2023 Season Preview Cedar Cliff

Cedar Cliff went 7-4 last year in the Keystone section of the Mid-Penn Conference. They had an overall record of 5-2 in the section. Colin Gillen has been Cedar Cliff's Head Coach since 2014. Overall he has been a successful coach and has enabled Cedar Cliff to be competitive almost every season. Last year's season started with a loss to Shippensburg and then ended the season with a loss to Shippensburg. Overall Cedar Cliff again had a winning season and is hoping to build on it this year.    Nathan Lusk. Lusk played outside linebacker, some safety, and wide receiver last year. On defense, he is a hybrid player so you can move him around to different positions on the field. He primarily played outside linebacker but also dropped back to safety as well at times. As an outside linebacker, he played at a high level. He did a nice job of keeping contain and reading and reacting to the play and then coming upfield to make a play. He is a good tackler and made several tackles in the open field one-on-one with a running back. Lusk also dropped back and played safety where he did a nice job in coverage. At wide receiver, Lusk showed that he can catch the ball well and he runs good routes. He also does a nice job of catching the ball in traffic and contested catches. Lusk should have a chance to play College Football with a strong Senior year.    Mike Jones. Jones played running back and linebacker for Cedar Cliff last year. At running back he is a powerful running back who runs through contact well. He is good at hitting the hole and does a nice job of making people miss. Jones can also catch the ball well out of the backfield. At linebacker, he does a good job of reading and reacting to the play and then coming upfield to make the play. He is a good tackler who tackles ball carriers well in traffic. I expect Jones to have a strong Senior year and should have a good chance at playing College Football.    [player_tooltip player_id='915567' first='Guner' last='Hiller']. As a Sophomore Hiller was an impressive player last year. He played both offensive and defensive line.Hiller is a strong player who uses his strength well on both sides of the ball. At offensive line, he does a nice job pulling and blocking defensive linemen or linebackers. He is also good at double-teaming defensive linemen and then peeling off the block linebackers. Hiller at defensive line does a nice job of using his hands and pushing offensive linemen back. He also has a motor that never stops. Hiller had a strong Sophomore year, I am excited to see how he plays this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='599047' first='Bennett' last='Secrest']. Secrest played quarterback last year for Cedar Cliff. As a Sophomore he stepped into the QB position and played well. He does a good job of setting his feet and throwing the ball well in the pocket. In the pocket he shows a calmness with his body and is able to set his feet and throw the ball. He does a good job with throwing with anticipation. He is especially good at throwing the seam route and different in breaking routes. Secrest also does a nice job of putting air on deep balls and letting wide receivers go get the ball. Secrest also did a good job on play action by really selling the fake and then setting his feet to throw the ball. Secrest showed a ton of skill and I expect him to build on it this year.    Evan Zeigler. Zeigler played outside linebacker last year for Cedar Cliff. He does a good job of setting the edge and making plays. He does a good job reading and reacting to the play and then coming up and making a tackle. He is a good blitzer off the edge who does a good job when he gets into the backfield to make a tackle. Zeigler also did a solid job dropping in coverage and playing his zone. Zeigler showed good skills at outside linebacker.    [player_tooltip player_id='1326027' first='Kade' last='Finkboner']. Finkboner played tight end and fullback last year. He is a throwback player who is a good blocker at fullback and tight end. His versatality was impressive. He can line up in the backfield as a fullback and block, block while moving or a wing position and finally as an inline blocker next to the offensive tackle. He is a physical blocker who does a good job engaging and blocking defenders. In limited reps at catching the ball he showed soft hands as well. Finkbower is a good player who should build on last year and be an even better player.    Elijah Wilbourn. Wilbourn played free safety last year for Cedar Cliff. He does a nice job in coverage at free safety. He does a good job making a play on the ball. He is good at keeping everything in front of him and then when the ball is in the air he attacks the player and the ball and makes a play. He showed good coverage skills as well one he matches up with wide receiver. He did a solid job coming up to make tackles as well. Wilbourn should improve and have a better year this year for Cedar Cliff.    Joshua Garcia. Garcia played left tackle for Cedar Cliff last year. He showed good strength and athleticism at the position. he does a good job coming down and double teaming defensive lineman. He is a devastating blocker who does a good job controling defensive lineman. He moves his feet well and does a good job blocking players on the edge. He is good at pass blocking players on the edge. Garcia is a good player who should have a chance to play College Football with a strong Senior year.    Bo Hiller. Hiller played left guard last year for Cedar Cliff. Hiller is a good player that shows good strength. He uses his strength well to block defensive lineman. He does a good job attacking defensive linemen and pushing the pile forward. Several times I saw him double team the defensive linemen and driving them down the field. Hiller shows that he has good feet by how good he is at pass blocking. Hiller showd good promise at Guard and I expect him to have a stronger Senior year.    Hezikyah Latini. Latini played defensive tackle last year. He has great size for playing the defensive line with a 6'4" inches frame. Latini is a force inside and difficult to block one on one. He is strong and this is noticiable at the point of attack when offensive lineman try to block him. His get off is really good as he is able to engage offensive lineman quick off the ball. He uses his hands well to rip through offensive lineman. Latini has a motor that never quits as he is able to chase down plays from all over the field. Latini is a good prospect that with 2 years left of High School Football should be even better. I expect he will have a good chance to play College Football in the future.    Taeon Anderson. Anderson had limited film at running back and cornerback, but from what I saw he has some good skills. At cornerback he shows good athleticism and good coverage skills in the back end. He is good at coming up and making a play on the ball. At running back Anderson showed good running skills and is able to hit a hole well and break tackles. Anderson should be a bigger contributer this year.   Final Thoughts: Cedar Cliff should again be competitive and have a winning season. Coach Gillen's program has consistently been one of the good teams in the Mid-Penn Conference. I expect them to be competitive and make the playoffs again. Cedar Cliff is constantly a good team that wins a ton of games. I expect this to continue this season.

Cedar Cliff went 7-4 last year in the Keystone section of the Mid-Penn Conference. They had an overall record of 5-2 in the section. Colin Gillen has been Cedar Cliff's Head Coach since 2014. Overall he has been a successful coach and has enabled Cedar Cliff to be competitive almost every season. Last year's season started with a loss to Shippensburg and then ended the season with a loss to Shippensburg. Overall Cedar Cliff again had a winning season and is hoping to build on it this year.