2023 Statewide Defensive Top Performers: Week 9

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 high school football season is in full swing in the state of Kentucky as we have now had nine full weeks of regular season action. Week 9 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 9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["331710"],"_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='331710' first='Mikel' last='Clack'] is a player that has had an outstanding 2023 season and continued to impress last week. He played a huge role in Ballard's blowout win over Oldham County. Clack lined up at defensive end where he was very impressive as a pass rusher, using his speed and pass rush moves to blow by opposing offensive tackles. He finished the game with a very impressive six sacks. Clack also showed the ability to get to the ball carrier in a hurry and make tackles in the open field against the run, finishing the game with 15 tackles. Mikel doesn't currently hold any offers and he deserves more attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Ryder Thomason","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"North Oldham","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Ryder Thomason is a player that jumped onto my radar this past week. Thomason did a little bit of everything at defensive end in North Oldham's win over Western Hills. He showed reliability against the pass both as a rusher and in coverage. Thomason finished the game with one sack and also came away with an interception which he returned for a touchdown. He also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the game with four tackles and two tackles for loss. Ryder doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Aiden Smith","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Adair County","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Aiden Smith is another player that jumped onto my radar this past week. He played a key role in Adair County's win over Butler County. Smith was a true ball hawk in the secondary, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make plays. He finished the game with two interceptions. Aiden also showed the ability to come downhill to provide run support, finishing the game with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Smith doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_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":"Carter Schroer","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Dixie Heights","_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":"Another new player that jumped onto my radar this past week was Carter Schroer. Schroer played a key role in his team's dominant win over Scott. Carter lined up at outside linebacker where he was very impressive against the run, showing the ability to read the play and get to the ball in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. He finished the game with 12 tackles and four tackles for loss. Schroer also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the game with two sacks. Carter doesn't currently hold any offers but deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["401710"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='401710' first='Jacob' last='Savage'] is a player that came into this season with high expectations and has met them so far. He continued to impress this past week in Ryle's win over Great Crossing. Savage lined up at linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill in a hurry to get to the ball carrier and make tackles before they can get going. Savage finished the game with 24 tackles and one tackle for loss. Jacob currently holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky and I expect more to come his way as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["378839"],"_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='378839' first='Garyon' last='Hobbs'] is a player that has had a strong first year of high school football so far. He continued to impress in last week's win over Central. Hobbs lined up at linebacker where he did a great job against the run. He does a great job of reading his keys and using his speed to come downhill and burst into the backfield before the opposing offensive line can block him. Hobbs finished the game with 11 tackles and six tackles for loss. He also showed the ability to rush the passer, finishing the game with three sacks. Garyon doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player that I expect college coaches to keep a close eye on as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["313668"],"_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='313668' first='Kelson' last='McKinney'] is a player that has been on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this past week. He played a key role in Green County's win over Monroe County. McKinney lined up at linebacker where he was impressive against the run, showing the ability to flow to the ball quickly to make tackles in the open field. He finished the game with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss. Kelson also showed the ability to make plays in pass coverage, coming away with one interception and returning it for a touchdown. He also led the team in rushing, carrying the ball 11 times for 137 yards and a touchdown. McKinney currently holds an offer from Union College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["510250"],"_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":"Another member of the Green County defense that stood out to me this past week was [player_tooltip player_id='510250' first='Jullian' last='Seymour']. Jullian lined up at strong safety where he was very impressive in pass coverage. He showed great ball skills, coming away with three interceptions. Seymour also showed the ability to provide support against the run, finishing the game with seven tackles. He also played a role on offense, scoring one rushing and one receiving touchdown. While he doesn't currently hold any offers, I expect some to come his way soon as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level and has received some college interest.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["381942"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='381942' first='Jaxson' last='Shoulders'] is a player that has been high on my radar for a while now and continued to impress this past week. He played a huge role in Hart County's win over Glasgow. Shoulders lined up at inside linebacker where he did a great job against the run, showing the ability to read his keys and flow to the ball quickly to make tackles. He finished the game with 21 tackles. Shoulders also showed the ability to drop into coverage and make plays against the pass, coming away with one interception. Jaxson currently holds an offer from Westfield State and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["401715"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"To wrap up my defensive top performers from Week 9, I have [player_tooltip player_id='401715' first='Juelz' last='Davila'] from South Oldham. Davila played a key role in his team's win over North Bullitt this past week. Juelz lined up at safety where he was very impressive in pass coverage. He showed the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play, coming away with two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. Davila also showed the ability to provide run support, finishing the game with five tackles. Juelz doesn't currently hold any offers but should be a player to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65319d62c0c23"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->