2022 Statewide Top Performers: Playoffs Round 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the regular season was fun while it lasted, the most exciting time of the year in high school football is here. The 2022 high school football playoffs kicked off last week and we had some very impressive performances. While it was hard to narrow it down, here are the ten performances from Round 1 of the playoffs that stood out the most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Mason Gardner","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Central Hardin","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A player that I didn't get the chance to evaluate in the regular season that stood out this past week was junior running back Mason Gardner from Central Hardin. Gardner helped lead his team to a 33-6 victory over Apollo, rushing for 236 yards and four touchdowns. Mason has great vision with the ability to find the running lane and come downhill in a hurry. He is a strong runner that does a great job of keeping his feet churning through contact to break tackles and pick up extra yards. Gardner also has the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field along with the speed to run away from the defense once he gets to the second level. Mason doesn't currently hold any offers but will be a player to watch going into his senior year as he has the potential to be a solid running back at the next level. Gardner and the Bruin football team will host Daviess County this week for a second round match up.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["373793"],"_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":"Next up on my list is a player that I'm a little more familiar with. While Leslie County fell just short in a 46-40 loss to Martin County, sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='373793' first='Landry' last='Collett'] continued to impress. Collett finished the game completing 17/31 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns. He continued to show off his strong arm, showing the ability to lead his receivers down the field and hit them in stride in the deep passing game. Collett also was able to put a nice amount of zip on his passes in the short and intermediate passing game. He showed the ability to fit passes into tight windows where only his receivers had a chance to catch them. Landry doesn't currently hold any offers but will definitely be a name to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons as he has the potential to be a highly sought after prospect.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["386175"],"_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":"Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='386175' first='Peyton' last='Taylor'] had an impressive game this past week. Taylor played a key role in Logan County's 35-14 victory over Allen County-Scottsville, finishing the game with ten tackles, four tackles for loss, and four sacks. Peyton is a very impressive pass rusher with the ability to use his strength to run right through blocks on his way to the quarterback. He has also shown nice pass rush moves to defeat blocks. Once he gets to the quarterback, he does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the sack. Against the run, Taylor plays with a very high motor, doing a great job of getting to the ball and showing that he is a very reliable open field tackler once he gets there. Peyton doesn't currently hold any offers but definitely deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level. Taylor and the Cougars will host Hopkinsville this week for a second round match up.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["496965"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another defensive player that impressed this past week was Paris sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='496965' first='Preston' last='Cowan']. Cowan played a key role in their 33-21 victory over Betsy Lane, finishing the game with 22 total tackles and three tackles for loss. Preston does a great job of reading his keys from the inside linebacker spot and filling his gap with a sense of urgency. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Cowan explodes through contact, finishing his tackles with a ton of physicality. He also does a great job of flowing to the ball and making tackles all over the field as he is a very reliable open field tackler. While Cowan doesn't currently hold any offers, he will definitely be a player to watch over the next couple seasons. Preston and the Paris football team will be on the road for a second round playoff match up against Raceland this week.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["485012"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='485012' first='Brysen' last='Dugger'] is a player that has exceeded expectations this season and continued to put on a show this past Friday. Dugger helped lead Pulaski County to an impressive 53-35 victory over West Jessamine, completing 17/34 passes for 403 yards and six touchdowns. He has continued to show a very strong arm with the ability to lead his receivers down the field in the deep passing game. Dugger also has tremendous ball placement with the ability to put passes where only his receivers have a chance to catch them. He also showed the ability to tuck the ball and pick up yards on the ground, carrying the ball seven times for 76 yards and two touchdowns this past week. Brysen is also a very talented baseball and basketball player so it remains to be seen what he will do after high school but he definitely has a future as a college quarterback if he chooses to pursue that path. Dugger will lead Pulaski County in a tough road match up against Woodford County this week in the second round.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"Kellen Marksbury","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Spencer County","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Another player that I haven't gotten the chance to evaluate much this season that stood out this past week was junior running back Kellen Marksbury from Spencer County. Marksbury played a huge role in Spencer County's 56-28 victory over Shelby County, running the ball 18 times for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He showed great vision in the open field as a ball carrier, showing the ability to find cut back lanes. Once he hit the open field, he showed the ability to make defenders miss and the speed to simply run right by defenders on his way to the end zone. Marksbury also showed reliability in the passing game, catching three passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. He also made an impact on defense, coming away with an interception in this game. Kellen doesn't currently hold any offers but will be a name to keep an eye on as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level. Marksbury and the Rockets football team will host Franklin County in a second round playoff match up this week.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["417458"],"_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":"Another junior running back that impressed me this past week was [player_tooltip player_id='417458' first='Trey' last='Durbin'] from Elizabethtown. Durbin was a huge part of their 49-13 victory over Mercer County, running the ball eight times for 232 yards and four touchdowns. He is a big, athletic running back with great vision, finding the running lane and coming downhill in a hurry. Once he gets through the running lane and into the open field, Durbin has a great second gear to him, showing the speed to run away from the defense. Durbin also played a role on defense as a defensive end, coming away with a strip sack and running all over the field to make tackles in this game. Trey doesn't currently hold any offers but should see some come his way soon as he has been receiving interest from college coaches and has the talent to play at the next level. Durbin and the Elizabethtown football team will be on the road for a tough second round match up with Christian Academy of Louisville this week.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["381931"],"_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":"Continuing the trend of junior running backs that impressed me this past week, I have our top ranked 2024 running back from the preseason, [player_tooltip player_id='381931' first='Brady' last='Hensley']. Hensley helped lead Madison Central to a 49-10 victory over Henry Clay, running the ball 27 times for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Brady is a hard nosed, downhill runner that explodes through the running lane and has the strength to run over any defender in his path. He also has shown a tremendous ability to make defenders miss in the open field along with the speed to run away from the defense. Hensley also showed that he can be reliable in the passing game, catching one pass for 32 yards and a touchdown this past week. Brady currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky but I expect more to come as he is a true Division I caliber talent. Hensley and the Indians will be on the road this week for a second round match up against Dunbar.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["385938"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='385938' first='Harris' last='Phelps'] is a player that I have had high on my radar for a while now and he continued to impress this past week. The senior running back helped lead Paintsville to a 36-14 win over Bracken County, carrying the ball 19 times for 220 yards and a touchdown. Phelps has very impressive vision as a ball carrier and bursts through the running lane once it opens. Once he hits the open field, good luck trying to catch him as Phelps has true breakaway speed which he uses to simply run away from the defense. Harris also showed the ability to catch passes out of the backfield, catching three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown this past week. He also made an impact on defense, finishing the game with an interception. Phelps currently holds offers from Centre, Hanover Grinnell, Kentucky Christian, and Denison, and I expect him to be a true impact player at the next level. Harris and the Tigers will be on the road for a second round match up with Bishop Brossart this week.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["381888"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Wrapping up my top performers list from this past week I have junior [player_tooltip player_id='381888' first='Caden' last='Woolum'] from Belfry. Woolum put on a show out of the backfield, running the ball 16 times for 313 yards and five touchdowns, helping lead Belfry to a 56-14 victory over Russell. Caden showed the speed to get to the outside and simply run away from the defense down the sideline once he turned the corner. Woolum also showed some physicality in his running, showing the ability to run straight through defenders in the open field. He also showed the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field. Caden also looked good on defense at safety, showing the ability to turn and run with receivers in the deep passing game. While he doesn't currently hold any offers, he is definitely a name to keep an eye on as he has been receiving college interest and has the talent to play somewhere at the next level. Woolum and the Pirates will travel to Ashland Blazer for a second round match up this week.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit"} /-->