SPOOK WEEK Day 5: Blood Curdling ‘Backers

In the spirit of Halloween, we will be taking this week to feature some of the spookiest players you’ll see on the field. Every day will highlight a different position group/groups, eventually leading up to the scariest of the scariest to be revealed on Halloween night. Day 5, we will look at the blood-curdling backers. These are the monsters in the middle that deliver bone-crushing tackles. The ones that make you think twice about throwing into the whirlwind that is their pass coverage. They sit and wait for the perfect time to attack. Like hungry werewolves, they run rampant on offenses with an unquenchable thirst for domination. They play with no regard for their adversary, as they only look to destroy and break down quarterbacks and running backs. Don’t you dare creep into the shallows; that’s where the boogeymen live! <hr /> Jarett Boggs - <em>Archbishop Bergan - 2022</em> <em>5’10" 170 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10156534/Jarett-Boggs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> If there is anyone that loves to punish people, it is Jarett Boggs from Archbishop Bergan. Boggs gives it his all, whether he delivers highlight hits or stiff-arming defenders out of the way. There is a calm madness in his play,<span style="font-size: 1rem;"> as in he is very patient in letting the play break down before he attacks. When he locks onto his target, Boggs becomes a stone-cold killer and hits with tons of power, leaving his mark. He is non-stop when pursuing and always gets his man. Boggs tallied 43 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and an interception on the year; an excellent stat line especially considering the talent on this team. Boggs is a super competitive player that coaches would love to have on their roster.</span> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10156534/6165eadf5eedae0b94b96bfe" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> [player_tooltip player_id="193770" first="Mason" last="Limbach"] - <em>Fremont - 2022</em> <em>6’ 195 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11625616/Mason-Limbach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> Mason has been a tackling machine for the Fremont Tigers for the past two seasons. His junior year saw him rack up 119 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks, again putting up great numbers with 104 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks. Limbach is a very athletic linebacker that can cover lots of ground to get to his man. He shoots through his gap with explosiveness and makes plays at the line of scrimmage. Mason wraps up very well and is strong enough to yank players to the ground with force. Limbach is a throwback linebacker that loves to hit and plays unselfishly, always doing his assignment and more if needed. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11625616/61742a8164df850af4d1d262" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <em>Scottsbluff ’23 LBs:</em> There’s something eerie brewing in the Scottsbluff linebacker room. Specifically, a trio of junior linebackers that have been brutalizing offenses all season. Jayce Wilkinson, Josiah Mobley, and Michael Thrash have been phenomenal in their play and development as players. They showed tons of potential in their sophomore campaigns, and for all three to deliver on that impressive. Jayce plays the outside linebacker role perfectly, and he is very instinctive in coverage and as a rusher. He was all over the field with 51 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a team-high 3 interceptions. Mobley might be the more versatile player of the trio, as he also contributed on offense (2 rushing touchdowns and 1 passing touchdown). He led the team in tackles with 78 and recorded 7 tackles for loss and a sack. Mobley is a physical player that is explosive when he shoots his gaps and wraps up with great technique. Michael Thrash does precisely that, THRASH! He ripped and thrashed his way through offensive lines en route to his team-high 10 tackles for loss. He is a thumper and tackles with great form and power. This is a very exciting group of ’backers terrorizing all who travel to the panhandle. Jayce Wilkinson -<em> 6’ 180 lbs - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11854084/Jayce-Wilkinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11854084/607997a6ab92961804fb799c" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Josiah Mobley - <em>6’ 175 lbs - Hudl</em> https://twitter.com/josiah_mobley/status/1454064304332984321?s=20 Michael Thrash - <em>6’ 205 - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13288135/Michael-Thrash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13288135/6161a0d732e7540b2446c06b" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <em>Burke Linebackers:</em> The Burke Bulldogs have themselves a trio of bone-crushing linebackers holding down the second level. This superstar group is very talented, physical, and extremely athletic. The group’s headliner is 4-star Oregon commit [player_tooltip player_id="147503" first="Devon" last="Jackson"], returning from a lost season to have a tremendous senior campaign. In my opinion, he has not just met expectations but far exceeded them. He has been a playmaker for the Bulldogs, and the catalyst for the defense has elevated play since their opening weekend loss. Jackson can play pass coverage, rush the QB. Cook is a player that should be on a lot more college’s watchlist. He is a tough, tough, tough linebacker that loves to bring the pain. He is quick on his feet, and you can tell he has a high understanding of the game. Alec has zero quit in him and can be seen running all over the field the whole 60 minutes; which is shown by the fact that he led his team in total tackles (71), tackles for loss(17.5), and sacks (6.5), and forced two fumbles. He can flat-out play football. Jones is the up-and-coming freshman, benefitting from having two excellent mentors in Jackson and Cook. He shows signs that he will be a force to be reckoned with for the years to come. He is playing with the instincts and poise of someone with far more experience and continues to improve with every passing week. This group is looking to lead the Bulldogs to a deep playoff run. [player_tooltip player_id="147503" first="Devon" last="Jackson"] - <em>6’2" 200 lbs - 2022 - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12792813/Devon-Jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> </em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12792813/614e3e39a022a504f8371e35" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> [player_tooltip player_id="158870" first="Alec" last="Cook"] - <em>6’3" 230 lbs - 2022 - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/7955650/Alec-Cook" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/7955650/6140012942102d0aac7cb513" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Christian Jones - <em>6’3" 190 - 2025 - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15641471/Christian-Jones" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15641471/61416376d45e6a06a407368d" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>