Apollo @ Notre Dame Prep: Offensive Standouts

Notre Dame Prep will advance to the quarterfinals with a 56-21 first round win over Apollo. I saw a lot of good things from a handful of prospects at Bemis Field on Friday night, so here's a look at the top offensive players of the game: &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="42803" first="Gavin" last="Smith"], <em>WR, Notre Dame Prep ’22</em> [caption id="attachment_227979" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-227979" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/11/PRZ-Generic-Gray-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> Photo: Prep Redzone[/caption] The Arizona commit showed why he is a division 1 talent, as he racked up 43 yards rushing, 102 yards receiving, and 3 total TD’s. His first 2 touches of the game went for six, as he took a punt return 53 yards to the house, and on the next possession took a screen 90 yards to the house. Very explosive with the ball in his hands that displays a nice burst out of his cuts while hitting top speed quickly, and possesses solid top end speed to finish big plays. Swift ball carrier with big play ability and has to be an identified threat pre-snap. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="151074" first="Demetri" last="Money"], <em>WR, Apollo ’22</em> Money was a definite mismatch on Friday night, hauling in 3 catches for 3 TD’s. Smart route runner with the ability to go up and high point those contested catches as needed. Money did a great job tracking the ball in and possesses good body control all around. Despite the loss, an impressive overall performance from Money as he’ll have a handful of solid plays to include in his final cut-ups. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="169421" first="Deacon" last="Shea"], <em>RB, Notre Dame Prep ’24</em> Shea had a 2 TD night, as he did an excellent job as a short down/goal line back for NDP. He flashed an angry downhill running demeanor and brought a good pad level and physicality at the POC to run through opponents and pick up extra chunks of yards. He sizes up with a sturdy frame and build at 5’10" 195lbs and holds strong potential as he continues to mature, as Shea should be a young prospect to keep an eye on going forward. &nbsp; <strong>Aiden Estill</strong>, <em>QB, Apollo ’22<img class="size-medium wp-image-24525 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-4-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /></em> Estill went 11/25 for 114 yards and 3 TD’s on the night. The stat line doesn’t do him justice, because this kid was consistently forced out of the pocket and did a great job improvising and taking what he could get with limited options. He escaped numerous sacks and flashed the ability to get shifty and make opponents miss. Estill showed the ability to throw with touch and timing despite being under constant pressure, and should hold his head high despite the loss. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="162029" first="Braden" last="Wells"], <em>QB, Notre Dame Prep ’22</em> Not a super flashy night for Wells, but every time I see this kid play live he is always extremely efficient and shows a good demeanor and command throughout the night. Excellent ball security as he went 8/11 for 279 yards and 2 TD’s, and showed the ability to make decisive reads and get the ball out quick. A definite leader on the field to control the flow of the game, as a ton of personnel at NDP had some good things to say about him. Wells has really stepped up the past couple weeks, and they’ll need him to continue to do so throughout the rest of the postseason.