bradypiper20">Twitter</a> #12 Amari Head 5'8 160 23' DB/RB <a href="https://twitter.com/AmariHead">Twitter</a> Key Takeaways <ul> <li>Fast Playmakers on both sides of the ball</li> <li>Defense wins with its speed & ability to fly to the ball</li> <li>Offense has playmakers all over</li> <li>Going to go far in the playoffs</li> </ul> <hr /> Be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZJordan">@PRZJordan</a> regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/prepredzoneIL">@PrepRedzoneIL</a>. Want to be ranked? Fill out our FREE <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/">Prospect Player Index</a>, another tool to help you in your recruiting journey.