Big Man Standouts: Week One (DL)

The trenches are often overlooked and underappreciated at all levels of football but the big boys need their fair share of praise too! They are what make the entire operation possible and arguably the most important positions on the team. Here are 8 defensive linemen that looked good on film from the opening week of high school football in West Virginia.   [player_tooltip player_id='891264' first='Beau' last='Ford'] - Bridgeport '24   Bridgeport defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='891264' first='Beau' last='Ford'] had a dominant first game against Buckhannon-Upshur from his defensive end spot. The senior had 10 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks asserting himself as one of the top defensive line performers in week one. The 6'0 245 Ford is very quick off the line and is your typical tough hard-nosed Bridgeport lineman. He's very physical and hits with bad intentions that can be devastating for offensive players. Ford is also very strong and that was apparent in block shed and fending off blockers in his week one highlights.   [player_tooltip player_id='891267' first='Jamie' last='Riedel'] - Linsly '24   Linsly defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='891267' first='Jamie' last='Riedel'] had a huge performance in his week one game against Richmond Heights (OH). The senior big man had 12 total tackles including 5 for a loss and a sack. Riedel is ranked in our Top 10 for defensive linemen for the 2024 class and a Preseason Class AA First Team All-State selection for us. He's a very good pass rusher for an interior defensive lineman and can move in space well for his size. His block shed was also very good in his week one highlights and Riedel should have a very big senior season that will likely make a few of our weekly linemen standouts.   [player_tooltip player_id='891257' first='Aaron' last='Clark'] - Hurricane '24   I got to see [player_tooltip player_id='891257' first='Aaron' last='Clark'] do his things live on stream and the interior defensive lineman had an impressive week one performance against rival Winfield for the Hurricane Redskins. The South Charleston transfer is quite athletic for a big man and he's a handful to block in the interior. I had him marked down for several TFLs and a sack or two in only about a half of play. He's ranked as a Top 5 defensive lineman in our 2024 rankings and Clark backed that number up very well in week one of the season. He has the prototypical size, athleticism, and strength that you want for an interior lineman.   [player_tooltip player_id='1106765' first='Tyler' last='Wise'] - Brooke '24   [player_tooltip player_id='1106765' first='Tyler' last='Wise'] of Brooke had a very good week one game against Ripley and terrorized the Vikings' offense all night long. Wise had two sacks on the night along with 6 solo tackles and 8 assists from his defensive end spot. The lengthy Wise also made his mark on special teams blocking and recovering a punt. At 6'4, he will be a tough matchup this season and with his wrestling background, Wise has the tools to have a breakout senior season for the Bruins.   [player_tooltip player_id='487106' first='Trevor' last='Bigelow'] - Fairmont Senior '25   Fairmont Senior's [player_tooltip player_id='487106' first='Trevor' last='Bigelow'] is someone that we are very high on and currently ranks as the #1 defensive lineman in the 2025 class. Bigelow is up to nearly 250 pounds now and the 6'4 big man still moves well at that size. He can line up inside or on the end and made some nice plays in their week one win over Lewis County. His first two plays in his highlight video are a sack and a near sack that lead to an interception. Bigelow is also the long snapper for his team and can perform those duties as well. So far, he has backed up his #1 ranking in the early parts of the 2023 season.   [player_tooltip player_id='891265' first='Markell' last='Jones'] - Huntington '24 DE   [player_tooltip player_id='891265' first='Markell' last='Jones'] is a long and athletic defensive end for Huntington and flashed some nice pass-rush skills in their week one win over Spring Valley. Jones is mostly a pure pass rusher right now at 6'4 200 but has the frame to add the weight to stack up better in run defense but is also athletic enough to be a pure edge player. Jones harassed the Spring Valley QB all night and he's tough to outrun. He's also a tough matchup for offensive tackles with his athleticism and speed and Jones has the bend to get under them as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119724' first='Lazaro' last='Marquez Jr'] - Sissonville '24   A new name on our radar is 2024 Sissonville OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1119724' first='Lazaro' last='Marquez Jr'] who had a nice game against Chapmanville on both sides of the line in their week one game. The 5'11 230 big man started both ways for the Indians and had two sacks on defense and some punishing blocks on offense. Marquez Jr had a nice stunt on defense that created one of his two sacks and he can move a bit for a lineman. I liked his offensive line highlights and you can tell Marquez Jr is a strong athlete showing off a couple of pancakes.   [player_tooltip player_id='884206' first='Anthony' last='Zorbini'] - Weir '24 OL/DL   [player_tooltip player_id='884206' first='Anthony' last='Zorbini'] is a lineman who could play on either side of the line college and performed well on both sides in their week one win over fellow Hancock County foe Oak Glen. I really liked the way Zorbini fires off the line on defense and he lived in the Oak Glen backfield all game. He has good leverage at 6'0 and is a strong athlete who can get under and push offensive linemen back. His block shed was good and he did a lot of things that won't show up in the stat sheet. Zorbini really blew up the Golden Bears' run game and created havoc all night in their week one victory.

The trenches are often overlooked and underappreciated at all levels of football but the big boys need their fair share of praise too! They are what make the entire operation possible and arguably the most important positions on the team. Here are 8 defensive linemen that looked good on film from the opening week of high school football in West Virginia.