Jordan's Road Trip: 6A State Championship

[player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] kickstarted the game with a 53 yard TD pass from Robert Battle putting ESL on the board 8-0 with 11:24 left in the 1st. CG would respond off [player_tooltip player_id="136006" first="Jameson" last="Sheehan"] running 31 yards for a TD with 9:47 left in the 1st to tie the game 8-8. ESL responds off TaRyan Martin's 5 yard TD run with 7:40 left in the 1st and giving them the lead 14-8. Nicholas Hissong takes it in off a 6 yard run with 3:34 left in the 1st giving the lead back to CG, 15-14. Moving into the 2nd, Robert Battle takes it 11 yards in with 10:36 left giving his team the lead 20-15. CG would respond AGAIN with a 3 yard TD run by [player_tooltip player_id="136006" first="Jameson" last="Sheehan"] with 3:58 left in the 2nd, 23-20. [player_tooltip player_id="136006" first="Jameson" last="Sheehan"] would score again with a 5 yard TD run with 1:31 left in the half, 30-20. It wouldn't be until late in the 3rd where we get our next score. This time [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] taking in a 12 yard TD pass from Robert Battle with 4:38 left in the 3rd, 30-28 CG. CG would respond with Nicholas Hissong taking it 9 yards for the TD with 11:49 left in the game, 37-28 CG. On the following kickoff, [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] takes it 80 yards to the house making it a one point game with 11:37 left in the game. 37-36 CG. ESL would have the ball with less than 2 minutes left in the game, they were driving downfield and at midfield when Robert Battle was facing pressure from all sides. He then found a lane to escape and tried to get the ball off as he was being dragged down. He gets the ball off and IT'S INTERCEPTED by Noah Riley. This sealed the game for CG. Cary Grove 37 East St. Louis 36 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJsHtyp5X0Q">Game Highlights</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doo7X8jeuao">6A State Champion Cary Grove Post Game Press Conference</a> <hr /> East St. Louis #3 [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] 6'1 200 22' WR <a href="https://twitter.com/lutherburden3">Twitter</a> Mr. Burden showcased why he's the number one receiver in the country in this 6A State Championship matchup as he was dominant throughout. He can win over the top with his speed and understanding of how to manipulate leverage to create separation from the defender. This young man attacks the ball at the highest point to come down with the contested catch, this TD is showcased below. When the opposing defense is in zone coverage he does a good job of finding the soft spot to be an outlet for his quarterback and has that next gear to blow by the 2nd level of defenders. Once in open space, he can make defenders miss using a range of moves further showcasing his elusiveness. In a crucial part of the game, he was able to go 80 yards for a kick return TD making it a one point game in the 4th. His overall playmaking abilities are easily seen and Mizzou is getting one heck of a player. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1465105927812653062?s=20 #9 Robert Battle 5'11 170 24' QB <a href="https://twitter.com/estlpops9">Twitter</a> Mr. Battle navigates the pocket well when in platform, if he can't find anyone open downfield he pulls the ball down to scramble utilizing his legs which are a legit threat to the opposing defense. This dual threat QB runs the option and can make defenders miss in open space showcasing his elusiveness, just take a look at the clip below. He can get the ball out quickly and escape pocket pressure to find his man downfield to move the chains. When working out of platform, he has a fluid flip of the hips to add extra velocity on the ball. He can also make level 3 throws where he puts a touch on the deep ball and can make level 2 throws between the linebacker/safety. He still has room to develop further and hone his craft, currently is a D2 caliber player in my eyes. