Tic for Tat: 25’s on the Rise Pt. 2
We’re back diving into the younger up and coming student athletes here in Illinois that currently possess the potential to possibly play at the next level (across all of the various levels). Time will tell how these young men continue…
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Continue ReadingWe’re back diving into the younger up and coming student athletes here in Illinois that currently possess the potential to possibly play at the next level (across all of the various levels). Time will tell how these young men continue to hone their craft and how their high school career will shape out, with that being said let’s kick start Tic for Tat by diving into 25’s on the Rise Pt. 2. Enjoy!
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Nathaniel Marshall Nathaniel Marshall 6'5" | 260 lbs | DL Fenwick | 2025 State IL / Fenwick / 6’4 240 DL / Twitter
Mr. Marshall has a mix of JV and Varsity highlights in his film where he can line up across the defensive line working as a 7 tech as well as a 1 tech and 3 tech at times. This young man is able to take run blocks head-on and can then disengages to secure the tackle in the backfield for a tackle for loss on the play. He provides glimpses of his strength to drive the defender back with his bull rush on passing downs as he can simply overpower the offensive lineman at times. This results in him collapsing the pocket on the quarterback and generating pressure on the play to influence the throw forcing errant throws. If the run is going away from him, Mr. Marshall will flow to the ball as he doesn’t give up on the play and will take pursuit angles from the backside to secure the tackle downfield. I’m interested to see if he’s going to develop into more of a two-gap defender or if he’ll lean more towards generating pressure on the quarterback – he has the potential to do both and has provided glimpses into the type of player that he can become. I’m also interested to see if he’ll end up taking snaps as both an OL and DL moving forward or if he’s only going to work on the defensive side of the ball. The potential is there for Mr. Marshall, as he continues to develop and hone his craft we’ll get a better understanding of the type of player he’ll mold into on the defensive side of the ball.
Bryan Scales Bryan Scales 5'8" | 135 lbs | WR Marmion Academy | 2025 IL / Marmion Academy / 5’7 135 WR DB / Twitter
Mr. Scales took his snaps on JV this last fall working as a Z receiver and provides insight into the potential that he has. Once he secures the catch, he can get vertical quickly showcasing his foot quicks to either keep the chains moving or break a long run on the play. He’s also utilized on jet sweeps where he uses his lateral quickness to turn the corner and has the ability to break weak grab tackles in the process – in a few clips in his highlights he’s so close to breaking long runs after he breaks the first weak grab tackle but ends up getting chased down from behind as the grab tackle slows him down allowing the flowing defenders to close on him quickly. If Mr. Scales is able to limit the impact breaking weak grab tackles has on his speed you’ll see him breaking long runs for six on a consistent basis as he flashes glimpses of doing so. When he secures the receiver screen, he can get vertical quickly along the sideline using his foot quicks to gain the step on the second-level defenders breaking a long run in the process. If you ask Mr. Scales to go across the middle of the field, he’s more than happy to as he can secure the catch and keep his feet driving upon contact from the defender to fight for extra yards. This young man can also secure the catch with the defender all over his back in traffic as well. An area of his game that I’m interested in seeing develop over these next few seasons is his quick first step off the line of scrimmage and his route running. Currently, he provides glimpses of his ability to use speed cuts at the top of the route to turn the defender and win over the top on the fade/post route. I’m also interested to see how this young man would fair being a return man as well, he has the foot quicks to him and this could be a potential area where he could make a further impact in the game.
Eli Davidson Eli Davidson 5'10" | 210 lbs | LB Dixon | 2025 IL / Dixon / 5’9 190 LB /Twitter
Mr. Davidson is an outside linebacker that took his snaps on Varsity this last fall season. He provides glimpses into his ability to deliver a heavy hit on the ball carrier when he’s triggering downhill in run support to clog up the running lanes. I’m interested to see more out of this area of his game as a majority of his film showcases his pass coverage skill set. With that being said, when this young man does come on a blitz he can shoot through the B gap to disrupt the play in the backfield securing the tackle for loss. When he’s in man coverage, he can press the slot receiver at times. Here, he can stay in the receiver’s hop pocket on the deep shot downfield and get his hand up forcing the pass breakup as a result. Mr. Davidson provides glimpses of his ability to flip his hips to turn and run with the receiver on deep shots downfield when he’s in man coverage as well. Upon doing so, he lowers the chances of him being broken off at the top of the route as well as limiting the separation the receiver can create on the route. For being such a young player, Mr. Davidson possesses plus man coverage abilities to not only stay with the slot receiver in coverage but also being able to make a play on the ball. Be sure to keep an eye on this young man as he continues to develop, he could very well turn into a top coverage linebacker in the state when it’s all said and done.
Ryan Mascari / Neuqua Valley / 6’4 220 TE / Twitter
Mr. Mascari is a tight end that took his snaps on JV this last fall season and lines up in the slot as well as at the traditional tight end position. When he’s in the slot and secures the catch, he can get vertical quickly using his foot quicks to outrun second-level defenders getting into the endzone for six. This young man is able to find the soft spot in zone coverage as he understands spacing and can also lay out to secure the catch in traffic. In terms of his route running, he showcases solid speed cuts but this is an area he can improve upon heading into his sophomore season campaign. One area of his game that I believe is going to be one of his strongest moving forward is his ability to secure the contested catch by looking the ball in and playing above the rim. He has a long catch radius and when he high points the ball his reach is towering over the defender guarding him in his highlights. Look for this young man to become a huge redzone threat and one that can go up for those 50/50 balls to come down with the contested catch. When he’s blocking in line at the tight end position, he shows glimpses of being quick out of his stance and using a quick punch to latch onto the defender. He then is able to drive block the defender back 5 yards downfield as he keeps his feet driving through the whistle. All in all, this young man can be utilized in both the air attack and in the run game – both of which I’m interested to see how his skill set develops. I’m very interested to see how he’s going to be utilized here in the upcoming fall season.
Troy Velez Troy Velez 5'10" | 180 lbs | RB Geneva | 2025 State IL / Geneva / 5’11 185 RB / Twitter
Mr. Velez has a mix of JV and Varsity in his highlights taking his snaps as halfback where he provides glimpses of his quick burst through the line of scrimmage at times. When he does so he also provides glimpses of having the vision to find running lanes quickly between the tackles. If a defender tries to meet him in the hole or square up to tackle him in open space, this young man isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder taking the tackle head-on as he plays through contact. With that being said, an area of his game to improve is his ability to break weak grab tackles on a consistent basis. He currently has that aggressive running style in his repertoire and if he’s able to improve his ability to break those weak grab tackles after taking them head-on you’ll see this young man break long runs more often. Currently, he has the potential to become a good downhill style runner as he showcases that he can consistently get you four to five yards per carry on the JV level – I’m interested to see how this translates to the Varsity level. Mr. Velez also showcases glimpses of his ability to bounce plays outside hitting the cutback lane if the front side is clogged up. Here, he can get through the lane into open space to keep the chains moving after gaining a chunk of yards on the play. What I’m interested to see more out of Mr. Velez is his usability in the air attack as he can currently catch out of the backfield on RPOs to keep the chains moving. All in all, this young man showcases glimpses of the type of player that he can develop into and I look forward to watching it unfold.
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