Nate’s Big Dogs of the Game: Cretin-Derham Hall/St. Paul Central
ST. PAUL– Find out which prospects from last Saturday afternoon were my Big Dogs of the Game from the neighborhood battle in a Section 4AAAAA semifinal between Cretin-Derham Hall and the hosts from St. Paul Central. This is one of…
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Continue ReadingST. PAUL– Find out which prospects from last Saturday afternoon were my Big Dogs of the Game from the neighborhood battle in a Section 4AAAAA semifinal between Cretin-Derham Hall and the hosts from St. Paul Central. This is one of my longest list of the year to add some context!
Damario Fletcher
Damario Fletcher
Damario is one of the youngest prospects on this list overall and one that played with a sizable motor on Saturday for the Minutemen. At middle linebacker, Damario plays with a solid base of downhill presence and his physicality on contact followed up with that consistently from the reps I watched as a linebacker that plays with a good finish on every tackle. Damario also plays with fluid range for being just a sophomore, as a 2026 future prospect to watch from the Minutemen that has an ideal next-level size already at 6’1 215 pounds.
Bobby Cruz
Bobby Cruz
Bobby was a double-digit tackler on Saturday afternoon as this young man showed off some consistent release points into the Minutemen backfield. He shows off some upside with his trigger off the snap and is an outside linebacker that can also penetrate to the edges with consistent balance and vision to the ball. He also showed off viable hands off his sheds and was a consistent ball-hawk on Saturday that has the potential to play on Saturdays with upside to grow.
Allan was a 2025 prospect that I was intrigued with the instincts this young man played with on Saturday, as he showed excellent athleticism especially with the use of his legs on Saturday. Not only was he efficient with his legs, I was impressed with his agile change of direction as he showed off some versatility in the Minutemen offense with his passing as well. with some of his ball placements on intermediate routes. He certainly is a 2025 prospect that has proficient vision, as I believe next-level college coaches are going to like the position flexibility this young man brings the table. Twitter
Highlights
Jaylen was a two-level 2024 prospect that impressed me with his vision in the Raiders return game, as I thought this young man carried some wide-ranged vision with the ball in his hands on kickoff returns. Jaylen also showed off a wide receiver that has some great football IQ built in, that measures up with his change of direction with his route-running as his consistency on Saturday with that vision skillset he offers is something that he certainly is well-polished with. His tape also shows off efficiency even without the football, as Jaylen was not afraid to throw a block to find more wiggle room for his Raiders ball carriers to stride thru. He was also very elusive getting to the open field and plays with more length than his 6’0 height will show you. In my eyes, there is certainly a home for this young man playing on Saturdays. Tape & Twitter
Lavontae Cox
Lavontae Cox
Lavontae is a junior running back at 5’8 190 pounds that I thought ran with a ton of fluidity in the reps I saw out of him on Saturday. This young man showed off some grinding runs taking a bunch of contact with him, and showed off his lower-body durability for every yard he could get. He also showed off the elusive skillset I look for out of next-level running backs as he could penetrate into the open field with his vision, which on his 28-yard touchdown he did just that showing off the versatility of what he brings the Minutemen in the running game, as another 2025 prospect that is back for more for St. Paul Central in his senior season and looks like a next-level prospect in my eyes. Twitter
Thomas was a prospect that intrigued me during the St. Thomas prospect camp over the summer, and he brought the consistent energy and work ethic you want out of your team captain on the offensive line. I liked how balanced Thomas was with his pad-level in the trenches especially in pass protection as he gave Mile Bollinger plenty of time and room to operate on his five touchdown afternoon. Thomas also showed since summer that he has gotten quicker out of his stance with his pull-blocking, as he showed off how well-versed he was with his angle blocking on numerous occasions from the tape & live evaluation I got from Saturday. Thomas is certainly a OL prospect that needs more next-level attention and is one that has some position flexibility as well but best fit looks like the center position. Tape & Twitter
Highlights
