Week 9 - Offensive Players of the Week

A look at the three best offensive performances from Week 9.   Players of the Week   [player_tooltip player_id='246920' first='Armani' last='Patterson'], Rangeview Raiders (RB)(Sr.)(15) - Patterson was, without a doubt, the state's top rushing performer of Week 9, as he single-handily willed the Raiders to the 39-35 shootout win over the Brighton Bulldogs, accounting for all but one of the Rangeview touchdowns on the night. Looking at Patterson's numbers from his night against the Brighton defense, he accounted for an incredible 292 yards rushing and 5 rushing touchdowns on 31 carries (9.4 YPC), while also adding 17 yards receiving as well. Putting on the tape of Patterson's night against the Bulldogs defense, you can see you can see that he is a hard-nosed, balanced tailback who can hurt the opposing defense in many ways, whether with speed or power. Displays a combination of excellent lateral agility and vision that allows him to find creases on inside runs, when gaining the edge on carries bounced outside, and while in 1-on-1 situations against opposing defenders in the open field. Shows good balance and lower body strength that allow him to churn out the tough yards in short-yardage, gotta-have-it situations. Has a lethal stiff-arm that routinely allows him to shake off smaller 2nd and 3rd level defenders with relative ease. Reliable receiving option out of the backfield with adequate hands and solid route running that makes him a matchup problem for LBs in man coverage. Good frame for his position (5'10, 190 lbs), with a thick lower body and low center of gravity that makes him deceptively powerful at the point-of-attack when making contacts with the opposing defender. Patterson is currently rated the number 10 RB and the number 89 player overall for the class of 2023, with his performance against the Bulldogs highlighting exactly why he's rated so highly. He'll be a fun player to watch as he closes out his last few weeks as a Raider.   [player_tooltip player_id='149357' first='Tommy' last='Poholsky'], Evergreen Cougars (QB)(Sr.)(14) – Poholsky was, in my mind, the state's top passer from Week 9 in the Cougars' 61-6 shellacking of the Skyview Wolverines; as he posted some pretty insane numbers. Looking at those previously stated numbers, Poholsky went an incredible 29 of 36 (81%) for 333 yards passing, a whopping 8 passing touchdowns, and a QBR of 147.3. When you look at Poholsky's tape against the Skyview defense, the first thing that stands out about him is his ability to improvise and show incredible poise in the face of pressure. Displays an excellent ability to elude pass rushers in the pocket to buy time so he can find a receiver downfield. Shows great accuracy while throwing off-platform, on-the-run, and from different arm angles when working almost every area of the field. Excellent ball placement on passes deep downfield that require touch to drop it in over the defender. Shows good footwork when moving around in the pocket and going through his progressions, keeping his feet flat and ready to throw as he steps up in the pocket. Shows outstanding arm strength that allows him to threaten the defense at every level of the field. Displays good athleticism to present an extra threat on the ground for the opposing defense if they don't account for his legs which adds another dimension to his skillset and the offense. Poholsky is currently rated the number 6 QB and the number 48 player overall in the class of 2023, with his video game-esque numbers against the Wolverines defense being the latest example of his high-level abilities as a passer.   Micah Lumpkin, Sierra Stallions (WR)(Jr.)(15) – Despite the Stallions' extremely disappointing 55-42 loss to the Pueblo Centennial Bulldogs, Lumpkin almost single-handedly carried the Stallions to victory with his all-world performance. Against the Pueblo Centennial defense, Lumpkin accounted for an eye-popping 217 yards receiving and 4 receiving touchdowns on 10 receptions (21.7 YPR), while also adding 20 yards rushing on the ground with 6 tackles and an interception on the defensive side of the ball as well. When you watch the film of Lumpkins' night against the Bulldogs, you can see he displays outstanding physicality when going up to high-point the ball, easily out-muscling and mossing smaller defenders. Big-bodied receiver that consistently wins with his size, strength, and length while making contested catches in traffic. Extremely physical runner after the catch that doesn't shy away from contact and almost appears to seek it out. Shows strong and sure hands while making tough catches through contact over the middle. Adequate route runner when working deeper or intermediate concepts but mostly relies on his size/physicality to create separation. Extremely effective jump-ball receiver that consistently wins on fade routes in the end zone. Displays good top end foot speed to pull away from slower 2nd and 3rd level defenders. While I'm sure Lumpkin would much rather have the win than the numbers, if he continues to show-out like he did against Pueblo Centennial, Sierra might not always get the win, but he can expect his recruiting profile to grow exponentially by 2024.

A look at the three best offensive performances from Week 9.