ACS HS All-Star Game recap & Red team players of the game
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The second annual American Cancer Society of Missouri High School Football All-Star Game was held on Saturday, December 11, at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. The game featured several dozen of the top Class of 2022 players in the St.…
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Continue ReadingThe second annual American Cancer Society of Missouri High School Football All-Star Game was held on Saturday, December 11, at Lindenwood University in St. Charles.
The game featured several dozen of the top Class of 2022 players in the St. Louis area playing one more game as high schoolers before moving on to the next level – or even competing in their final football game – and coached by Pat Mahoney (former De Smet coach) and Tom Beauchamp (current Parkway South coach).
It wasn’t all about football, however. The American Cancer Society raised more than $80,000 in donations with the players involved working to raise money in the days and weeks leading up to the contest.
With the players divided up into White and Red teams, it was Beauchamp’s White squad that scored 20 points in the first half and then held on in the second half for a 23-20 victory over Mahoney’s Red squad.
Here is a quick look at some of the players that stood out for the Red team on Saturday afternoon at Lindenwood:
Red Squad
CB-WR Austin Carson Austin Carson 6'2" | 185 lbs | ATH Winfield | 2022 State MO Winfield HUDL Twitter: @AC_1623
Carson, a 6-2, 185-pounder, shined on the offensive side of the ball during his senior season but showed his skills at cornerback on Saturday.
He got the scoring started late in the first quarter when he intercepted a pass and raced 43 yards down the left sideline for the game’s first touchdown. He added an interception late in the third quarter with his team trying to make a second-half comeback.
Carson led his Winfield squad with 11 touchdowns this season, including six receiving, three rushing and two on returns. He caught a team-high 29 passes for 505 yards and he rushed for 128 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, he recorded 38 tackles and two interceptions.
RB-LB Tyree Simms Tyree Simms 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB Parkway West | 2022 MO Parkway West HUDL Twitter: @SimmsTyree
A 6-0, 220-pounder, Simms made an impact on both sides of the ball for a good Parkway West (7-3) team this fall as running back and linebacker/defensive end. On Saturday, he showed his skills on both sides.
Simms ran hard and showed some burst. He was credited with 35 yards on three carries in the first half, then showed toughness on a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter where he fought through several would-be tacklers. He also recovered a teammate’s fumble, had a nice 10-yard run called back on a holding penalty and came up with a big tackle late with his team trying to pull off the comeback.
Defensively, Simms recorded 58 tackles and six sacks during his senior campaign. Offensively, he ran for 341 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry, and scored nine total touchdowns.
DE Martrell Brown Martrell Brown 6'2" | 185 lbs | DL Eureka | 2022 State MO Eureka HUDL Twitter: @Martrellbrown4
Brown was listed at 6-2 and 185 pounds during the high school season, so he likely projects as an outside linebacker at the next level, but he was impressive at defensive end on Saturday as he was able to use his speed and quickness to cause chaos in the backfield.
Brown had a sack/forced fumble in the third quarter that big CBC defensive tackle Jerome Logan Jerome Logan 6'2" | 325 lbs | DL CBC | 2022 State MO returned to the 1-yard line and led to a Brennan Wilson Brennan Wilson 5'11" | 175 lbs | ATH Fort Zumwalt East | 2022 State MO 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 20-14. Then Brown teamed up with big Marquis Gracial Marquis Gracial 6'4" | 310 lbs | DL St. Charles | 2022 State MO for a third-down sack in the fourth quarter to keep the comeback hopes alive.
Brown recorded a team-high eight sacks this fall for Eureka and added 58 tackles, which ranked third among the Wildcats.
DT Marquis Gracial Marquis Gracial 6'4" | 310 lbs | DL St. Charles | 2022 State MO St. Charles HUDL Twitter: @gracial_marquis
Gracial, a 6-4, 310-pounder, is one of the top prospects in Missouri and committed to the University of Missouri over a long list of offers, including from Alabama. On Saturday, he showed his ability to impact a game with his size, strength and quickness in the trenches.
No official statistics were kept, but Gracial had at least a few tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in addition to clogging up the interior and making it difficult for the White squad to get much going in the running game.
In seven games in his senior season, Gracial recorded 38 tackles, five sacks and three fumble recoveries while opponents did whatever they could to avoid him.
WR Zach McGee Zach McGee 6'3" | 195 lbs | WR Fort Zumwalt North | 2022 State MO Fort Zumwalt North HUDL Twitter: @zachmcgee22
McGee was Zumwalt North’s leading receiver this past season with 36 receptions for 736 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 20.4 yards per reception. He also recorded 33 tackles and a sack on defense.
A 6-3, 195-pounder, McGee was unofficially the leading receiver on Saturday with four catches for 75 yards. He also had a nice snag on a fourth down pass but was out of bounds along the right sideline.
LB Will Nelson Will Nelson 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Eureka | 2022 State MO Eureka HUDL Twitter: @WillNelson40
LB Drew Nicholson Northwest Cedar Hill HUDL
We are putting these two together because it seemed like one or the other were in on almost every tackle during the afternoon. These two tackling machines, who are similarly built big and strong backers, were all over the place on Saturday – just as they were during their high school seasons.
Nelson, a 6-1, 220-pounder, had 107 tackles, four sacks and an interception in 12 games as a senior. Nicholson, a 6-0, 210-pounder, recorded 64 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery during his senior season.