Every time I have watched Alex throughout his career at college camps, our Prep Redzone Showcases, live games, etc. this young man consistently has gotten better time after time and that was again the truth on Saturday afternoon. Where I saw the development with Alex since this summer was the physicality with his hands and persistent pad-level this young man showed off. Alex also has improved over time with his first step and has gained smoother balance with his athletic mobility on both sides of the trenches. I also really like how much his leverage has grown at defensive tackle, as those agile hands are going to press some offensive linemen to their limits. Alex also has some of the best character traits out of prospects I have scouted overall out of this 2024 class. Twitter
Highlights
During Saturday afternoon’s game, there was not a prospect overall that impressed me from either team’s offensive side of the ball more than 2025 tight end Monteff Dixon Monteff Dixon 6’5″ | 215 lbs | TE Cretin-Derham Hall | 2025 State MN . Monteff showed off plenty of upside with what he offers with his 6’5 220 pound frame, as he showed off plenty of dexterity in his hand & reach and that climbed down to his lower body when he stretched from a high-traffic area to the open field on of one of his multiple touchdowns on the day. Monteff’s vision was excellent I thought for a tight end of his size, and his length of his strides carry quite the depth as a downfield target. The basketball background as well intrigues me with Monteff, as he certainly shows off well-versed balance with his footwork from all the reps I watched. This young man’s hoops background is certainly impressive, but I certainly believe he has a Division I grade as tight end as well in my eyes, that more FBS and FCS coaches need to watch and know ASAP. Twitter and Tape rn
Miles Bollinger
Miles Bollinger
I mentioned it briefly in my recap that Miles had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 on Saturday afternoon against Central as a senior that was 8/10 passing, 215 passing yards, with five touchdowns. Miles certainly impressed me with his precision all afternoon, as a 6’0 165 pound 2024 prospect that was excellent against the Minutemen defense with his throws on short and intermediate routes. Especially on the shorter routes, Miles well-versed ball placement, set up his wide receivers and tight ends for some exceptional gains downfield. He also showed off fluid touch on his throws with consistency on intermediate routes, and I believe he can develop more pop with his arm strength. Twitter
Geno is a 6’5 250 pound OL/DL prospect that excelled with high levels of versatility on both sides of the line for the Raiders on Saturday afternoon. This young man on tape played with some well-balanced instincts and it doesn’t matter on which side of the ball, this kid plays with a chip on his shoulder that has heavy aggression in his hands. Defensively, I like how Geno’s hands fire with shedding off blocks and there is certainly athleticism and upside looking ahead at developing his technique. For his size, I was really impressed with how fast Geno moved from one edge of the inside box to the other, as his speed and his motor show a ton of fluidity on tape. Geno is certainly a prospect with a future playing on Saturdays. Twitter
Highlights
If I handed out a defensive MVP in this game from Saturday, my vote would be for 2025 prospect Jaydn Harris as this young man was the pulse to the Raiders defense in my eyes. Jaydn was a certified ballhawk that was all over my notepad from Saturday as from sideline to sideline, Jaydn was using his well-churned motor and rangy athleticism as a game leader in tackles with 12, as Jaydn was everywhere and his pick-six was one of the most impressive defensive plays I have watched this season due to the growing instincts this young man has in the 2025 class. This young man’s versatility is a blast to evaluate as far as next-level as far as what side of the ball he might end up on. Twitter
More Top Performers (Stats & Quick Notes):
Cretin-Derham Hall
Luke Chorlton, DB, Cretin-Derham Hall (2024)
- Eight tackles, showed off good range in the secondary when the Minutemen would penetrate into the secondary.
Carter Snyder, LB, Cretin-Derham Hall (2024)
- Eight tackles. Carter was constantly in the mesh of the tackle box within the first couple yards and showed good instincts with contact.
Alec Warford, ST, Cretin-Derham Hall (2024)
- Three tackles. Alec showed some of the biggest bulk of physicality in my eyes I saw for the Raiders on Saturday running down on kickoffs, as this young man played with a fearless demeanor and a well-rounded motor that is built for the long haul.
Aiden Macke, Kicker, Cretin-Derham Hall (2024)
- 7/7 on extra points on a somewhat windy and brisk afternoon in St. Paul.
St. Paul Central
Vontae Lewis, WR, St. Paul Central (2024)
- I liked what Vontae showed off on his wide receiver reps with his agility coming back to the ball, as we saw consistency with that on a few occasions on Saturday.
Lukas Thames, ATH, St. Paul Central (2025)
- I liked watching Lukas balance around the edges of the field as a pass-catcher that played on both sides of the ball. A 2025 prospect with some promising upside to grow his size and talents.