Game Balls: St. Xavier vs Lakota West

On Friday night, the defending Division 1 state champion St. Xavier Bombers played the Lakota West Firebirds.  Last season, The Bombers defeated the Firebirds 10-7 in the playoffs and defeated them in week 1 this season 31-14.  The Firebirds avenged those two defeats on Friday night by winning the game 12-2.  The 11-1 Firebirds advance to the next round where they will play 10-3 Archbishop Moeller which looks to be an awesome game.  The winner of that game will advance to the state semi-finals.  Here are five players who played very well on Friday night. DB, <strong>Josh Fussel</strong>l, 6’0, 180, Lakota West The Junior DB had a phenomenal game as he made 2 interceptions including one in the endzone at the end of the game that sealed the victory for the Firebirds.  He plays as a CB predominantly as a RCB.  He is very good in press coverage as he matches the feet of the WR and effectively uses his hands to re-route the WR and displays good play speed to stay in phase with the WR all over the field.  He displays excellent ball skills as he tracks the ball well in the air and uses his very good closing speed to get to the ball.  He then times his hands perfectly to cause a PBU or displays good hands while catching it at the highest point to come down with the interception. RB, <strong>Cameron Goode</strong>, 5’11, 205, Lakota West The Senior RB played really well and was the only player in the game to score a TD.  He rushed for 106 yards and a TD.  He shows very good vision as he finds the open hole quickly while displaying good burst through the hole.  He shows very good power and contact balance as he keeps his feet moving during contact from DL and LB while running behind his pads and falls forward for a couple of extra yards.  He is excellent in pass pro as he locates the blitzing defender, squares his shoulders, sinks his hips and delivers a powerful punch to the frame of his man negating his progress at the point of attack keeping the pocket clean. DB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34377" first="Jyaire" last="Brown"]</strong>, 6’0, 165 [player_tooltip player_id="34377" first="Jyaire" last="Brown"] is the #1 DB in the state, a 4 star prospect and will be an Ohio State Buckeye next fall.  Against St. Xavier, he had a very good game as he made an interception keeping the Bombers off the board.  He is a CB who plays opposite of Josh Fussell.  He shows excellent ability in coverage as he delivers a powerful punch to the frame of the WR and uses his excellent play speed to stay with his man.  While in zone, he shows outstanding instincts as he reads the QB while staying in coverage and uses his great closing speed and change of direction to get to the ball and shows good hands as he intercepts the ball.  Once the interception is made, he shows outstanding balance to keep his feet after tackle attempts are made by large offensive players. RB, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="131646" first="Charles" last="Kellom"]</strong>, RB, 6’0, 196 St. Xavier Despite the loss, the Senior RB played well in his final game as a Bomber.  He rushed for 121 yards giving him his 9th 100 yard game of the year, his 8th in 9 games as well as 1,438 yards for the season.  He displays very good burst as he gets through the hole quickly and gains yards on his own that were not blocked for him by the offensive line.  Once in the open field, he shows the ability to break tackles from larger defenders as well as the athletic ability to elude defenders as well leading to long gains.  He is a reliable receiver as well.  On screens, he shows good hands as he makes the catch with his hands and effectively uses his play speed and athletic ability for significant YAC. K, <strong>Tyler Bohn</strong>, 5’11, 180, Lakota West The Junior K played a big role in Lakota West’s victory as he kicked 2 field goals scoring half of the Firebirds points.  He shows a powerful leg as he made field goals of 38 and 32 yards with ease.  On squib kicks, he kicks the ball to the right spot in between the two lines of the opponents giving his team a great opportunity to regain the ball.