Players To Watch For This Week: 9/27-9/30

As we draw near the 5th-6th week of high school football for the majority of Kentucky, I want to point out that there are so many players playing out of their minds this current fall season. Week after week, I have seen insane performances such as 200+ rushing yd & rushing touchdown games and 6+ passing touchdown games. Although I would not discredit the defensive performances in those games, it just goes to show the amount of talent this state has. Today, I will be listing 5 players to watch for in this week's slate of games.   Tyler Ballard LB | 5-10, 187lbs. Class of 2023 | Holy Cross High School (Louisville), KY | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12668775/632a120ab5360b0c7ca8074f" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12668775/632a120ab5360b0c7ca8074f">Mid Season Tape:</a>   Current 2022 Defensive Stats: 63 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 1 sack in 6 games played.   Next Game: Friday 10/7, against Bethlehem High School (Record: 4-1).   Past Analysis: Tyler Ballards hit package is explosive and fatal when running the blitz. His 2021 season stats have proof of that as he led the state with the most forced fumbles, 2nd in defensive sacks, and 8th in tackles. What is noticeable in any elite linebacker is the ability to make a defensive stop no matter where you are positioned at. Not only can Tyler hit hard and put pressure on the quarterback, but he can also accurately read where the ball is going to go once the ball is snapped. This enables Tyler to position himself to make a stop which makes it much more difficult for the offense to get the ball down the field.   Current Season: Tyler is continuing to explode as a hitting machine, hitting double-digit tackles in almost every game this season. I expect him to continue being an amazing defensive threat for the rest of the fall season.   Quintel Thomas RB | 5-11, 190lbs. Class of 2023 | Eastern High School (Louisville), KY | <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JCP7k" data-type="URL" data-id="http://www.hudl.com/v/2JCP7k">Tape:</a>   KHSAA 6A RB Rank: #1   2022 Mid Season Stats: 99 rushing attempts for 717 rushing yards & 5 rushing touchdowns in 5 games played.   Next Game: Friday 9/30, against Oldham County High School (Record: 0-5)   Quintel currently leads the state in total rushing yards as he had an outstanding performance against North Bullitt High School, having 16 carries for 237 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. The young man is one of the strongest backs in his state class as he is seen breaking tackles left & right. Along with his superior strength is his athleticism as he can make quick jabs and hurdles on opposing tackles to create separation. With that, his quick acceleration and speed help finish the job once he gains room to run. With such a talented division of competitive football teams, it truly shows how good Quintel is when he is putting up video game numbers like that.   Donnelly Tran QB |6-0,175lbs. Class of 2023 | Fairdale High School, KY | <a href="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GS77m" data-type="URL" data-id="http://www.hudl.com/v/2GS77m">Tape:</a>   Next Game: Thursday 9/29, against Western High School (Record: 1-4)   Past Analysis: Donnelly is a hidden gem playing quarterback in the Louisville area. I was shocked to find no reports of the young man being offered anything from schools. Donnelly has astonishing footwork that can be compared to any DI QB, and his ability to quickly get the ball out of his hands to the receiver is top-notch. What's also remarkable about Donnelly is that he seems to not be bothered by incoming blitz pressure whenever he is throwing the ball. Even with little room to throw, Donnelly can still effectively get the football into the hands of the receiver while throwing on the run. I also find it interesting how he starts his play action on the opposite side of his throwing arm to throw the defense off-guard like he is going to run and then switches back to throw a 30 yd completion. He still has one year left to show off his skills but to me, he has already proven that he has the talent and the brains to play quarterback at the next level. Do not sleep on this man!   Current Season: Donnelly recently put up an excellent performance against Bullitt Central, completing 18 passes for 298 passing yards & 4 passing touchdowns. He also racked up 30 yards rushing with 1 rushing touchdown. I am not surprised to see Donnelly putting up numbers like this, his superior talent has been there from the start. I have no doubt this won't be the only time he puts up numbers like this as the rest of the season progresses.   Austin Howard ATH | 6-1, 185lbs. Class of 2023 | Lewis County High School, KY | Tape:   Next Game: Friday 9/30, against Pendleton High School (Record: 0-6).   This past Friday, Austin had a crazy performance playing on both sides of the football. The senior from Lewis County ran 22 carries for 235 rushing touchdowns & 2 rushing touchdowns, along with 16 tackles & 1TFL on the defensive end. What is easily notable about Austin's game is his speed. He was reported to have a 4.4 40yd dash which proves his lightning speed on the football field. He can break free onto an open field with his receiver-like footwork that creates easy separation, and his defensive reads are top-notch. It's uncommon to find a player who is good in every aspect of the game and has little to no weaknesses. Make sure to catch Austin this Friday as he is looking to make another excellent performance against Pendleton High School.   [player_tooltip player_id='386929' first='Wyatt' last='Fowler'] LB | 6-4, 210lbs. Class of 2023 | South Oldham High school, KY | Tape:   Next Game: Friday 9/30, against Atherton High School (Record: 4-2).   Easily one of the top performing defensive players in Kentucky last week, senior [player_tooltip player_id='386929' first='Wyatt' last='Fowler'] racked up 16 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 5 total sacks against Jeffersontown high school. Wyatt is one of the hardest-hitting linebackers I have seen in the Bluegrass state. His quick acceleration and strength help him make hard hits on opposing ball carriers. Not even the strongest running backs could break a hit from Wyatt, as he can be seen taking down running backs WITH their offensive guards in the same pile. It is fun to watch Wyatt play as not only can he be dominant defensively, but he is also the teams starting quarterback who can score the football offensively as well. Wyatt understands the game well as he can be seen making consistently correct predictions on QB reads which help him make defensive stops.

As we draw near the 5th-6th week of high school football for the majority of Kentucky, I want to point out that there are so many players playing out of their minds this current fall season. Week after week, I have seen insane performances such as 200+ rushing yd & rushing touchdown games and 6+ passing touchdown games. Although I would not discredit the defensive performances in those games, it just goes to show the amount of talent this state has. Today, I will be listing 5 players to watch for in this week's slate of games.