Playoff Recap: Rockwall-Heath vs Temple

The second round of the 6A Division II UIL 2021 Texas State Playoffs was a rematch from last year between Rockwall-Heath and Temple. Last year in the Area Round of the playoffs Heath won 56-28. Friday night’s game was an emotional rollercoaster with Heath and Temple exchanging touchdowns for the majority of the game. Heath took the lead and never let up while Temple remained poised closing the score several times. Unfortunately due to a critical turnover and a few crucial 3rd down stops in the RedZone, Heath was able to secure the victory 45-33 enabling them to advance to the Regional Semi-Final Playoff round. While scouting the game I noticed several student-athletes on both teams I wanted to recognize. (<strong>UNOFFICIAL STATS</strong>). <strong>Rockwall-Heath Rising Stars</strong> <strong>Cash </strong><b>Cleveland</b> - (2024) - C - 6’3" 300lbs Cleveland is a dynamic and big offensive lineman who is gaining interest from Power 5 schools but only has one offer from Georgia Tech. When you watch him he is a lineman to be reckoned with. Cleveland is a great pass and run blocker who possesses great speed and agility. He is very precise with his snap and immediately engages his assigned block laying defenders down. His abilities and dominance in the trenches enabled running back [player_tooltip player_id="60728" first="Zach" last="Evans"] to rush for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while <span style="font-size: 1rem;">quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60721" first="Josh" last="Hoover"] passed for 284 yards and four touchdowns. Cleveland is only a sophomore and has a lot of football left in his high school career. Look for Cleveland to hold several Power 5 offers by the end of the school year. </span> <strong>Brady Luff </strong>- (2024) - DB 6’0" 175lbs Another dynamic athlete is defensive back Brady Luff. He is an athletic defender with great field vision, quick feet, and he is a tackling machine. Luff has 29 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 5 pass deflections on the season. When you watch him he is involved in a lot of plays which displays his overall drive and motivation for his team. Look for this young sophomore to develop into a premier athlete next year. <strong>Layne Horak</strong> - (2022) - SS 6’0" 170lbs When you’re looking for a versatile athlete, check out senior strong safety Layne Horak. He plays with an incredible edge on defense. Horak has over 70 tackles and 3 interceptions this season. He is great in transition, has quick feet, reads, and reacts to the ball quickly. Last night when Temple was trying to convert a crucial 4th down, Horak dropped back redirected, and deflected the ball to help seal any hopes of a Temple come back. Look for him to display a high level of athleticism versus Tomball in the Regional Semi-Final game next week. Horak doesn’t hold any offers but I <span style="font-size: 1rem;">believe </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">with continued dominance in the playoffs, colleges will notice his abilities. </span> <strong>Temple Rising Stars</strong> <strong>Samari Howard</strong> - (2022) - RB 5’8" 175lbs One of the impelling causes for the Wildcats offense is senior running back Samari Howard. Last night he rushed for 166 yards and had two touchdowns. Howard is a very shifty back who is hard to take down. He possesses great vision, patience, and has breakaway speed. Several times the Heath defense knew where he was going but his athletic ability allowed him to evade tacklers and make big plays throughout the night. Howard has rushed for 1,717 yards this season and totaled 20 touchdowns. Howard is currently committed to the Air Force Academy and has offers from both Navy and Army to name a few. Look for him to make an huge impact for the Falcons next year. <strong>Naeten Mitchell</strong> - (2023) - SS 5’10" 175lbs Mitchell is an exceptional defensive back for the Wildcats. He is athletic, has quick feet, a nose for the ball, and attacks the ball carrier with sound tackling techniques. Friday night Mitchell had several tackles and a huge interception to help swing the momentum for the Wildcats. He has 73 tackles, 11 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 7 pass deflections. Watching him play and viewing his highlight tape, he reminds me of Tyrann Mathieu. Mitchell holds offers from Arkansas, BYU, Toledo, and has been talking to The University of Colorado. <strong>Devan Wiliams</strong> - (2022) - WR 6’2" 180lbs Williams has been going under the radar but when you watch him you see a true collegiate wide receiver. He is long, has great size, quick release, creates separation, and has the speed to create explosive plays. Williams route running is noteworthy and with his height he is able to contest the 50/50 ball. In his previous playoff game when the Wildcats were down early, Williams returned a 80 yard kick return to spark his team to a close victory. The kid is electrifying once the ball is in his hands. This year his stats doesn’t correlate with his athletic abilities. Williams totaled for 50 yards receiving and one touchdown Friday night. This year Williams had 31 receptions, 727 yards, 10 touchdowns going into Friday nights game. Surprisingly Williams doesn’t hold any offers but I think that will change during the off season. <strong>Ayden Brown</strong> - (2024) - DT 6’0" 255lbs The future is bright for the Wildcats defense with sophomore Brown in the trenches. He is a big lineman who attacks the line of scrimmage. He is great at gap control, and can play in any defensive line technique pending formation. Brown had 49 tackles and 5 QB pressures. He doesn’t hold any offers but has a lot of football shards of him. Look for Brown to dominate next year and become a notable interior defensive lineman.