Key Performers from the Big Central Conference’s Freedom Gold
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Freedom is a liberty we often take for granted. On the football field, the freedom to make plays at will sets you apart from the opposition. This next crop of athletes from the Big Central Conference’s Freedom Gold Division do…
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Continue ReadingFreedom is a liberty we often take for granted. On the football field, the freedom to make plays at will sets you apart from the opposition. This next crop of athletes from the Big Central Conference’s Freedom Gold Division do exactly that. This group of players are so skilled and athletic, their tapes make it seem like they are playing freely, often toying with the opposition.
We scouted them and are ready to follow them through the 2023 season.
Xavier Padilla
Xavier Padilla
Prowling in the secondary for the Roselle Park Panthers is 6’2″ 193lb tri-sport athlete Xavier Padilla. While also competing in baseball and wrestling, Padilla made 25 stops, 1 sack, 2 FR, 2 Ints, and 1 TD. He pitched in on offense with 13 caries for 61 yards and completed 8 passes for 87 yards.
Padilla consistently takes his correct read-step from his safety position. He is also a human tip drill, constantly getting his hands on passes that are in the air. Because he trusts his ability to jump and his recovery speed, Padilla tends to play underneath passing routes to make plays on the ball. He can make a stick when needed and, similarly, sticks to his matchup in coverage. Padilla will become more explosive, more dynamic, and the tipped passes will become interceptions as his hips become fluid through offseason strength and conditioning.
Padilla is a versatile player who offers much in terms of impacting all three phases of the game.
Trey Lazar
Trey Lazar
Leading the charge on offense for Spotswood in 2022 was the dynamic 5’9″ 170 lb playmaker Trey Lazar. Lazar accounted for 1432 all-purpose yards and 15 total TDs. Broken down, his yardage splits were 703 passing, 505 rushing, and 179 receiving. He converted one, two-point conversion while making 16 tackles (1 TFL), 1 FR, and 3 Int.
The thing I appreciate most, and maybe something we take for granted, is Lazar’s awareness as to where he is on the field. Many times you see him contorting his body to make plays, diving for the line-to-gain, and never being squeezed into the boundary where he cannot make a play on the ball. This his how he makes clutch plays, busts big plays, and protects the ball as well as his body. I was impressed with his vision as a ball carrier too. Lazar sets up his blocks well in the open field and can hit cut backs or bounce to the sideline almost at will. Because Lazar his a threat with the ball in his hands, when at QB he moves the pocket. This inherently creates easier passing windows and the defense sucks up because of the threat that he is, opening big gains through the air.
Aside from where he lines up positionally, Spotswood gets the ball to Lazar in a variety of ways. With a grueling offseason of speed and agility training, Lazar will evolve from a headache to a nightmare for opposing defenses this fall.
Having a tough running, between the tackles bulldog of a runner that paces your offense is commodity offenses yearn for. This is exactly what the Dayton Bulldogs have in Alex Altemus Alex Altemus 5’10” | 200 lbs | LB Jonathan Dayton | 2024 NJ , a 5’10” 190lb tailback. On the season, Altemus offensively slashed 47/577/2, caught a pass for 9 yards, and from his LB spot he made 32 tackles and 3 sacks.
As a RB, Altemus shows good burst through the hole. He is a vertical, straight path runner who can move the pile once he explodes into the second level. That said, if he can add a little shake-and-bake to his hustle, Altemus’ 2-4 yard gains will become 6-8 yard gains. As a LB, he displays great hustle in pursuit of the ball carrier. As the Mike backer, he is more than willing to pursue sideline to sideline. To make more tackles for a loss, Altemus should look to shoot gaps/windows to knife into the backfield.
Altemus is a real nice player who does many things correctly. He is a player many teams would desire to have on their roster.
Adrian Palacios
Adrian Palacios
Teaming up in the secondary with Xavier Padilla is his 5’11” 170lb teammate Adrian Palacios. Carrying the rock 100 times on the season, Palacios gained 731 yards and scored 11 times. He made 19 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 Int on defense and also plays hoops for the Roselle Park Panthers.
To the naked eye you can see that Padilla outright trusts his speed. Evidence of this is his willingness to play underneath passing routes. He closes in on the receiver, but even more so on the ball, making for interceptions and tipping many balls. He does a nice job of timing contact with offensive players to make stops while avoiding penalties. Despite his weight, he plays physically near the goal line and will sacrifice his body to make a crucial stop. As a back, he is disciplined in running his track, finding the hole, and hitting it. That discipline carries over as he is committed to running inside-out, avoiding premature bounces. Padilla has the speed to outrun his blockers at times. Patience for this will come as he matures as a ball player. Padilla will benefit from the three P’s: pushups, plates, and prayers. Adding some healthy size, without sacrificing speed, is sure to cause his already-productive self to have a dramatic spike in production.
I listed Padilla as a DB, rather than an RB in our database. He balls out at both positions and has a nose for the end zone; however, I feel his defensive tape is a tad bit stronger and I also see him as a DB college prospect.
Michael Kollarik Michael Kollarik 6'1" | 185 lbs | LB Brearley | 2024 NJ
Michael Kollarik Michael Kollarik 6'1" | 185 lbs | LB Brearley | 2024 NJ
Setting the tone at the line of scrimmage is often a precursor to the outcome of the game. Having a “plus” TE who sets the tone for the offensive line unit is almost an unfair advantage. Few high school TE’s do this better than the 6’1″ 185lber out of Brearley named Michael Kollarik Michael Kollarik 6’1″ | 185 lbs | LB Brearley | 2024 NJ . Despite modest stats, 3/48/1 on offense and 28 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR on defense, his impact on offense reaches far beyond statistical output.
Kollarik is an outstanding in-line blocking TE. He is so effective at run blocking because he does two fundamentals many of his contemporaries do inconsistently: Kollarik keeps his hands inside and does not stop churning his feet. He has the mentality where he wants to finish all of blocks with pancakes, but also hustles downfield in hopes to help spring a big gainer. My feedback to him is to make sure he communicates with his offensive tackle pre-snap. There was a moment where they both double teamed up to a LB, which is an unconventional assignment.
Physicality and nastiness sets the tone. Kollarik bings that and then some.