WV Preseason Spotlight: Lewis County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we reach the under one-month window until the 2023 football season begins, we will spotlight some of West Virginia's prospects to watch for this season. Today we will focus on Lewis County HS. Here are some prospects you need to keep an eye on from Lewis County HS for the 2023 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["884068"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":934383,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Lewis County's [player_tooltip player_id='884068' first='Brayden' last='Carder'] was a Class AA Honorable Mention All-State performer as a junior in 2022 and looks to increase that notoriety for his senior year. Carder is your classic hard-nosed runner on offense from his fullback/running back position but also a talented linebacker as well. He's not going to juke you out of your cleats but Carder will run over and through you and drag you for an extra five yards if you don't tackle him low. He rarely goes down on first contact and often takes multiple defenders to get him to the ground. Carder has a thick build and you can tell he spends ample time in the weight room. The 5'11 200 senior is great in short-yardage situations but has enough speed that he can break away if he gets through the first line of defense. Carder is fun to watch and will enter our rankings in the next update.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/profile/14959147/Brayden-Carderu0022u003eHudlu003c/au003e | u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/bcarder_23u0022u003eTwitteru003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["934384"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":934386,"_player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Another Lewis County Minuteman that will likely enter our rankings in the next update is offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='934384' first='Jason' last='Jenkins']. Jenkins has great size at 6'3 305 and is a real people mover. The one aspect of his game that really stood out is he's asked to get to the second level of the defense to block and is very effective in doing so. Jenkins started at right tackle for the Minutemen last season but will likely slide inside at the next level. He plays a little high at times but is very strong at the point of contact and controls defenders well. Even being a tackle, he pulls a lot in their offense and seems to love getting downfield and out in space to block. I expect this 2024 prospect to be ranked in the Top 25 for offensive linemen when our next update comes out.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/profile/17941924/Jason-Jenkinsu0022u003eHudlu003c/au003e | u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/Jason_Jenkins73u0022u003eTwitteru003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["907661"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":934391,"_player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"The quarterback position is often overlooked in a Wing offense but 2024 QB [player_tooltip player_id='907661' first='Bryant' last='Zielinski'] does a nice job of beating defenses over the top once the running game lulls them to sleep. Zielinski throws a pretty and very catchable deep ball with a nice arc and hits his receivers in stride. He possesses the arm strength to push the ball downfield and allow his receivers to run under his throws. Zielinski is also a very capable runner and can beat teams with his legs as well. He does a nice job with his play-action fakes which often leave his receivers wide open. His ball placement is very good and puts it where only his receiver can catch it oftentimes. If Zielinski were in a passing offensive scheme I bet he would put up some really good numbers but he leads Lewis County's system well.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/profile/14959131/Bryant-Zielinskiu0022u003eHudlu003c/au003e | u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/ZielinskiBryantu0022u003eTwitteru003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["934392"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":934396,"_player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another talented running back in Lewis County's run-heavy system is 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='934392' first='Drew' last='Cayton']. Cayton is the lightning to Carder's thunder and is the speedy back in the Minutemen backfield. They like getting him the ball on sweeps and outside runs in their Wing offense and Cayton can really hit the corner. He hits the hole hard and has a quick burst that allows him to get to full speed quickly. Cayton is also effective at making the first would-be tackler miss and getting extra yards after contact. With his speed, he can also line up at wideout and is also a starting cornerback on defense. Cayton and Carder are going to be a great 1-2 punch again this season in the Minutemen backfield for their senior years.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/profile/14959145/Drew-Caytonu0022u003eHudlu003c/au003e | u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/drew_caytonu0022u003eTwitteru003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["908978"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":934397,"_player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Lewis County has a very promising 2025 prospect in [player_tooltip player_id='908978' first='Maddox' last='Gillespie'] who earned first Team All-Conference in 2022 as a sophomore. The 6'0 220 defensive lineman created a lot of havoc last season from his defensive end position and consistently gets to the backfield. His burst off the ball is very quick and Gillespie does a great job shooting the gaps. He's a very physical player and tackler that rarely misses a tackle. Gillespie does a nice job using his hands to block shed and is advanced for his age in that part of the game. His rush moves are also fine-tuned for a player his age which gives him a great jump on opposing offensive linemen. This 2025 prospect is an exciting talent and a name to watch for the next two years.rnrnu003cstrongu003eu003ca href=u0022https://www.hudl.com/profile/16409610/Maddox-Gillespieu0022u003eHudlu003c/au003e | u003ca href=u0022https://twitter.com/MaddoxGillespi2u0022u003eTwitteru003c/au003eu003c/strongu003e","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64cad273032e1"} /-->