Week 7 Defensive Standouts: Houston Area

In this article we turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball and the players who balled out for week 7! We had many players leave it on the field and look dominate for the entire game. The players listed below helped their teams the best way they could have and stood out while doing it. We have a few dawgs listed so definitely be on the lookout for them as the season continues. &nbsp; <strong><em><span style="font-size: 14pt;">LB Brad Spence (2023) - Klein Forest</span></em></strong> Spence shined bright in a tough loss vs. Klein Cain. Spence managed to show his athleticism at the linebacker, running sideline to sideline in order to slow down the high powered Klein Cain offense. He was reading his keys correctly and was very aggressive coming down hill. He finished the game with 11 tackles with 2 TFLs. Spence is a very talented junior with incredibly high potential. Make sure to have him on the list of players to keep an eye on. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/15139673/6161bf5fdfd84606acece205" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <em><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">LB Julian Payne (2022) - Hightower</span></strong></em> Payne showed much versatility vs. Foster. He was positioned as an outside backer for majority of the night but even made plays from the safety spot. Payne showed great range and quickness. He is another downhill player who can get there in a flash. Payne plays comfortably in space and shows good awareness of his surroundings. On the night Payne finished with a very impressive 10 tackles. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11486736/6161201e06622d052c9f40df" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>DL [player_tooltip player_id="129567" first="Kivon" last="Wright"] (2022) - Manvel</strong></em></span> Wright was on a hunt for the quarterback the entire night. He was busy defeating blockers and finding his way into the backfield for the game. Wright showed off his pass rushing skills throughout. He was quick in his get offs, he was strong on his bull rushes, and was agile on his inside moves. Wright’s tape does not disappoint. For the game Wright tallied up 5 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11552571/6161b8059a9bdf07c0676238" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>LB Teylan Nelson (2022) - Cypress Ranch</strong></em></span> Nelson was highly active vs. Bridgeland and showed a lot on the field. Nelson was in constant pursuit of the ball, and was shedding blocks in order to locate ball carriers. He was somehow always involved in a play, which you have to love. Nelson was making tackles in space against very skilled receivers and was blitzing the gaps with such speed and physicality. Nelson finished the game with 18 tackles and a sack but the thing that stood out the most was his motor and football awareness on the defensive side. Programs will soon take notice of this ball player. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11330246/61636eab02b1460484d38f6a" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong><em>Other Notable Performances:</em></strong></span></span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>LB Jaylen Hassan (2022) - Klein Collins</strong></em></span> 11 tackles &nbsp; <em><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DL Lukia Rawls (2022) - Klein Cain</span></strong></em> 6 tackles - 5 TFLs - 4 sacks