2023 Mid-Season Top Performers: 2A Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we are a little past the midway point in the 2023 high school regular season in Kentucky, I want to take a look back at what has happened so far. With that being said, I'm going to focus on my top performers on both sides of the ball in each class from so far. After covering classes 6A-3A, I have now turned my attention to class 2A. With the offense already being covered, here are my mid-season top performers on the defensive side of the ball in class 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["373781"],"_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='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] is a player that I've had high on my radar for a while now that has continued to impress this season. Through seven games, he is tied for the statewide lead in tackles with 112, along with nine tackles for loss and one sack. He lines up at middle linebacker where he is very impressive against the run. Carrico does a great job of reading his keys and bursting through the gap in a hurry to meet the ball carrier before they can get going. When the run is on the outside, he does a great job of flowing to the ball carrier with a sense of urgency to make tackles in the open field. He has also played a role on offense, catching one pass for a touchdown so far. Carrico 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 linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["490002"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Bryce' last='Pugh'] is another linebacker that has been high on my radar for a while now and has continued to stand out this season. Pugh lines up at middle linebacker where he plays with a ton of physicality. Against the run, he fills his gap in a hurry and meets the ball carrier before they can get going. He explodes through contact to finish his tackles without allowing any extra yards to be gained. Through seven games, Pugh has 93 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He has also proven to be reliable against the pass both as a rusher and in coverage, coming away with two sacks and two interceptions so far. Bryce has also played a role on offense this season, running the ball 21 times for 179 yards and a touchdown. Pugh currently holds an offer from Thomas More and I expect more to come his way as he definitely has the talent to play linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["653387"],"_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":"Another linebacker that has stood out to me this season is [player_tooltip player_id='653387' first='Madden' last='Miller']. Through seven games, Miller has accounted for 95 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. Miller is an inside linebacker that does a great job of reading his keys and getting downhill in a hurry against the run. He has shown the ability to fight through blocks on his way to the ball carrier and is a very reliable tackler once he gets there. Miller has also shown some reliability in pass coverage, coming away with one interception so far this season. He has also played  a role on offense this season, running the ball 62 times for 350 yards and a touchdown. Madden currently holds an offer from Kenyon College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149597' first='Bryson' last='Chadwell']","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Carroll County","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1149597' first='Bryson' last='Chadwell'] is a player that has jumped onto my radar this season. Chadwell lines up at defensive end where he is a very disruptive pass rusher. Through eight games, Chadwell is currently the 2A leader in sacks with 10. He also also proven to be very reliable against the run, accounting for 77 tackles and six tackles for loss so far. Bryson has also shown the ability to make plays in pass coverage, coming away with one interception this season. Chadwell doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_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":"Jayden Hacker","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_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":"Leslie County","_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":"Another player that has caught my attention this season is Jayden Hacker. Jayden has gotten off to a very impressive start to his high school football career. Hacker lines up at safety where he has been very impressive in pass coverage this season. Through seven games, Hacker leads the entire state with eight interceptions. He has also shown the ability to provide support against the run, accounting for 17 tackles so far. Hacker doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop over the next few seasons.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1121518' first='Garrison' last='Brumback']","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Carroll County","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"To wrap up my mid-season top defensive performers in 2A, I have [player_tooltip player_id='1121518' first='Garrison' last='Brumback']. Brumback has been a lockdown corner on the outside for Carroll County this season. He has shown impressive ball skills when the ball is thrown his way, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Brumback has six interceptions through his first eight games this season. Garrison has shown the ability to turn those interceptions into big plays the other way, returning two of them for touchdowns. He has also shown the ability to come downhill and provide support against the run, accounting for 60 tackles and 11 tackles for loss so far. Brumback has also played a role on offense as he is currently second of the team in receiving with 10 catches for 198 yards. Garrison currently holds an offer from Wilmington College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6525d04051f19"} /-->