Semifinal Round – Defensive Players of the Week
A look at the three best defensive performances from the semifinal round of the state playoffs. Players of the Week Eli Keith, Ralston Valley Mustangs (LB)(Sr.)(50) – While Keith and the Mustangs came up just short in their pulse-pounding 42-41…
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Continue ReadingA look at the three best defensive performances from the semifinal round of the state playoffs.
Players of the Week
Eli Keith, Ralston Valley Mustangs (LB)(Sr.)(50) – While Keith and the Mustangs came up just short in their pulse-pounding 42-41 loss to the Valor Christian Eagles, Keith still had one of the better defensive performances of any player in the semifinal round. Keith was an absolute tackling machine against the Valor Christian offense, as he registered an impressive 19 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection. When you turn to the film of Keith’s performance against the Eagles offense, you can see that he has a motor that runs white-hot, relentlessly pursuing the ball carrier from sideline-to-sideline. Smart LB that understands his role and doesn’t stretch beyond his responsibilities. and displays a good understanding of his run fits and gap responsibilities in run support. Shows consistently sound form at the point-of-contact when attacking the ball carrier, getting his head across the core, wrapping up, and driving through contact. Shows good first step explosiveness when coming out of his stance and coming downhill towards the line of scrimmage. Extremely physical Mike backer that brings an tremendous amount of power behind his pads to the point-of-attack when making contact with opposing blockers or opposing ball carriers. Displays good ability in pass coverage, showing a consistent ability to clog throwing lanes and limit big plays after the catch on short and intermediate routes by opposing receivers. Keith isn’t currently ranked on any recruiting boards but he left everything on the field in his last game as a Mustang and is more than deserving of his place on this list.
Miguel Hernandez, Roosevelt Roughriders (LB/DE)(Sr.)(5) – In the Roughriders’ 30-3 shellacking of the Green Mountain Rams, Hernandez was undoubtably one of the top defensive performers from the semifinal round, flying all over the field but making his presence felt the most rushing the passer. Diving into Hernandez’s numbers from his day against the Rams offense, he registered an impressive 8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. When you put on the film of Hernandez’s night against Green Mountain, you can see the first thing that jumps out about Hernandez is his relentless motor. High energy pass rusher that doesn’t quit on the pursuit of a play even if he’s working back side. His smaller stature (5’9, 175 lbs) actually works in his favor, as his low center of gravity and lower body strength allow him to maintain first step explosiveness out of his stance and a low pad level at the point-of-attack. His low center of gravity also allows him to gain more bend when turning the corner and pushing the edge of the pocket. Strong, powerful hand placement when working against the opposing tackles often beating them off counter moves to their hand placement allowing him to quickly stack-and-shed the opposing blocker. Good understanding of how to set the edge when working to keep contain on the outside. Versatile pass rusher that can play a 4-3 end role, hand-in-the-dirt out of a 4 point stance or as a stand up rusher in a 3-4 alignment. As I previously stated in my Game Review piece about the Roughriders win over the Rams, Hernandez isn’t ranked on any recruiting boards but will be a centerpiece to the Roughriders defense in the 3A state championship next weekend.
Caden Stansbury, Loveland Red Wolves (LB)(Jr.)(22) – In the Red Wolves’ 10-7 nail-biting win over the Palmer Ridge Bears, Stansbury might have had the best all-around performance of any defensive player from the semifinal round. As I previously mentioned in my Game Review piece about the Loveland win over the Bears, from the very beginning of the game the Palmer Ridge offense was completely stifled by Stansbury’s performance, as he registered an incredible stat line of 8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, a sack, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Diving into the film of Stansbury’s performance against the Bears offense, you can see Stansbury displays great top-end foot speed and explosiveness for the LB positions that allows him to attack downhill and drive back the ball carrier at the point-of-attack. Tremendous foot speed in addition to his outstanding lateral agility allow him to play the prototypical sideline-to-sideline role of a modern Mike backer. Displays good use of hands at the point-of-attack when making contact with an opposing blocker, showing a consistent ability to stack-and-shed in pursuit of the ball carrier. Savvy backer in run support with a good understanding of how to attack the blocker’s outside shoulder and set the edge. Disciplined backside defender that doesn’t over-pursue the ball carrier, maintaining backside contain and gap responsibility with his run fits. Excellent form tackling with a consistent ability to wrap up the ball carrier and drive his legs through contact. Displays requisite ability to drop into zone coverage and clog throwing lanes for the opposing QB. Tough, very physical, highly aggressive defender that looks for contact and finishes tackles well. Stansbury isn’t currently ranked on any recruiting boards for the class of 2024 – but as I also previously stated in my Game Review piece – if the Red Wolves can claim a 4A state title next week, he can certainly expect his presence on the recruiting trail to grow.