Week 9 Review: Pine Creek Eagles vs Regis Jesuit Raiders

<strong>Review</strong> With week 9 in the books, we officially only have one week left in the 2021 regular season of Colorado prep football. With that being said, however, there were several great match-ups of top ranked teams across the state. Arguably the biggest game of the week was between the 9th ranked Pine Creek Eagles and the 8th ranked Regis Jesuit Raiders. The Eagles came into the contest at 7-1 and a week removed from a big 48-21 win over the Chaparral Wolverines on the road. The Raiders, coming into the game, were a completely different story as they were 5-2-1 and teetering on the brink of a disappointing season with a loss to Pine Creek. However, the Raiders were able to come out on top of a tightly fought contest 24-14, led by the tough earned offensive production from junior QB [player_tooltip player_id="150452" first="Exander" last="Carroll"] and senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="22730" first="Zavier" last="Carroll"], as the duo combined for 228 of the Raiders 268 yards of total offense against the Eagles. In addition to the herculean offensive effort by the Carroll’s, the Regis Jesuit defense was able to force Pine Creek QBs, freshman [player_tooltip player_id="152282" first="Cameron" last="Cooper"] and senior [player_tooltip player_id="153895" first="Josiah" last="Roy"], into two back-breaking interceptions with under 3 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter that would ultimately seal the Eagles’ fate. It was, overall, a neck-and-neck defensive struggle until [player_tooltip player_id="22730" first="Zavier" last="Carroll"] scored what would be the go-ahead touchdown with 4 minutes left before the Raiders would add another field goal to close the game out. While it was a terrific game from start to finish between two great programs, here’s a look at the three players that stood out the most. <strong>Players of the Game</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="150452" first="Exander" last="Carroll"], Regis Jesuit Raiders (QB)(Jr.)(14) - Out of any player on the field that night, [player_tooltip player_id="150452" first="Exander" last="Carroll"] had the best performance of anybody despite not putting up eye-popping numbers. Against the Pine Creek defense, Carroll went 11 of 20 (55%) for 132 yards and a QBR of 75.4, while also rushing 12 times for 42 yards (3.5 YPC) and 2 touchdowns. When you turn on the tape, you can see Carroll shows elite athleticism from the QB position that adds a lethal second element to the Raiders’ offense. Highly elusive runner in the pocket and in the open field on scrambles and designed runs. Great foot speed that allows him to easily separate from 2nd and 3rd level defenders. Live arm with a ball that leaps out of his hand and allows him to hit every level of the field with relative ease. Adequately accurate passer on short and deep throws with consistent ball placement. Smart QB that makes good decisions with the ball, not throwing many interceptions and so far only accounting for 1 the entire season. Carroll is currently ranked the number 23 QB in the 2023 class and the number 121 player overall. While he might not have a massive recruiting profile, I definitely believe Carroll is a diamond in the rough that will be interesting to follow this year and next. [player_tooltip player_id="22730" first="Zavier" last="Carroll"], Regis Jesuit Raiders (RB)(Sr.)(7) - Zavier might not have had the night that Exander did, but the importance of his performance cannot be understated, as Zavier was ultimately the difference in the game at the end and was the Raiders’ leading rusher as well. For the night, Carroll account for 54 yards on 12 carries (4.5 YPC) and the go-ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter. The first thing that jumps out about Carroll on film is his physicality on runs in between the tackles, routinely driving his legs to finish runs well after the point-of-contact with a defender. Very strong lower body and core allow him to maintain excellent balance when working through arm tackles and contact in the open field, often taking multiple defenders to bring him down. Plays with excellent pad level when working through running lanes, adding to his already low center-of-gravity. Great vision when working to daylight in the open field, consistently creating big plays with little room to work. Good lateral agility that allows him to maintain deceptive elusiveness the open field. Willing and able blocker that can anchor in pass protection against interior rushers and can chip edge rushers when leaking out of the back field. Carroll is currently ranked the number 10 RB in the state and the number 72 player overall for the class of 2022 and will look to continue his production through this year and at the collegiate level next year. [player_tooltip player_id="22783" first="Brett" last="Alvey"], Pine Creek Eagles (LB)(Jr.)(34) - Despite the loss, the Pine Creek defense played well, all things considered. They were able to relatively contain the Raiders’ offense until late in the 4th quarter when two turnovers by their offense made it hard on the defense. With that being said, the best player on that defense was easily junior LB [player_tooltip player_id="22783" first="Brett" last="Alvey"], as he led the way with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and two sacks. When you watch film on Alvey, you can see he displays an extremely high motor that shows the most when pursuing the ball carrier or working to shed a block. Very physical tackler that brings a ton of pop/power to the point-of-contact with the ball carrier. Displays outstanding form when tackling, consistently getting his head across their core, wrapping up, and driving through contact. Downhill runner that fills his run fits hard and fast, often getting into the backfield off of first step explosiveness before the OL have time to react. Disciplined LB that doesn’t often bite on play action and doesn’t over-pursue the ball carrier/QB while consistently taking good angles in pursuit. Alvey’s production certainly doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as he is currently rated the number 2 LB and the number 15 player overall for the 2023 class. Alvey is without-a-doubt an outstanding player that will look to finish his junior season strong with the Eagles.