Division I State Championship Preview

After months of great football in Ohio, State Championship weekend is finally here.  In the Division I game at Tom Benson Stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton on Friday, the St. Edward Eagles will play the Springfield Wildcats.  The Eagles are 14-1 and last week, they defeated Upper Arlington 16-10 for their 6th win in a row.  This season, the Eagles have averaged 39.14 points per game on offense and have given up 10.67 points per game on defense.  The WIldcats are 13-1 and last week, they defeated Archbishop Moeller 22-21 in a very exciting game.  This season, they have averaged 30.36 points per game on offense while giving up just 6.93 points per game on defense.  There are several talented players in this game and here are five of those players to keep an eye on. WR, [player_tooltip player_id="34498" first="Anthony" last="Brown"], 5’10, 170, Springfield [player_tooltip player_id="34498" first="Anthony" last="Brown"] is the #1 ranked WR and the #6 ranked player in the class of 2023 overall.  The University of Minnesota commit had a phenomenal Junior season.  He plays on the outside as a ZWR as well as in the slot.    He uses his very good football intelligence to find the soft spot in zone coverage and breaks open with ease.  Against man coverage, he uses his very good play speed to get behind the CB on go and post routes.  He does a great job of tracking the ball over his shoulder and displays very good hands as he makes the catch. WR, [player_tooltip player_id="189472" first="Shawn" last="Thigpen"], 6’4, 180, Springfield Joining [player_tooltip player_id="34498" first="Anthony" last="Brown"] to make up the most dynamic duo at WR in the state is [player_tooltip player_id="189472" first="Shawn" last="Thigpen"].  Thigpen is the #2 ranked WR and the 7th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall.  He plays on the outside as both an X and Z.  He takes long strides as he eats up the cushion of the CB, displays good hip fluidity as he breaks off his stem at a 45 degree angle on a slant route and displays a good catch radius that enables him to make the catch on passes thrown away from his body.  After the catch, he uses his good play speed and athletic ability to elude DB and LB for significant YAC. DB, [player_tooltip player_id="34383" first="Delian" last="Bradley"], 6’0, 180, Springfield [player_tooltip player_id="34383" first="Delian" last="Bradley"] is the 4th ranked DB and the 26th ranked player overall in the class of 2022 overall.  He plays as a FS.  Against the pass, he effectively reads the QB, displays very good closing speed to get to the WR and delivers a powerful hit preventing a first down.  Against the run, he quickly keys and diagnoses the play, uses his good play speed, instincts and range in pursuit as he takes the correct angle and is able to play sideline to sideline and shows good form tackling bringing down the larger RB with ease. LB, [player_tooltip player_id="189517" first="Wyatt" last="Gedeon"], 6’2, 230, St. Edward [player_tooltip player_id="189517" first="Wyatt" last="Gedeon"] is the 4th ranked LB and the 50th ranked player in the class of 2023 overall.  He plays as an OLB.  Against the run, he quickly diagnoses the play, shows good play strength and hand use to shed the blocks from TE and the pulling OG while playing at a good pad level.  He squares his shoulders and delivers a good hit to the RB preventing a significant gain.  Against the pass, he uses his very good athletic ability to evade the block from the OL and displays a very good motor as he hurries the QB into throwing the ball sooner than anticipated. TE, [player_tooltip player_id="183303" first="Brad" last="Delpia"], 6’3, 230, St. Edward [player_tooltip player_id="183303" first="Brad" last="Delpia"] is the 25th ranked TE in the class of 2022.  He is a very good run blocker who fires out low, displays very good hands as he delivers a powerful punch to the frame of the OLB and displays very good play strength and physical toughness as he finishes the block to the ground.  He is a reliable receiver as he shows good hands and runs behind his pads after the catch is made, lowers his shoulder and falls forward for a couple of extra yards.