Game Report: Evanston Survives the Shootout against Indian Trail

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evanston, IL</strong> - As the season got underway, I traveled to Evanston to watch the Wildkits take on the Hawks of Indian Trail (WI) for an out-of-conference matchup. The skies were blue, and the sun was setting for the first Friday night lineup of the season, which saw a Wisconsin team taking the journey south for an out-of-state contest, made possible through a recent Wisconsin state law. As the stadium began to fill and the band started to play, I became overcome with joy that football was upon us, and this game certainly did not disappoint that joy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Take a look below at the athletes I believe to have strongly performed, causing this game to be a shootout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_630d6ce804849","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["299539"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Emmett was a WR for the Wildkits on Friday night, who gave their offensive coordinator confidence to throw the ball on an early 4th and six as Evanston Township (ETHS) was driving the ball into Indian Trail (IT) territory. This young man displayed hands that could guarantee a catch for the ETHS quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='299511' first='Colin' last='Livatino'], and Emmett flaunted those sure-catch hands all night in this shootout. There were times that the ball was a little behind Emmett as he was running his route, but he was still able to reel the pigskin in to advance the ball downfield. In addition to his reliable hands, Emmett showed that he could read and beat many coverages with his quickness and speed, giving his quarterback a clear favorite target. Emmett was a solid offensive weapon for the Wildkits all night in an offensive scheme that saw Emmett playing half of a 1-2 punch between himself and his running back counterpart.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_630d72c10484a","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Damarion Timberlake","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Evanston Township","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The other half of the 1-2 punch for the Wildkits offense was Damarion, and he gave issues all night long for any defender willing to step in his path. This young man plays much more prominent than his measurables denote in the way that he lowers his shoulder in contact and runs through the defenders impeding his path. Damarion's heart and passion for the game were on full display as he fought for every inch of every play. During the second quarter, there was a play where Damarion ran into a cluster of defensive players up the middle, and he kept his feet pounding through contact as the defensive players piled on, giving his team some much-valued extra yardage. At this point, I knew Damarion was a baller for sure. In addition to his hard-nosed running, Damarion displayed the ability to plant his foot in the ground and make cuts up the field, effectively allowing him to slice through the defensive players' traffic.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_630d762c0484b","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["136005"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The senior big-man was the anchor on the right side of the Wildkit's offensive line, who, as expected, controlled his side of the ball with authority when it came to run and pass blocking. Gabe started his senior campaign off well against an eager Indian Trail defensive front, making gaping holes in the line for his running back to run through and giving cushion for his quarterback to throw in during pass block situations. The senior showed himself as a leader on the field and off as he corralled his teammates to pull off the win for ETHS.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_630d7dce0484c","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='300685' first='Terrell' last='Williams']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Evanston Township","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In a shootout that reaches 103 combined points, there isn't usually much to say for a defense; however, senior linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='300685' first='Terrell' last='Williams'] for ETHS played his tail off out there Friday night. This young man played an extremely aggressive game from his linebacking position, who was commanding control of his 1/3 of the field. Terrell had a fantastic first step downhill, where he then showed excellent football IQ while reading the plays in front of him and reacting quickly. Terrell played hardball Friday night and was looking to knock heads off on the field. However, Terrell's aggressiveness sometimes got the best of him as he showed he was susceptible to getting caught over pursuing plays. This young man was the clear vocal leader of the defense as he could be heard from across the field leading his teammates by someone sitting in the packed stands.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /-->