Zone Reads: 2025 Upstate Class Includes No-Fly Zone
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There are ball-hawks, and then there are the guys in the secondary in the Upstate’s 2025 PRZ rankings class. Five area defensive backs made the rankings. Not guys who are listed at athlete and play a lot of DB, either.…
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Continue ReadingThere are ball-hawks, and then there are the guys in the secondary in the Upstate’s 2025 PRZ rankings class.
Five area defensive backs made the rankings. Not guys who are listed at athlete and play a lot of DB, either. Straight DBs. Spartanburg’s Calvin Choice Calvin Choice 5'9" | 160 lbs | ATH Spartanburg | 2025 State SC has moved primarily to RB, so we included a LB to get our list back to five.
And they. Are. Stingy.
Here’s a look at the havoc that they create for opposing offenses.
Ramani Bruton Ramani Bruton 6'0" | 170 lbs | DB Greenville | 2025 State SC Greenville
Right off the bat, Bruton (pictured) is a guy who is going to deny the ball on a big scale. He had six interceptions a year ago, and he’s already on the board with five halfway through this year. He’s also got 11 tackles and two pass deflections, and his speed and skills just generally cause nightmares for opposing QBs.
Christian Henderson Christian Henderson 5'8" | 160 lbs | DB Greenville | 2025 State SC Greenville
Henderson’s the one guy who doesn’t have stats that jump off the page. That’s because he’s rarely tested. He broke his arm last season, missed the rest of the year, and is still highly-regarded enough that he’s ranked near the top of the class. He’s got 12 tackles, three pass deflections, and no interceptions – because opponents usually just don’t bother.
Zeke Marshall Zeke Marshall 6'3" | 175 lbs | DB Westside | 2025 State SC Westside
Marshall is a long, athletic player whose size and speed make him a lockdown defender. He’s got 31 tackles, three pass deflections, and a blocked punt so far this year, and he’s picked off five passes. (The first clip below against Mauldin was ruled incomplete. But just look.)
Tyler Morgan Tyler Morgan 5'10" | 150 lbs | DB Wren | 2025 State SC Wren
Morgan is another guy whose presence on one side of the field dictates stats headed the other way. He’s made 40 tackles on the year, has broken up four passes, and has nabbed an interception.
Andrew Ruppe Andrew Ruppe 6'1" | 220 lbs | LB Gaffney | 2025 State SC Gaffney
Ok, so Ruppe’s a linebacker instead of a true defensive back. He’s got to be on this list. Gaffney’s leading tackler a year ago, Ruppe hasn’t posted a huge number of stops this season. He does, however, have six interceptions already, and he’s a nightmare to try to block.