Week 1 SCISA Game Balls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each week of the regular season, we'll recognize the top players in SCISA football who took their game to another level. It's time to give out our SCISA game balls for Week 1 of the 2023 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mikell Tucker Mathis </strong>ATH, Patrick Henry Academy, 2025<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Giving a complete effort on both sides of the ball Friday night, <strong>Mikell Tucker Mathis</strong> was everywhere to power the Patrick Henry Academy Patriots to a 33-6 victory over St. John's Christian. Alongside a monster day on the ground with 15 carries for 96 yards and four touchdowns, Mathis added 5.5 tackles on defense, picked off a pass, and recovered a fumble. He plays with nonstop energy anywhere you put him and has become the ultimate clutch utility man, even taking over at quarterback for parts last season. He's a special athlete and will be the key for the Patriots to make a run at a SCISA 1A title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840041' first='David' last='Rodgers'] </strong>LB, Cardinal Newman, 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Delivering a clinical defensive performance against the defending SCISA 3A state champions, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840041' first='David' last='Rodgers']</strong> showed out in Cardinal Newman's convincing 55-7 win over Pee Dee Academy. A lightning rod in the backfield, Rodgers shut down the Eagles' backfield with 10 tackles and disrupted the passing game with three sacks. His strength and physicality has grown by a sizable edge this year, and he's continued his ability to quickly diagnose plays and make stops. He should provide a steady and consistent threat for SCISA offenses in Class 4A this year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139303' first='Cortez' last='Lane'] </strong>RB/WR, Cardinal Newman, 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was an efficient and impressive performance for the talented Cardinal Newman running back on Friday night. With just seven carries, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='139303' first='Cortez' last='Lane']</strong> tallied an eye-popping 163 yards and one touchdown against Pee Dee Academy. A do-it-all athlete who can shine both out wide or in the backfield, Lane has the explosive first step to outrun defenders and turn upfield for big yardage.&nbsp;He's been a potent catalyst so far for a Cardinal offense averaging over 50 points per game so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Owen Meyers </strong>LB, Wilson Hall, 2025</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming up big on the road against a talented Hilton Head Christian Academy offense, <strong>Owen Meyers</strong> provided the spark to shut down the Eagles. Myers led the team with seven important tackles to hold onto a massive 17-10 region win. An excellent open-field tackler who stops at nothing to finish off big plays, Myers was anticipating his opponents' looks all night and made them pay. A terrific technical linebacker with an amazing grit and effort to his game, Meyers is becoming a cornerstone for a solid Barons defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaxen Porter </strong>RB, Beaufort Academy, 2024</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week it was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976400' first='Devonte' last='Green']</strong> who got all the love with a monstrous one-handed pick six, but this week it's <strong>Jaxen Porter</strong> who takes the spotlight for the Beaufort Academy Eagles. The other half of the Eagles' lethal one-two punch in the backfield. Porter carved up Hilton Head's Prep defense and wore them down late with two touchdowns for a 28-0 shutout win over the Dolphins. He's a stellar impact player on defense too and always seems to be the author of a big play with his quickness and pursuit. He's the heartbeat and a leader of a Beaufort Academy team that already has three wins in three games this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14858713/64ea4ed83449fc0828c49ea7' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ee7257dfe71"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cade Amell </strong>QB, Trinity Collegiate, 2028</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trinity Collegiate's eighth-grade quarterbacking phenom now has his first win of the year. It was the best performance yet for <strong>Cade Amell</strong>, completing 16 of 26 passes for 219 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He's composed and plays well beyond his years for the Titans and has a knack of making beautiful and timely throws close to the end zone. A quick learner who is starting to find that next gear at the high school level, Amell's potential is growing by the week for what he could accomplish as a Titan. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19372951/64ea18bdd45eaa039c5a407f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003ern","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ee7257dfe9d"} /-->