Millbrook vs. Heritage – Defensive Standouts

Millbrook vs. Heritage &#8211; Defensive Standouts

Ed Brooks

October 1, 2022 @ 09:55 AM

I was on the sidelines for the Week 7 matchup between Millbrook and Heritage, both teams were undefeated and ranked going into the game. Two of the state's top defensive units battled the offensive units throughout the game. The listed players performances caught my attention during the game.   Millbrook   [player_tooltip player_id='345338' first='Xavier' last='Pugh'] - SS, 5'10" 195 (No. 36 DB, No. 344 Overall). Xavier plays on both sides of the ball for his team. He displayed good speed and change of direction while covering receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass on him. He finished the game with 2 tackles.   [player_tooltip player_id='201569' first='David' last='Santiago'] - OLB, 6'3" 230 (No. 19 ATH, No. 104 Overall). David plays on both sides of the ball for his team. He displayed good lateral movement and speed to cover a lot of ground quickly to make stops. He used his quickness and upper body strength to control blockers while moving past them to close in on the ball carrier. The Charlotte commit finished the game with 5 tackles, 1 of the tackles was for a loss.   [player_tooltip player_id='357813' first='Jayden' last='Ferguson'] - OLB, 6'0" 195 (No. 22 LB, No. 158 Overall). Jayden displayed good lateral movement and speed to cover a lot of ground quickly to make stops. He used his quickness and good technique to control blockers while moving past them to make stops. Jayden finished the game with 5 tackles, 3 of the tackles were for losses, and 2 sacks. He had the most impressive performance on the defensive unit.   [player_tooltip player_id='357776' first='Ian' last='Rembert'] - MLB, 6'3" 215 (No. 27 LB, No. 269 Overall). Ian displayed patience to let the play develop before reacting quickly to close in on the ball carrier for stops. He used his quickness and good technique to control blockers while moving past them to make stops. Ian finished the game with 6 tackles, 2 of the tackles were for losses.   D.K. Bryant - CB, 5'11" 150. D.K. displayed good speed and technique to cover receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass against him. He intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD.   [player_tooltip player_id='357777' first='Chase' last='McClary'] - CB, 6'3" 180. Chase displayed good speed and technique to cover receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass against him. He finished the game with 3 tackles.   Heritage   [player_tooltip player_id='312778' first='Elijah' last='Smith'] - DE, 6'1" 240. Elijah was quick out of his stance to make contact with blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while closing in on the ball carrier. Elijah used his quickness to move past blockers into the backfield to keep constant pressure on the quarterback.   [player_tooltip player_id='371915' first='Jacob' last='Holloway'] - DE, 6'3" 230 (No. 6 DL, No. 39 Overall). Jacob was quick out of his stance to make contact with blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while closing in on the ball carrier. Jacob used his quickness and upper body strength to move past blockers into the backfield, sacking the quarterback several times.   Brandon Crutchfield - CB, 5'10" 165. Brandon displayed good speed and change of direction to cover receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass against him. He displayed good technique in man-coverage on the receivers. Brandon intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD.

I was on the sidelines for the Week 7 matchup between Millbrook and Heritage, both teams were undefeated and ranked going into the game. Two of the state's top defensive units battled the offensive units throughout the game. The listed players performances caught my attention during the game.