Timberland vs Troy-Buchanan Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">This past Friday, I had the pleasure of watching two very talented football teams face off. Timberland hosted Troy-Buchanan in a battle of two teams in the state of Missouri that have gotten off to a hot start. Unfortunately for Timberland, Troy-Buchanan looked to be too much to handle this time around, running away with a 44-12 victory. Both teams had several impressive players on display but these are the ones that stood out to me the most from this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["103392"],"_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":"If I were to choose a Player of the Game from Friday night, it would be [player_tooltip player_id='103392' first='Nick' last='Bova']. While he is better known for his impact on the defensive side of the ball, Bova made his biggest impact on offense as a running back this past week. He was electric with the ball in his hands, scoring three touchdowns. Bova showed impressive vision and once he saw the hole open up, he burst through it and showed the speed to run away from the defense. On defense, Bova still had a strong game, lining up at both strong safety and in the box as a linebacker. He showed the ability to come down and fill the lane against the run and was a very good open field tackler in this game. Bova also showed that he is a dangerous returner on special teams, breaking off for a couple very impressive long returns on Friday. Nick currently holds offers from Central Missouri, Butler, Culver Stockton, Southwest Baptist, and McKendree, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more come his way as he has the talent to be a special player at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["37718"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Another explosive player from the Troy-Buchanan offense that stood out was quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='37718' first='Charos' last='Sutton']. Sutton did most of his damage on the ground running the option on Friday. He kept the ball on numerous occasions and used his speed to break away for two touchdown runs. In the open field, he also showed dangerous elusiveness with the moves to make defenders miss in the open field. As a passer, he showed impressive accuracy in the short/intermediate passing game and showed the ability to keep his eyes down the field when under pressure and make throws on the run. Sutton currently holds an offer from Southwest Baptist but I believe more college coaches should have their eyes on him as he is an explosive play maker that could be a difference make at the college level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["249632"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"A player that made an impact on both sides of the ball for Troy-Buchanan was [player_tooltip player_id='300023' first='Brett' last='Smith']. Smith made some key plays out of the backfield for the Trojans. He showed impressive vision with the patience to let the running lanes open up. Once the hole opened up, he came downhill in a hurry and was a very hard runner, keeping his feet running and rarely going down on first contact. On defense, he lined up at inside linebacker and did a good job of reading his keys and getting to the ball. While he doesn't currently hold any offers, Smith definitely deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Xzavion Amman","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Troy-Buchanan","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"An underclassman that stood out to me this past Friday was freshman outside linebacker Xzavion Amman. He lined up off the edge in a stand up defensive end/outside linebacker role for the most part but moved around the defense and played in a true linebacker spot as well. Amman was very impressive as a pass rusher, showing an explosive first step out of his stance and using his speed and physicality to beat opposing offensive tackles and get to the quarterback. He was very disruptive in the backfield against the run as well. Once he got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of exploding through contact to secure the tackle or sack. Xzavion will be a player to watch over the next few years as he has the potential to develop into a high-caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Edgar Vergara","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Troy-Buchanan","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Joining Amman on an impressive Troy-Buchanan defensive front was junior defensive tackle Edgar Vergara. He mainly lined up in a three-technique at defensive tackle but showed the versatility to widen out and play defensive end as well. Vergara showed impressive physicality with the ability to explode out of his stance and fight through blocks on his way into the backfield. Once he got to the ball carrier, he did a great job of running his feet on contact and securing the tackle. Vergara also was able to put pressure on the quarterback as a pass rusher on multiple occasions. Edgar doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["215090"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"For Timberland, their offense runs through their senior quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='215090' first='AJ' last='Raines']. Raines was under tremendous pressure for a good majority of the game but showed great footwork with the ability to move around the pocket and keep his eyes down the field to make throws. He showed great toughness, coming back in the game after taking some big hits and trying to keep his team in the game. Raines showed solid dual-threat ability as well, with the ability to escape the pocket and pick up yards on the ground. He also saw some snaps on defense at safety and served as Timberland's punter with a few very impressive punts in this game. AJ currently holds an offer from Fontbonne but should pick up more as he has been receiving a nice amount of college interest and has the talent to play at the college level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["269316"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"One of Raines' go-to targets in this game was senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='269316' first='Travis' last='Reeves']. Reeves is a tall, athletic wide receiver that lined up on the outside and showed the speed to create separation in the deep passing game. However, he did most of his damage after the catch. Reeves showed the ability to take short passes and use his strength and elusiveness as a ball carrier to turn them into big gains. Reeves also lined up at defensive end but looked his best on the offensive side of the ball. Travis currently holds an offer from Culver Stockton but should see more come his way as he has the skill set to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["103390"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Another key play maker for the Timberland offense was August u0022Tanku0022 Billings. August was used in a variety of ways as a player that they simply wanted to get the ball in his hands. He mainly lined up at receiver and was able to use his speed to pose as a threat in the deep passing game. After the catch, Billings showed impressive elusiveness in the open field and the strength to run through tackles. He was able to also use his speed as a ball carrier on jet sweeps as he was able to get to the edge and up the field to pick up big gains on the ground. Billings was also an electric kickoff returner with a couple nice returns on Friday. August currently holds offers from Missouri Southern, Missouri Baptist, and McKendree, but should see more come his way as he has received a lot of college interest and could be a difference maker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"Sam Mortimore","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"2023","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"Timberland","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_8_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Another player that jumped out to me for Timberland was senior running back, Sam Mortimore. He showed that he is a hard nosed, downhill runner that bursts out of his stance and through the open running lane. Mortimore showed impressive vision with the ability to find open lanes and cut back into them when needed. He also showed the speed to break off on long runs and the strength to keep his legs churning through contact to break tackles. Mortimore also showed the ability to make catches out of the backfield to pick up yards in the passing game. Sam currently holds an offer from McKendree but should have more come his way as he has the talent to be a solid running back at the college level.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit"} /-->