Lumen Christi 2022 Top Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lumen</strong> started the season 0-3 with tough losses to very good teams. Lumen lost to <strong>Traverse City St. Francis</strong> by 7 points in week 2. They would end up defeating <strong>St. Francis</strong> in the state title 15-12. This was a great season for one of the top football programs in the state of Michigan. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#12 Joe Lathers | QB/DB | 2023 | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13162723/635f3990176c7e08707f6c78">Hudl</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lathers has very good contact balance. There were numerous times he ran through tacklers and stayed on his feet to pick up extra yardage. He has good size and uses it to sit tall in the pocket and throw accurately downfield. Lathers is great on the defensive side of the ball as well and came down with multiple interceptions for his team this year. I loved watching him compete in the week 2 matchup with <strong>Traverse City St. Francis</strong>. Lathers certainly was a key part in Lumen winning the state title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#4 Derrick Walker | RB | 2023 | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13167016/63446cff066c110e0c0b0467">Hudl</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walker has an excellent change of direction and was very difficult to tackle in the open field. He has good vision and has no hesitation when it comes to hitting the hole. Walker has good instincts and knew when to bounce the ball to the outside. He was effective in the RedZone and did a great job of finishing runs for touchdowns. Walker's burst is very good and his initial acceleration is as good as you will see in high school running backs. I got to watch Walker play in person last year and this year and I was very impressed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#9 Pierre Gray | LB/TE | 2024 | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15069629/631c6dd0066242034c5311dd">Hudl</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray is good at working through traffic and making tackles. He is a good tackler who does a good job of wrapping up and finishing tackles. He does a great job of flying up and hitting ball carriers in the gap. He is a great competitor who was terrific on offense this year as well. He is a fearless blocker at the tight end position. Lumen would pull him to block on run plays. He made some physical blocks that helped open big running lanes for his teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 Devian Franklin | RB/LB | 2023 | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13166997/6371b94dff02750998cc5aad">Hudl</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin has very good speed and can break 80-plus-yard touchdown runs. He takes very good angles on tackles and can deliver big hits. Franklin is great at blitzing and Lumen will run delayed blitzes with him. Franklin's explosive first step and acceleration allow him to get in the backfield almost before the quarterback can drop back. Franklin is very physical at the point of attack when he takes on blockers. He takes on blockers low so he can use all his strength and leverage to fight off the block. Franklin was used as a full-back where he could use his strength and physicality to deliver huge blocks. Franklin is an overall great football player who has elite competitive toughness. Franklin showed good coverage ability as well and did a good job of breaking on the football. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->