2 Unbeaten Teams Collide: Mckeesport vs Belle Vernon
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McKeesport & Belle Vernon will square off this week to see who retains their undefeated status. McKeesport has been on a roll opening to season with a 40-0 victory over West Mifflin & then following that up with a 19-7…
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Continue ReadingMcKeesport & Belle Vernon will square off this week to see who retains their undefeated status. McKeesport has been on a roll opening to season with a 40-0 victory over West Mifflin & then following that up with a 19-7 win over Penn Trafford. Belle Vernon’s head coach Matt Humbert graduated his star QB Devin Whitlock, but he still has a major blue chip recruit in RB/DB Quinton Martin Quinton Martin 6'3" | 200 lbs | ATH Belle Vernon Area | 2024 State PA . The Leopards will have a hard time trying to contain McKeesport’s FBS prospects Jahmil Perryman Jahmil Perryman 5'9" | 170 lbs | DB McKeesport | 2023 State PA & Bobbie Boyd Jr. Bobbie Boyd Jr. 5'9" | 165 lbs | ATH McKeesport | 2023 State PA offensively. The good news for The Leopards seem to be ready for the challenge after defeating a talented Laurel Highlands team 41-20 week 1. Below are some prospects to keeps tabs on during this WPIAL contest.
Jahmil is a great athlete on both sides of the ball. He has substantial lateral quickness & speed. Jahmil has burst & is a very elusive, patient, strong runner. JP’s quickness is great for running in traffic on inside run plays or kick returns. Perryman is a homerun threat on any part of the field. He’s very impressive on defense at the free safety tackling in space. Jahmil possesses great fundamental DB skills. Perryman has great hips, anticipation & punishes offensive ball carriers. His natural strength makes him a superb form tackler. He runs the alley well with bad intentions in pursuit. Jahmil’s ball skills afford him the ability to play the ball well in the air. Perryman will be a great special teams player on Day 1. JP’s stop & go ability makes him one of the most dangerous kick return specialist in the WPIAL.
Bobby is an absolute play maker for the Mckeesport Tigers. He has the strength to sustain great top end speed. Boyd is good at finding daylight & finishing TD runs from great distances. His burst allows him to accelerate to top speed in just a few steps. Bob is able to plant & cut off of one foot running full go. On defense he displays great pound for pound strength. Boyd is a sure tackler who doesn’t allow extra yardage once he makes contact. He possesses a knack for finding the ball and pummeling whoever has it. Bobbie will be a major contributor on special teams collegiately. Boyd is also talented at defensing the football & consistently making plays on it.
Dimitri’s pad level and speed firing off is pretty good for a lineman of his size. His low center of gravity makes it hard for teams to single or double team him. Dimitri is decently athletic & redirects well when pursuing the RB. His swift get off allows him to make plays in the backfield.
Jayden is not only good at firing out but also driving his feet on contact. Keys is also good at zone blocks & doubling on down blocks. In pass protection he has the tendency to get top heavy and lean forward blocking. Keys is still only a junior so strengthening his lower half & working on his agility will be paramount. Jaydan should also continue developing a strong punch & kick slide.
Highlights
Aemond Knight
Aemond Knight
Knight possesses good quickness & speed at the CB position. He has a good pedal & breaks on the ball well. He has good DB fundamentals, and he rarely ever over extends breaking. Desmond also maintains good speed with smooth hip transition. Aemond is a good tackler in space & stronger than he weighs. He is good at defeating stock blocks and coming up to hit. Aemond has decent ball skills.
Shayne Mcgraw
Shayne Mcgraw
McGraw moves well laterally pursuing the football. He displays good LB instincts when he identifies a play. Shayne has a good motor & has the drive to play sideline to sideline. He is a good blitzer that makes plays behind the line of scrimmage. His pursuit of the ball carrier makes for big collisions once he reaches his destination.
Quinton Martin Quinton Martin 6’3″ | 200 lbs | ATH Belle Vernon Area | 2024 State PA is a big time next level prospect. He has college ready size with great speed. Martin plays a lot of positions and is dominant at all of them. At RB he plays with great balance & bursting speed. He’s rarely ever caught from behind once he breaks a long run. Quinton even displayed the ability to play WR, catching a seam route from the Y position. No surprise on defenses he’s just as as impressive. He’s very versatile showing the ability to play CB,FS & SS. At CB he has next level patience & physicality in press man. He is a shorthanded tackler from either position at safety. He had a couple great interceptions in press man coverage displaying next level ball skills. Martin is more than willing tackler and he runs the Alley we’ll from the FS position.
Dana has good size at 6’3 265 & he is only a Junior. On film it looked like he kept improving throughout the season. Dane is a good down blocker and pass protector. He has good technique firing out and driving defenders out of the box. He’s very physical and had several pancakes throughout the film. Levi is athletic for his size & is able to get to the second level to make blocks on the LB. He plays till the end of the whistle & he possesses a nasty demeanor. Dane’s strength will continually keep improving since he is only a junior.
Evan Pohlot
Evan Pohlot
Evan is another big body WR/DB for Belle Vernon High School. Evan has good quick twitch & speed for his size. He has strong reliable hands & doesn’t make body catches. Evan isn’t scared to catch or run routes in the middle of the field. Another good quality is his ability to track & catch passes over his shoulder. Evan’s also a physical stock blocker. EP’s size at CB can be a matchup problem for schools trying to go deep. He is tough & patient in press man coverage. Evan’s size is also ideal in run support & defensing 50/50 balls.
At 6’1 175 Chase has the size to play on the next level. He is a skilled WR who runs good routes. Another WR skill is his ability to get around re-routers and re-stack them. With his 6’1 frame he’s good at going to get the ball up top. On defense he has a size and strength to be a good safety. He pursues the ball well in run support. There were a couple times on film his alignment got too shallow but that’s easily repairable. It will be interesting to say the least watching what Chase does against McKeesport.
Steve Macheska
Steve Macheska
Stephen fires out of his stance with good pad level. His quick get off allows him to make TFLs. Macheska is physical & has a nose for the football in pursuit. His pop coming off of the ball has strength. Steven will be a tough matchup in the run game for the Tigers.