Tote The Rock: Top Backs At Jersey Shore AYF 14U All-Star Tryout

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Use&nbsp;<strong>PROMO CODE: ALPOPS40&nbsp;</strong>for a&nbsp;<strong>DISCOUNT&nbsp;</strong>on your Prep Redzone Next subscription. The Jersey Shore AYF All-Stars have been a dominant force over the better part of the last decade, having won the AYF All-Star tournament five times. More than that, the 14U team is the reigning back-to-back-to back National Champions and this past weekend they took their first steps towards championship number six. Here's a look at some of the very impressive running back's from the tryout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1013479"],"_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":"Thomas was the top back I saw at the tryouts, which is saying a lot considering the talent of the skill guys that showed out in the last two sessions of the day. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds (size not verified) I loved how smooth his game was. Very little, if any, wasted motion when going through bag drills. Effortlessly shifted his weight during cuts, constantly stayed lowed and was able to easily move through bags. You wouldn't think it just look at him because he's well-proportioned, but he generated a lot of power in his lower half. Looked really impressive in plyometric drills. Though my biggest take away, was his explosion in space. The type of back that can go 0-60 in just a few steps.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["991953"],"_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":"Without knowing he was even going to be at the tryout just 24 hours later, we covered Berecsky last Friday in u003ca href=u0022https://prepredzone.com/2023/09/keep-your-eyes-on-these-2028-athletes-from-nj/u0022u003earticleu003c/au003e about 2028 New Jersey athletes to know. In person, Berecsky lived up to the hype of his film and was pretty much the player we thought he was. While certainly not the six-foot he was reported at, he still has pretty good height and a body that looks like he can play multiple positions on the field. With the amount of skill guys and pieces they have to move around, I'm confident Berecky will have a placeu002du002dbut the question will remain where. He ran the ball well and looked fast. Also looked attacking and strong in bag/fit drills as a defensive player. Berecsky didn't make this all-star team a year ago, but several coaches mentioned how he took significant steps in the off-season.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1013562"],"_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":"A year ago on the 12U AYF All-Star team, Sternlieb was one of the horses that drove the sled to the championship as a running back. The St. Barts running back will be back this year and looks to be at least 10 pounds heavier, adding muscle to his frame. The younger brother of 2026 St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman and heavy weight wrestler [player_tooltip player_id='341119' first='Caden' last='Sternlieb'], little brother doesn't have the 300-pound girth of his older sibling, but the toughness is there. He brings pretty good speed and unassuming power when getting up into the hole.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1013523"],"_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":"The middle session of the day, the smallest group of the day, was for running backs and linebackers. While the total number of athletes was smaller, the number of kids that stood out, was pretty amazing. Athletes like [player_tooltip player_id='1013523' first='John' last='Wassef'], who was one of the highlights of the session, looked promising. He was a member of the 12U All-Star's last year and was back this year taller, lean and with a decent amount of increased muscle on his frame. He's built like a wide receiver/safety but can play outside linebacker but I loved what I saw from a skill position standpoint. For being a bit taller and longer, he was agile and fast with the ball in his hands. Did a good job of changing his direction and looked like he can play anywhere. I do u003cstrongu003enot u003c/strongu003ethink he's a running back and am listing him as an ATH (athlete), but for the sake of organization by session, he's being placed here.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6511ed868b6e5"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Additional Running Back Tryout Notes</span></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jake Callahan | Sayerville</strong> - Was one of the the three-to-five smallest skill guys out there, but loved his toughness. For giving up substantial size, he hung tough and surprised a few people with how much power he could generate. Also impressed me with his ability to pick up blocks and absorb defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1597382' first='James' last='Brown'] | St. Barts</strong> - Brown made the 12U All-Star team a year ago and I feel he has a decent chance of making it again. He was one of the faster athletes at the tryout and showed off both his wheels <em>and</em> his ability to start and stop during drills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->