Who will emerge as the best defender in the Blue Valley USD 229?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are several school districts around the country in which multiple schools incubate multiple stars year end and year out. I would put up the Blue Valley School District up with any other in the country and look at the talent that storms out of there every fall. These talents are found all over the field, but my favorite this fall are the top box defenders in USD 229. All five schools are preparing to trot out linemen, linebackers, and edge rushers alike to prove that they have the best defense in the area. Here are my top five picks to be the best defender in the district next fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["582516"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Strickland will strike fear into opposing tackles. At 6'5u0022 and 240 pounds, [player_tooltip player_id='582516' first='Jason' last='Strickland'] has all the natural tools to be as great as anyone. He is very strong, able to bull rush many of the tackles that BVSW faced last year, and uses his long arms incredibly well. He is able to keep tackles at bay most of the time, as well as the athleticism to put his hands into passing lanes and breaks up passes. His ability to chase down quarterbacks is alright, which may not result in sacks but still forces the quarterback to throw the ball out of bounds. My biggest worry is his aggression off the edge. He has an average jump off the ball, and he settles with merely making tackles. On his tape there are instances of him raising his pads and eases up before making contact with runners. I say that though Jason is still a great prospect, but once he starts running through the souls of running backs, he will be one of the best.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["335834"],"_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":"The saying goes, it is not always about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Mana reinforces this every Friday. At only 5'10u0022, Fa'agutu clogs up running lanes as good as anyone in the KC area. He fires into centers and guards and stays moving laterally to intercept running backs trying to explode through the hole. He does not have many moves to get around linemen, instead keeping a good bull rush and churning his legs to collapse opposing team's pockets. He will bring out a swim move, but only on special occasions. His tackles is very good. He breaks down well when he's caught in space and watches the hips of ball carriers. He also makes kids bite their mouthpieces a little harder when they get stood up because he is not afraid to clean up stagnant runners. He has a high motor and will run sideline-to-sideline in order to make a play. So long as Fa'agutu can remember to stay long and keep linemen out of his chest, he will have no issue getting a spot to play on Saturdays.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["335815"],"_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":"The way [player_tooltip player_id='335815' first='Brady' last='Whitman'] plays will leave a smile on everyone's face who is watching. Everyone except his mama. Whitman plays with a certain abandon for safety that would make Knute Rockne Ron Heisman shed a tear. Everywhere he goes, he is going 100 miles per hour. He is fast off of the outside and loves to be in the quarterback's grill for all four quarters. Whitman makes plays for BV North in every aspect of the game. Defense, offense, and special teams. He can do it all. Where his game catches up to him however is his fundamentals. He false steps often when blitzing off the edge, and like to tackle high. When wrapping up, his feet will leave the ground and his hands can stick up near a ball carriers neck. Since he is always running it does not happen often, but he has been met in the hole flat-footed. Whitman clearly was built to play the linebacker position, and does it at such a high level. Overall he is one of the most exciting linebackers to watch in the entire state.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["543075"],"_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":"Logan is the second linebacker on this list and comes as no surprise that he is expected to be one of the best box defenders in the Blue Valley School District. Holthaus comes in with good size and frame with the ability to put on more weight in the near future. He is a linebacker that loves to blitz between the tackles and flies into ball carriers and quarterbacks. He is another high motor players that will play a continuous four quarters for anyone. His tackling is his biggest question mark. Very rarely will Holthaus drive into opponents and have them go back. Instead he pops first well, but has a tendency to allow his feet to leave the ground and will get carried for an extra yard or two. He is also not put into pass coverage very often, but considering how fast he can get into the backfield I don't see that being a large part of his game. All in all I see big things happening for BVNW this season on the shoulders of [player_tooltip player_id='543075' first='Logan' last='Holthaus'].","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["442611"],"_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":"The defensive end is rapidly becoming the most important part of any defense. Nico is looking to do just that for this Jaguar unit. With long arms and great speed off the side, Cocumelli is a specimen that will be effective on any defense he is on. His strong legs allow him to drive through the ball and put opponents on their backs. He has a great jump off the line as well which makes it even harder for linemen to square him up and get hands on his body. He also does not give up on plays and will chase down running backs 40 yards downfield. So long as he is able to focus on using his arms and creating a repertoire of moves that will allow him to separate from the tackles in front of him, Cocumelli will have no issue reigning havoc on the rest of the Eastern Kansas League. The fact that he has was able to do what he did last year as only a sophomore is just a taste of what is to come.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640b753b86de4"} /-->