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1465104982387085317?s=20 #58 [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"] 6'7 340 23' OL <a href="https://twitter.com/McVayMiles">Twitter</a> Mr. McVay fires off the ball and latches on quickly. I couldn't find the clip, but he finishes plays through the whistle even if he's 10 yards downfield and puts the defender on his back. This young man is aggressive at the point of attack, washes the defensive lineman down, and works up to 2nd level defenders to cut off the linebacker flow. In pass protection, he uses his lateral quickness to "close the door" on the pass rushing defender and has a good initial punch as he gets inside hand placement. There's no wonder why he has offers from all over the P5. #5 TaRyan Martin 5'8 180 25' RB <a href="https://twitter.com/MartinTaryan">Twitter</a> Mr. Martin has the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles, once he does he uses his next geat to burst through the line of scrimmage. His change of direction is one to keep an eye on as he can stop on a dime then accelerate back to full speed quickly, this was seen countless times as he would hit the cutback lanes. This young man is a smaller speed back that is only going to get better and hone his craft further, being a freshman on Varsity is no understatement let alone being on one of the top teams in the country. It's hard to say how high his stock could rise in the coming years, definitely one to keep an eye on his production during his sophomore and junior campaign. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1465103857684566020?s=20 Cary Grove #34 Nicholas Hissong 6'1 221 22' RB Mr. Hissong had himself a game in the 6A State Championship, below is a thread with some of his game clips. This young is a hard downhill runner that plays through contact and keeps a low center of gravity to bounce off hits. He keeps his feet driving breaking arm tackles and fights for extra yards in the process of doing so, so much so that he ended up breaking a few big runs in the game. As he patiently awaits the running lanes to open, he finds them quickly with his vision between the tackles. If you're looking for a 3 down power back, look no further as this young man can get it done. In my eyes, he's more of a D2 caliber player but with his production in this game against an ESL defense that has many G5 potential players he might be given a chance at the FCS level. Whichever level, he's going to make his impact felt in the running game. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1465099529854799877?s=20 #17 [player_tooltip player_id="136006" first="Jameson" last="Sheehan"] 6'3 190 22' QB <a href="https://twitter.com/SheehanJameson">Twitter</a> Mr. Sheehan is a hard runner that keeps his feet driving and fights for extra yards by playing through the whistle. His legs are a legit threat to the defense as he uses his quickness to turn the corner on one heck of an ESL defense. When making in platform throws, he puts a touch on the ball during level 2 throws which resulted in a TD along the sideline. Below are clips of the plays he made in the 6A State Championship. He plays in a run heavy offense but also showcased his passing abilities. In my eyes, he's a D2/NAIA caliber QB that can be utilized in both the run and pass game. A complete competitor that could potentially rise to FCS depending on that given team's offensive scheme. https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1465100857196916737?s=20 #40 [player_tooltip player_id="118837" first="Wade" last="Abrams"] 6'0 200 22' LB <a href="https://twitter.com/wade_abrams">Twitter</a> Mr. Abrams spend most of the game lined up at defensive end as a quarterback spy, when doing so he worked gap to gap. He utilized his lateral quickness to extend plays horizontally limiting the ball carrier to turn the corner thus making the tackle on the play. This young man is typically a linebacker for CG, he finished the game with the following stat line: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, & 1 sack. He currently has a range of offers across all levels with the highest coming from Valparaiso University, definitely a versatile player that can be moved around on defense and can play running back for you on offense as well if need be. #63 Zachary Petko 6'1 214 22' OL <a href="https://twitter.com/PetkoZach">Twitter</a> Mr. Petko fires off the ball and latches on quickly, pair this with his power at the point of attack and he drives the defensive lineman back creating a running lane for his teammate. He finishes plays by keeping his feet driving, washes the defensive lineman down, and plays through the whistle. When in open space, he leads the way as the lead blocker and latches onto the 2nd level defenders cutting off their flow to the play. In my eyes, he's an interior lineman that's more of a run blocker than a pass protector that has the potential to play at the D2/NAIA level. <hr /> Be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZJordan">@PRZJordan</a> regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/prepredzoneIL">@PrepRedzoneIL</a>. Want to be ranked? Fill out our FREE <a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/">Prospect Player Index</a>, another tool to help you in your recruiting journey.