State Quarterfinals: 7 Players to watch in Montgomery County

7 teams in Montgomery County have made it past the regional rounds. We have now reached the state quarterfinal round. This is where players need to step up and make plays in order to help their teams make a championship push. <strong>Kendall Johnson (2023) | 6’2 LB | Quince Orchard </strong> Johnson is a versatile swiss army knife for Quince Orchard. He can be an edge defender that can set the edge and rush the passer. He is also a great athlete and is able to drop back into coverage. He can also play as an off-ball backer that has sideline to sideline range. He has even lined up in the slot at times this season. Johnson is a true defensive weapon. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="90631" first="Darius" last="Lorfils"] (2022) | 6’2 CB/QB | Northwest </strong> Lorfils has been one of the top corners in the entire state. He is a lockdown cover guy. He excels in press coverage as he has great hands and speed. He also has tremendous footwork and technique which makes him a fantastic zone coverage corner as well. He is also a playmaker as he has a knack for the ball. He is a rare lockdown ball hawk corner. On offense when he lines up at quarterback he is a threat with his legs. He is really explosive with the balls in his hands. Lorfils is a special talent. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="90593" first="Octavian" last="Smith"] (2022) | 6’1 CB/QB | Paint Branch </strong> Smith is on the shortlist for player of the year in Montgomery County. He is an explosive playmaker on both sides of the ball. He is probably the best and most explosive ball carrier in the county and he does it from the quarterback position. He also has a big arm so he is able to push the ball downfield if teams try to stack the box. When he lines up at corner he has the speed and ability to stay with anybody. He also does a great job of playing the ball in the year. Smith is an elite player and some college is going to get a stud. <strong>Ricardo Villars (2022) | 6’2 CB/WR | Blair </strong> Villars is a two-way starter for Blair. On the offensive side of the ball, he is a deep threat receiver. He has enough speed to run right by defenders. He is a great route runner and does a great job of finding the soft spot of a defense. He also does a great job after the catch and breaks off a lot of big plays after the catch. On defense Villars is a smart defensive back that always seems to be in the right spot. Because of this, he is rewarded with plenty of balls that he can make a play on. When he does get those balls he makes the most of them as he has 5 INTs and 10 Pass Breakups. Villars is a real solid talent. <strong>Liam Haley (2022) | LB | Sherwood </strong> Haley is an athletic defensive player. He can line up at defensive back as he is great in coverage. He is also a force coming off the edge as he uses his quickness and speed to be a great pass rusher. He can also play off-ball backer as he is a great blitzer and tackler. Haley is a jack of all trades and can line up anywhere on defense. Haley is a huge part of this dangerous Sherwood defense. <strong>Micajah Cobbs (2022) | 5’8 LB/RB | Blake </strong> Entering the season many people expected Cobbs to be the bell-cow back for Blake. That has not been the case as he has shared carries with Dre’quan Smith. Cobbs has been really good with the carries he has gotten. He runs North-South and picks up every yard he can. He runs hard and breaks weak tackles. On defense, he is an off-ball backer. He has fantastic range and is able to run from sideline to sideline. He also does a great job in pass coverage when he has to get into his pass drops. He is also a great tackler. Cobbs has quietly put together a really solid season for Blake. <strong>Jorden Hungerford (2024) | 5’11 LB/RB | Seneca Valley </strong> Hungerford is a physical player. He plays violent on both offense and defense. On offense, he is used as a lead blocker and a power back. When he is a blocker he blocks with force and power and puts defenders on their backs. As a runner, he runs hard and is tough to bring down. On defense, he is a backer that is at his best when he is coming hard downfield. He is a great run stuffer and makes plenty of stops in the backfield. Hungerford is a big part of what Seneca does.