South @ Notre Dame Prep: Defensive Standouts

In a 42-0 Notre Dame Prep victory, it was everything NDP wanted and everything South Mountain didn't want. The NDP defense played lights out and completely shut down the South Mountain wing-T offense, giving a big shout out to the Notre Dame front four. Here's a look at the top defensive standouts from Friday nights matchup: &nbsp; <strong>Ben Roberts,</strong> <em>DE/TE, Notre Dame ’23<img class="size-medium wp-image-215523 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_6583-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></em> As stated before, Roberts made a significant impact on both sides of the ball for Notre Dame Prep. He totaled 7 tackles with 3 TFL’s on the night, and flashed violent hands off the snap to win 1v1 battles on the edges. He was a clear mismatch against OT’s given his strength, quickness, and technique and was frequently in the backfield all night. His exact measurements aren’t listed, but I like his frame build as he stands approximately 6’2" 220lbs. Overall a dominant performance from Roberts and should be a 2023 kid to get on your radar. &nbsp; <strong>Jaden Scarpone</strong>, <em>DB, Notre Dame ’22</em> Scarpone did an excellent job on Friday as he recorded 1 PBU and and INT, which he returned for about 25 yards to set NDP up with good field position. South Mountain didn’t really try to air it out much, but when they did, Scarpone was locked up all over it. Solid job on Friday night for Scarpone, as he’ll get a tougher test next week against some talented Campo Verde receivers. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="122246" first="Duke" last="Frye"], <em>DL, Notre Dame ’22</em> Frye only played one half due to the blowout, but absolutely ate up that wing-T offense in the first half. He totaled 7 tackles with 4 TFL’s, as South did not have an answer for Frye or NDP’s front four. Frye flashed violent hands with good bend to quickly shed blocks and blow up the run. He was constantly forcing his way through the South OL to eliminate the inside run, which essentially took away South’s entire offensive scheme. &nbsp; <strong>Jerry Vaughn,</strong> <em>LB, South Mountain ’23<img class=" wp-image-136931 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/PRZ-Generic-Helmets-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="310" height="193" /></em> Although it wasn’t an ideal night for South, Vaughn still made a few plays that caught my eye. He forced a fumble on a solid hit, flashing a nice striking ability. Physical player overall that brings a nice pop to the POC, and is a spark plug on that South defense. I believe he even made a few plays on special teams, and is a solid player for South Mountain. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="210204" first="Dillon" last="Jones"], <em>DL, Notre Dame ’22</em> Jones possesses a tremendous frame and length at 6’4" 240lbs and was a menace at DE, opposite of Roberts. He did an excellent job keeping his opponents within arms length to give himself room to work. He disengaged off blocks well to make plays, and also showed the ability to disrupt plays lateral down the LOS. Good hand finesse to simply and quickly swipe lunging opponents away and constantly put himself in position to make plays. Impressive performance from Jones. &nbsp;