2023 Statewide Defensive Top Performers: Week 4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 high school football season is in full swing in the state of Kentucky as we have now had four full weeks of regular season action. Week 4 gave us several exciting games with some impressive individual performances. With the offensive side of the ball already being covered, here are my top defensive performances in the state of Kentucky from Week 4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["496965"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='496965' first='Preston' last='Cowan'] is a play to stood out to me last season and continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in his team's win over Montgomery County, finishing the game with 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks. Cowan lined up at defensive end where he was dominant against the run, showing the ability to shed blocks quickly and get to the ball in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. He also showed the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles off the edge against both the run and the pass to burst into the backfield before the play had a chance to get going. Preston doesn't currently hold any offers but is definitely a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["313661"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Another defensive player that stood out to me last week was [player_tooltip player_id='313661' first='Price' last='Aycock']. Aycock played a huge role in the secondary in Calloway County's win over Marshall County. He was a ball hawk  at safety, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Price finished the game with three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown and scored one rushing touchdown on offense. Aycock currently holds an offer from Otterbein and I expect more to come his way as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["423659"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='423659' first='Jack' last='Lonaker'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in Cooper's win over Campbell County, finishing the game with 14 tackles. Lonaker lines up at inside linebacker where he does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. Lonaker also showed some reliability in pass coverage last week, coming away with an interception. Jack currently holds offers from Massachusetts Maritime, Baldwin Wallace, Mount Saint Joseph, and Thomas More, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to be a productive linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["399293"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Since transferring to Corbin this past off-season, [player_tooltip player_id='399293' first='Jacob' last='Smith'] has established himself as one of the top players in the state. He continued to impress this past week, helping lead Corbin to a win over Pulaski County. Smith lined up as a stand-up outside linebacker/defensive end where he was dominant against the run, finishing the game with 19 tackles. He plays with a very high motor, showing the ability to run sideline to sideline to make tackles in the open field. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality. Smith is also a dangerous pass rusher, using his combination of strength and speed to blow by opposing offensive tackles. Jacob is committed to Michigan where I can see him developing into a key piece of their defense once he gets there.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Donte Jones","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"John Hardin","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Donte Jones is a player that jumped onto my radar this past week. He played a key role in his team's win over Harrison County. Jones lined up at safety where he was very impressive in coverage. He showed the ability to read route combinations and the quarterback to put himself in a position to make a play, and did a great job of breaking on the ball once it was in the air. Jones finished the game with two interceptions. He also showed the ability to come downhill to make tackles in the open field against the run, finishing the game with nine tackles. Donte currently holds an offer from Western Kentucky and I can see more coming his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["485015"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='485015' first='Steve' last='Partin'] is a player that I've had high on my radar for a while now that continued to impress this past week. He was dominant on both sides of the ball in Knox Central's win over Scott (TN). On defense, Partin lined up at linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and flowing to the ball quickly, and is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Partin finished the game with 12 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He also showed some ability as a pass rusher, finishing the game with three sacks. On offense, Partin carried the ball 16 times for 197 yards and four touchdowns. Partin is committed to Yale where I can see him making a big impact on either side of the ball once he gets there.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["490002"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Bryce' last='Pugh'] is another player that I've had on my radar for a while that continued to impress this past week. The senior linebacker played a huge role in Leslie County's win over Harlan, finishing the game with 19 tackles and three tackles for loss. Pugh lines up at middle linebacker where he does a great job of reading his keys against the run and getting downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier before they can get going. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he explodes through contact and finishes his tackles with a ton of physicality, not allowing any extra yards after contact. Bryce currently holds an offer from Thomas More and I expect more to come his way as he definitely has the talent to be a productive linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["373781"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"For the second straight week, [player_tooltip player_id='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] finds himself on my top performers list. Carrico played a huge role in his team's win over Owensboro, finishing the game with 22 tackles and one tackle for loss. He lined up at middle linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. Carrico showed the ability to read his keys and flow to the ball quickly. Once he saw the running lane open, he did a great job of exploding through the lane before opposing offensive linemen could block him to meet the ball carrier and make the tackle. Vincent currently holds an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to be a very productive player at the next level.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1577023' first='Caleb' last='Emery']","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"Bracken County","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_8_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1577023' first='Caleb' last='Emery'] is a player that jumped onto my radar this past week. He played a key role in Bracken County's shutout win over Berea. Emery lined up at defensive tackle where he was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to shed blocks quickly and get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles. He finished the game with ten tackles and four tackles for loss. Emery also impressed as a pass rusher, finishing the game with four sacks. To cap off his impressive stat line, Emery also made a huge play in pass coverage, coming away with an interception. While Caleb doesn't currently hold any offers, he is definitely a player for college coaches to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1121532' first='Layton' last='Starks']","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"Woodford County","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_9_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"To wrap up my top defensive performers from Week 4, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1121532' first='Layton' last='Starks'] from Woodford County. Starks is a rising star in the 2024 that continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in his team's win over Warren (CA). Starks showed the ability to use his speed and athleticism to win off the edge as a pass rusher, finishing the game with four sacks. He also proved to be reliable against the run, showing the ability to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Starks finished the game with nine tackles and five tackles for loss. Layton currently holds an offer from Ball State and I expect more to come his way as he has received a solid amount of college interest and has the talent to play at the Division I level.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6502355f1bcbd"} /-->