Section V: Finger Lakes Region Players to Know
Wine is probably what the New York Finger Lakes region is best known for but they play football and there are some pretty impressive players within the Finger Lakes region of Section V. Here we’ll highlight some top returning talent…
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Continue ReadingWine is probably what the New York Finger Lakes region is best known for but they play football and there are some pretty impressive players within the Finger Lakes region of Section V. Here we’ll highlight some top returning talent who look to pick up where they left of at last season.
Desean Bruce
Desean Bruce
Desean Bruce is a guy that is new to the high school football scene in Section V. 2022 was his first year playing football since youth league. That didn’t deter Bruce from having a impact for Geneva last season in the games he was available. While his numbers aren’t eye popping on the offensive side, he made plays when the ball was in his hands. And all of it came in one game on the offensive side. 5 catches 180 yards and 1 TD. Geneva just passed for over 900 yards as a team but Bruce was second on the team in yards. Desean’s real value is on the defensive side of the ball where his twitchy, bounce and speed allows him to make plays on the ball in the secondary. Played cornerback last year on defense and racked up 18 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 5 pass break ups and 3 Interceptions with 2Pick sixes in 5 games he played due to injury. One of those pick sixes was against Monroe which has several DI and DII kids and Bruce showed he was arguably the fastest on the field. As a football player overall Bruce is very raw but has all the physical traits you need to be successful on the gridiron. He’s fast, twitchy, has good bounce, quick lateral movement, good acceleration but as a wide receiver he struggles with drops, and must learn on how to consistently catch the ball using all hands and away from his body and not with it. Three sport athlete who also plays basketball and lacrosse so he has a very vast array of athletic traits and because of that he fits best as a cornerback or safety. Must improve his technique and cover skills but is a natural ball hawk and has a good feel for jumping routes and more than enough make up speed to catch up to wide receivers when he gets beat initially in the early phase of a route. If DeSean has a big senior season he can find himself with interest from DII or low DI FCS schools, but all depends on his production.
Kellen Foster
Kellen Foster
Kellen Foster is another name that isn’t one that has been heard of in terms of recruiting but he’s clearly Newark’s best and most important player. Foster plays a little bit of everywhere for Newark, which is expected for a small school with their most talented skill players. Good athlete that also plays basketball for Newark, but on the football field Foster is dynamic and crafty with his running style. More of a strider so his speed is deceptive but he has a 86 yard sideline to sideline, north and south to the house on his 2022 reel. Played Running Back, Wide Receiver, Punt Returner, Kick Returner, Cornerback, Safety and Outside Linebacker. And even though he shows some wiggle on offense, defense might be the side of the ball he plays on at the collegiate level. On offense Foster rushed the ball 74 times for 369 yards and 3 TDs. As a wide receiver he hauled in 15 passes for 420 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball Foster racked up 28 tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass defensed, 1 fumble recovery, 1 caused fumble and one 86-yard kickoff return. Foster always seems to be around the ball on defense for Newark and the same will be asked of him in 2023 and should he deliver Foster could garner some D2 interest and possibly northeast FCS attention. I’m interested to see what plans Foster has for the spring/summer has far as college prospect camps and such. If he can get out and camp this spring/summer and impress he could move the needle on his recruitment.
ANDREW WANZENRIED
ANDREW WANZENRIED
At 6’6″Andrew is a big target for any high school quarterback and he plays with a pretty good one in Matt Meacham. The big fella racked up 832 receiving yards on 40 receptions and 12 receiving touchdowns. Not the most resound route runner and is mainly used as a vertical threat and with his insane catch radius, its pretty much hard for class B defensive backs in Section V to deal with. Andrew is a multi sport athlete that plays first baseman in baseball and to my knowledge hasn’t camped at all so he’s completely off the radar of college programs. With his height and production though Andrew should garner some attention come his senior year and might have more upside as a Y-Tight End than a X or Z wide receiver. Does a great job using his height and length to consistently win 50/50 balls and does a great job keeping the ball high after the catch to keep away from defensive backs playing through his hands on contested catches. For his slim build he does pick up yards after the catch which bids well for his future development which as previously stated will probably come at Tight End. Class B teams have one more season to deal with the 6’6″ wide receiver and if last year is any indication this season should see him surpass 1000 yards on he season.
Steffon Pinkston
Steffon Pinkston
Pinkston was the leading rusher for Lyons by putting up 491 yards on 84 carries and 5 rushing touchdowns to go along with 17 catches for 121 yards and 1 touchdown. Good speed for the running back position and a terror to deal with in Section V Class C. Would like to see more production running the ball and more elusive moves added to his skill set. On defense Pinkston added 45 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery during the 2022 season. Has the production to be highly sought after from the D2-D3 and NAIA levels. Plays reckless and destructive on defense and to me its the side he belongs on past high school. Looking forward to see the improvements made to Pinkston’ game come his senior season in the fall. Another deep sectional playoff run for Lyons and Pinkston should improve upon his 2022 season stats on both sides of the ball.
Darius Wood-Asberry
Darius Wood-Asberry
Darius Wood-Asberry had a solid and productive season for the 5-3 Lyons Lions in his first year starting varsity. Darius went 79 out of 147 for 1,164 yards, 14 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. Wood-Asberry also added 39 carries for 111 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. While he’s not a dual-threat quarterback, Wood-Asberry is a quarterback that can by enough time with his legs to make a play downfield with his arm. And when necessary he can pick up first downs to extend drives. Not the strongest arm but it gets the job done. He loves to throw deep but you’d like him to take advantage of the short to intermediate routes a lot more as that will help raise his completion percentage from 53% to 60% or over which is where you want your quarterback to be in terms of completion percentage. Must work on reading the whole field and working his progressions has this will make him a more solid high school quarterback. Right now I see anywhere from D3 to NAIA interest but it will be heavy interest from those levels and could gain some low level D2 looks with a stellar senior season. Better completion percentage and increase in yardage output is what you want to see in 2023 from Darius and if he delivers, Lyons could find themselves in the Section V Class C championship game come fall.