The Strake Jesuit Crusaders Standouts!

PORTLAND, OR – OCTOBER 3, 2019: The Jesuit Crusaders play the Central Catholic Rams in an OSAA 6A JV Football Game at Cronin Field on the campus of Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Brian Murphy / SaderNation.org) FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL, EDITORIAL OR ADVERTISING USAGE (EXCEPT FOR JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL) WITHOUT PERMISSION

Maxwell Milner

October 20, 2021 @ 05:00 PM

Week 8 of high school football is here I can’t believe there is only three weeks left to the regular season. On Friday October 15, 2021 I decided to go to the Pearland Dawson Eagles (5-2) vs Strake Jesuit Crusaders (2-5) football game. The Dawson Eagles had a great offense, but the Strake Jesuit Crusaders defense just kept on making stop after stop. For a good while the game was at a standstill with both teams defense dominating the game. However, Dawson started to pick up momentum during the 2nd quarter and kept on scoring. The game seemed like it was over by the 3rd quarter, but Strake Jesuit’s defense continued to make stops and their offense started to score point as well. The game went down to the wire, but, The Dawson Eagles came out on top with a close score of 24-21. The Strake Jesuit Crusaders had a lot of standouts on both sides of the ball that I’ll be discussing. #11 [player_tooltip player_id="60754" first="Leland" last="Smith"] WR, TE 6’4 Sr 195 lbs Being tall doesn’t mean you’ll be a great football player, but it sure does help A LOT. For wide receiver #11 [player_tooltip player_id="60754" first="Leland" last="Smith"] this showed in spades. Leland was 6’4 with long legs and a long wing span. This made it easier for Leland to catch high long passes and I will admit Leland wasn’t the fastest, but with his long legs he had a long stride. I believe if Leland worked on his speed and got faster he’ll be an unstoppable threat. Leland ended the game with eight receptions and 110 receiving yards. #28 Joel Crawford RB Sr 200 lbs Joel Crawford is a quick and explosive running back. Joel has a stocky and solid build when you see him you would believe he’s just a power back with not much speed. I believe this at 1st as well, but I was mistaken as soon as Joel got the ball I saw just how fast he really is. Joel has both power and speed whenever he gets the ball he doesn’t waste time looking for a path or moving around the action he runs straight through. Penetrating through the defensive line and more. Joel has an offer to Trinity University with more incoming I’m sure. Joel ended the night with 16 carries with 70 rushing yards. #1 [player_tooltip player_id="133196" first="Craig" last="Royal"] CB, FS 6’1 Sr 170 lbs #1 [player_tooltip player_id="133196" first="Craig" last="Royal"] stood out the most to me on Strake Jesuit’s defense. Craig is a free safety and corner back, but wasn’t afraid of being physical and aggressive up close. I like Craig in the corner back position using his speed to cover his man and not allowing to much separation between him and his man. If a catch was made Craig was able to put a stop to it not allowing a lot of yards. #9 Marc Arsham DE 6’3 Sr 225 lbs Defensive end Marc Arsham was a big threat to The Dawson Eagles offense. Marc was quick off the ball and had power to knock off the offensive linemen in front of him and get into the backfield. Marc was a playmaker he was always in the action his name was always being said through the intercom. Marc was also Strake Jesuit’s punter and that man got a boot on him. It’s rare to see any lineman to punt the ball as well Marc does. Being multitalented will make Marc stand out along with his speed and aggression Marc could become a top college prospect.