Top Prep Performers: Week 5

The New Jersey Prep players didn’t disappoint this week as we have some outstanding performances in yardage and in scoring. We have a few newcomers to the top performers as well and word to everyone, get on your HUDL pages! I have a long list of college contacts and I’ll tag them on twitter to show them your performances. These coaches need to see your work! As always I can be reached on twitter: antoinehicks@hicksthewriter and Prepredzone.com/NJ. <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Receiving Yards</span> [player_tooltip player_id="191030" first="Zach" last="Thomas"], Sr., Morris Catholic v. Verona: 8 rec, 82 yds, 1 TD Usually more of a possession receiver, Zach was able to get down the more and exploit some holes in the Verona secondary for some chunk yardage. Underrated as a defender, he has a knack for getting through traffic for big plays, often limiting the yardage on what would have been long He also made some key contributions in the kicking game, with a 40+ yard kick return and recovering an onside kick to keep his team in the game late. Great all-around game for Zack. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Fwi1s">Game Film</a> Jahmeer Cartagena, Sr.,  St. Joseph’s Academy v. Eastern (Vorhees): 2 Rec, 92 yds, 2 TDs Sometimes a stat line just speaks for itself, and touching the ball twice and taking the both catches to the house pretty much does that. Jameer is a smooth athlete and the top deep threat for South Jersey Powerhouse, St. Joseph’s Academy. Not just a one trick pony, he can be counted on to be equally effective on short WR screens as he is deep balls and also plays corner for the Wildcats defense. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Fz3Jx">Game Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="27988" first="Elijah" last="Steward"], Sr., Holy Spirit v. Pleasantville: 7 rec, 108 yds, 3 TDs The Holy Spirit Head Coach, AJ Russo and his staff brilliantly used multiple formations to position their players for success which led to a 58-0 route of Pleasantville. Elijah is a great route runner who snaps his head around to catch quick out routes for possession catches and can stick his foot in the ground for hard slants across the middle. He then turns the short routes into an incredible stop and go move. The last catch on the film was so ridiculous it got praise from ESPN and Randy Moss himself! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FxnjW">Game Film</a> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Rushing</span> [player_tooltip player_id="181963" first="Gavin" last="Roman"], Sr., Holy Spirit v. Pleasantville: 18 car, 101 yds, 3 TDs [player_tooltip player_id="27984" first="Kanye" last="Udoh"], Sr., St. Augustine v. Millville: 29 car, 157 yds, 3 TDs I’m glad to see there are still a few teams that believe in a good old fashioned “Feed the Beast” running game. Kanye has over 100 carries on the season, which, when you have a 200 lb RB and a big offensive line is like punching someone in the face for 12 rounds of a heavy weight fight. This game featured a very talented Millville team and both teams were undefeated, but Udoh ran through arm tackles, sometimes dragging defenders for over 150 yards and 3 scores beating Millville 31-17. The Senior RB is second in the state in rushing and is the #2 RB in the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/new-jersey/rankings/2022-rankings/">PrepRedzone 2022 Player Rankings</a>, with D1 offers from Boston College, Rutgers and West Virginia. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2Fvu4z">Game Film </a> [player_tooltip player_id="137286" first="Marques" last="Hicks"], Jr., Camden Catholic v. Audubon: 9 car, 180 yds, 3 TDs Marques only has 33 carries on the season, but he’s made the most of them averaging 12.1 yds per carry and scoring 6 TDs. Audubon was undefeated on the season and had the longest win streak in South Jersey going back to last season but the Irish were undeterred, beating Audubon 49-6. The thing that stands out about Hicks is his combination of size and speed. At 195 pounds he hits the hole and quickly accelerates to the second level, running through arm tackles for big games as he averaged 20 yds per rush in this game. He’s got the break away speed too with touchdowns runs of 30, 40 and 60 yards in this game.  Marques is the #2 ranked RB in the<a href="https://prepredzone.com/new-jersey/rankings/2023-rankings/"> PrepRedzone 2023 player Rankings</a> and already has a D1 offer from Temple. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12929385/614f41c704289a07d4ef860e">Game Film</a> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Passing</span> A.J. Rodriguez, Sr., Depaul v. St. Peter’s Prep: 11 of 21, 212 yds, 1 TDs; 15 car, 65 yds This was a very good performance for Rodriguez, as he showed the ability to see the whole field and deliver in a tough 7-10 loss to powerhouse St. Peter’s. He was particularly impressive on the deep ball, stepping up in the pocket and delivering several post patterns for big gains throughout the game. He even exploited the Marauder’s love of man coverage by ripping off a few crucial runs in the ground game for some big first downs. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FzfZf">Game Film</a> [player_tooltip player_id="28007" first="Alex" last="Brown"], Sr., Red Bank Catholic v. Manasquan 12 of 15, 183 yds, 1 TD 7 car, 52 yds, 1 TD The word "mobility" is often used to describe Quarterbacks, but that doesn’t describe what Alex does. He is a legit threat to run, but he keeps his eyes down field looking to his weapons like Tight End [player_tooltip player_id="27967" first="Alex" last="Bauman"] down the seam or Receiver [player_tooltip player_id="183641" first="Najih" last="Rahman"] deep. I’ve seen him run through sure sacks to run for first downs and extend drives or scramble for long runs, frustrating defenses the whole game. He is accurate on the run too, often throwing passed where only his receiver can make a play on the ball. Alex is committed to play for Bucknell University, and they’re getting a good one. Great game Alex. <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2FxFa4">Game Film </a> &nbsp; &nbsp;