Mid Season: Central Valley and Western Beaver Prospects: Pt 2
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Central Valley is undefeated in conference play at 2-0 and 4-1 overall this season. Western Beaver, on the other hand, has a 1-1 conference record and 2-3 overall. The Warriors’ only defeat came from an undefeated Avonworth squad. All of…
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Continue ReadingCentral Valley is undefeated in conference play at 2-0 and 4-1 overall this season. Western Beaver, on the other hand, has a 1-1 conference record and 2-3 overall. The Warriors’ only defeat came from an undefeated Avonworth squad. All of Western Beaver’s defeats were hard-fought and competitive. CV is getting ready for another long postseason run in 2023. They’re always formidable and are blessed with talent on both sides of the ball this year. The Golden Beavers have the top passer in the WPIAL and a host of weapons on offense and defense. Let’s take a deep dive into the Warriors and Golden Beavers’ prospects in this 2-part series.
Jaivin Peel
Jaivin Peel
Peel is the leading passer in the WPIAL to date, and he’s only a freshman! The ‘27 signal caller is decisive with the ball and has a quick release. Jaivin has had success from under center and in the Shotgun formation in ‘23. He spreads the ball around and has great placement on his passes. He’s accurate on the run or when throwing in the pocket. Peel has good size at 6’1 and has a strong arm that will only improve with time. He throws with great anticipation and displays a high football IQ. Jaivin executes play action well with good overall QB mechanics. The freshman prospect throws accurately on all 3 levels from the pocket consistently. Peel has made Western Beaver worth the price of admission this season. I’m excited to see if Jaivin can keep this pace during the second half of the season.
Constanza is another leader along the trenches who has next-level potential. I selfishly like him the best when he’s playing DT. He has good bend in his stance and gets off the ball quickly. Tyler excels at using hand violence in unison with his pass-rushing moves. He rarely gets driven back and redirects well down the line. Costanza engages and disengages well with physicality in run pursuit. Tyler’s motor was on display in the first scrimmage of the season where he ran a sweep down from the backside. His physicality isn’t just on defense; at the OT position, he’s a tough finisher who has pancaked defenders to the ground. Costanza is a solid pass protector that excels at double teaming and down-blocking. Overall, Tyler has a lot of potential when it comes to playing college football.
Highlights
Henry is a very exciting prospect on both sides of the ball, and he’s only a freshman! As a RB, he has stop-and-go quickness mixed with speed. Jance runs the ball with good vision and balance, which allows him to break tackles. He’s a very dangerous WR out of the backfield who took a long screen back for a score against Hampton. Henry sets his blocks up well and showcases next-level speed and quickness when he has the ball. On the backend, he has football intelligence mixed with toughness for tackling across the middle of the field. He runs the alley aggressively once he reads the run from the safety and lays the wood. His coverage and ball skills are above average for a prospect who just started high school. Jance pedals at a good tempo with the right pad level at DB. Henry is yet another potential D1 prospect out of the 2027 class who has performed well in the first half of ’23.
Highlights
Florence has emerged as a two-way standout for Western Beaver. He possesses next-level balance and the top-end speed that breaks angles. He’s strong enough to break arm tackles and put blitzers on the ground in pass protection. Florence doesn’t need a bunch of room to break a long run on the inside or outside of the tackles. In 2023, Florence is averaging 6.7 yards per carry with 516 yards and 5 scores. Tyson has displayed vision and above-average cutting ability thus far this season. He’s very dangerous out of the backfield and has scored on a long catch-and-run screen already this season. Defensively, he’s a willing and reliable tackler that packs a punch. Tyson has also given good effort on special teams, blocking a FG once in 2023.
Highlights
Lawson is another playmaker the Warriors have at their disposal in the slot and at DB. Marcus is skilled at turning short passes into big gains. He had a nice TD on a swing pass earlier this season where he displayed elusiveness and speed. Lawson is another burner off the snap who has good pass-catching hands with solid route-running ability. I expect Lawson to make a couple of plays in the second half of the season on jet sweeps and spot screens. On defense, he displayed good coverage and ball skills on an interception he had in the first half of the season.
Work is a hard-nosed 2026 underclassman who’s been putting in ‘work’ on both sides of the ball this season. He’s a versatile player that has taken reps at WLB, SS, and RB in ‘23. Work is a reliable tackler that displays good tempo getting to the ball from either LB or SS. I expect JJ to break a couple of TD runs before the year is up at RB too. Work is an instinctive player on defense and has flashed the ability to break tackles as a ball carrier. Similar to his teammates, JJ gives a tremendous effort on special teams consistently. Work is still young but has displayed a lot of potential thus far in the first half of the season.
Dontay has a lot of potential as a college-level prospect. He has a 6’4, 185 lbs frame and moves with agility. The WR/DB has 4 receptions for 100+ yards, 2 TDs, an INT, with 13 tackles. Green’s mobility and fluid change of direction can be attributed to his basketball experience. He is good coming off the line of scrimmage and displayed ball skills on his TD receptions. Green is a little raw, but he has the tools necessary to be a possession WR. If McGhee and Crawford weren’t his teammates, Dontay would have 20+ catches and at least 5 TDs. I think Green is also capable of being a specialized pass-catching flex TE. At the FS position, Dontay plays a lot lower than his 6’4 height measurements. He pedals at a good pace and is quick to assist in run support. He has good hips, which allow him to have range on the backend.
BJ Nastick
BJ Nastick
Nastick is a tough DB that’s been contributing to Central Valley’s 4-1 start. He has tight DB footwork and also a good break. He’s skilled at pressing man coverage, remaining square off the snap. BJ has good hips and transitions well in zone coverage, bailing to his third. Nastick has man coverage skills and is very competitive in coverage. He’s a tough player overall, who seems to enjoy coming up to support in the run game. He has good speed and quickness and doesn’t step outside the box when breaking on the ball. BJ gives good effort on special teams, causing a forced fumble this season on kickoff coverage.
Chris Kirkland
Chris Kirkland
Kirkland is another athlete with tremendous potential for the next level. Chris plays in the slot on offense and CB on defense. Offensively, Chris receives his passes away from his body regularly. The 2025 prospect is quick with speed and does a good job of getting in and out of his breaking points. He runs sharp routes and gets north and south quickly after the catch. My favorite position for Kirkland collegiately is on defense, at the cornerback position. He plays at a good pad level and doesn’t step outside of his frame when breaking on the ball. Kirkland has man coverage skills and does a good job of executing press technique. He transitions well and excels at squeezing the WR to the sideline on deep patterns.
Kole Hiltz
Kole Hiltz
Kole is a smooth athlete who has produced as a wide receiver this season for the 4-1 Central Valley Warriors. He’s a crisp route runner who can eat up cushion off the line of scrimmage with his speed. Hiltz is skilled at finding the holes in the defense and sitting down. He’s very fast out of his breaking points, and he catches passes with strong hands in traffic. Kole also does a good job of getting north and south immediately following his receptions. His speed makes him a deep threat that defenses must account for in the passing game. It will be interesting to see if the Warriors can utilize Hiltz’s speed downfield during the second half of 2023.
Jadon Bishop
Jadon Bishop
Jadon is another able-bodied DB who splits time at the free and strong safety positions. He isn’t afraid to tackle and has good form bringing ball carriers down in space. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, like on his interception versus Hopewell. Bishop does a good job of keeping things in front of him when he’s covering the back end. He has pretty good coverage skills and is regularly competitive in coverage, contesting passes