Unsung Heroes: Big Central Conference’s Freedom Silver Division
If you Google the definition of what an unsung hero is, you will find the following: one who does great deeds, but receives little or no recognition for them. The Big Central Conference’s Freedom Silver Division, more than perhaps any…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIf you Google the definition of what an unsung hero is, you will find the following: one who does great deeds, but receives little or no recognition for them. The Big Central Conference’s Freedom Silver Division, more than perhaps any other division, epitomizes this. The roster of today’s players do many of the little things the right way and are fundamentally sound. Their foundation are the cornerstones in which their respective programs are built.
Jason Scott
Jason Scott
Leading the way for stud teammate RB Chiekezie Ogbuewu was the 5’10” 210lb guard Jason Scott. Behind Scott’s blocking, Dunellen destroyed defenses by pounding the rock all season long in 2022.
From an OL standpoint, Scott does a lot of nuanced fundamentals extremely well. For starters he does a great job winning and maintaining inside leverage on his kick-out blocks. Upon making contact, he explodes low-to-high. This delivers a jolt to defenders and moves them off their spot to open a seam. When working double teams, Scott and his teammates do an awesome job playing half-man assignments. How they put four hands on a defender and keep their eyes up for scraping LBs is absolutely textbook. He is often the lower man and keeps his feet churning, allowing him to get movement on his assignment. For Scott to develop into an even more dominant lineman he ought to remember to keep working his hands for inside leverage and keep his eyes disciplined, staying inside when pulling.
As an OL coach I appreciate how concrete Scott is with his fundamentals. He is well coached and will continue to be vital to Dunellen’s offensive attack.
Garrett Swayhoover Garrett Swayhoover 6'1" | 180 lbs | LB South Hunterdon | 2024 NJ
Garrett Swayhoover Garrett Swayhoover 6'1" | 180 lbs | LB South Hunterdon | 2024 NJ
Setting the tone for the South Hunterdon Eagles was the 6’1″ 170lb LB named Garrett Swayhoover Garrett Swayhoover 6’1″ | 180 lbs | LB South Hunterdon | 2024 NJ . On the season he made 114 stops, recorded 3 sacks, and intercepted 1 pass.
Swayhoover has great closing speed when he approaches the ball carrier. That is, he finds another gear when closing on a tackle. I believe this is what allows him to be such a forceful tackler. This tackling manifests in a few ways: killing a carriers momentum and forward progress, as well as timing up hits to break up passes. He effectively shoots gaps to make aggressive stops. An area of growth for Swayhoover in 2023 is to trust his pass drops and become more comfortable in space.
Swayhoover seems unassuming, however with a head of steam he hits like a ton of bricks. With another offseason under his belt I am curious to see how much his game grows.
Dan Kannaley
Dan Kannaley
As the Middlesex Bluejays season unfolded and the dust eventually settled, a leader on their defensive front was unofficially anointed. That emerging leader is Dan Kannaley. On the season it was reported that Kannaley made 25 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 4 FF, 3 FR, and 1 safety. He also contributed at TE with 11 receptions for 73 yards. Unlike other dual-sport football players, Kannaley’s second sport is bowling.
Perhaps an uncanny thing that Kannaley does is when he zeroes in for a tackle, he will look to tackle the ball. This manifests itself in the four fumbles he forced throughout the season. From his TE position, Kannaley does a nice job setting up blockers when the recipient of a screen pass. With the ball in his hands he goes a great job running through contact, fighting for extra yardage. Offensively I feel that Kannaley is better suited to do exactly that – run through and fight for yardage – rather than look for cut backs. Defensively Kannaley will benefit from being aggressive and physical at the LOS. His goal should be to establish a new LOS in the backfield every play.
His fellow Bluejays would be smart to fly in a flock with Kannaley running point.
Aidan Sangiray
Aidan Sangiray
If the Dunellen Destroyers were a rock band, they would be set up for stardom with their current power trio. We already covered OL Jason Scott and RB Chiekezie Ogbuewu; however, if Ogbuewu is their lightning, FB teammate Aidan Sangiray would be their thunder. At 6’2″ 195lbs, Sangiray has ideal size for a FB in Dunellen’s Tight Wing-T type offense. He rushed 50 times for 294 yards and 4 scores. Defensively he was credited with 31.5 tackles (3 TFL) and 1 Int. He also converted 4, two-point plays. Sangiray also plays hoops for the Destroyers.
Sangiray runs with very powerful strides. As such, this bulldozer can carry a load of up to 4 defenders on his back while keeping his feet and fighting for extra yardage. He also ran read option in wildcat situations. Defensively he is quick and often beats blockers to the point of attack. Given that quickness, should he read keys-to-flow, rather than flow-to-keys, his defensive statics ought to explode. Given his size and strength, I can see Sangiray as a college football. That said, he is well served to include clips of him blocking on his film.
Rough and tough, plus a little old school grit. That is how Sangiray plays the game.
Ryan Rampel
Ryan Rampel
Lining up next to teammate Garrett Swayhoover Garrett Swayhoover 6’1″ | 180 lbs | LB South Hunterdon | 2024 NJ for the South Hunterdon Eagles is fellow LB Ryan Rampel. It was reported that Rample made 35 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FR, and scored 1 defensive TD last fall.
There are more than a few things Rample does well defensively. First thing you can tell is that he gets to the point of attack very quickly. He does this by taking his read step, diagnosing, and reacting to what is happening in front of him. In coverage he is physical with receivers. Anyone crossing his face or lined up in front of him receives a jam to disrupt their routes and/or timing. Rample will become a threat in pass coverage as he develops trust in his pathway to his drop. This is currently causing him to mix up his footwork when en route.
With their own version of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs manning the second level, South Hunterdon’s defense is likely to replicate similar, stingy results on defense in 2023.