Cardinal Gibbons vs Rolesville – Defensive Standouts
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I was on the sidelines for the rematch between the two teams for the State Playoffs Fourth-Round game. It was a defensive battle throughout the first half of the game. Rolesville generated some offensive drives in the second half to…
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Continue ReadingI was on the sidelines for the rematch between the two teams for the State Playoffs Fourth-Round game. It was a defensive battle throughout the first half of the game. Rolesville generated some offensive drives in the second half to take a commanding lead. Cardinal Gibbons displayed resilience and made offensive drives to chip away at the lead. Cardinal Gibbons defensive unit made stops and the offensive unit continued to gain momentum and sealed the victory with a final score, 28 – 21. The players listed in the review caught my attention throughout the game.
Rolesville HS
Jonathan Hinnant – LB, 6’3″ 200 (No. 2 LB, No. 21 Overall). Jonathan displayed good lateral movement and speed to cover a lot of ground quickly to close in on the ball carrier. He was quick out of his stance when lined up as a defensive end to make contact with the blocker while moving past to make stops. He displayed athleticism and quickness to apply pressure on the quarterback on several plays throughout the game. Jonathan displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field. He has received a Power5 offer and D1 offers, more are expected to come in for him during his high school career.
Cameron Harrison Cameron Harrison 6'2" | 255 lbs | DL Rolesville | 2025 NC – DL, 6’2″ 255. He displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field.
Russ Sykes Russ Sykes 6'3" | 255 lbs | DL Rolesville | 2024 State NC – DL, 6’3″ 255 (No. 10 DL, No. 39 Overall). Russ displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed quickness out of his stance to make contact with blockers while moving into the backfield to pressure the quarterback. Russ has received several D1 offers and may receive additional offers.
Marquis Bryant Marquis Bryant 6'1" | 175 lbs | DB Rolesville | 2027 State NC – DB, 6’1″ 175 (No. 1 DB, No. 3 Overall). Marquis displayed speed and played with his head on a swivel while covering receivers. He displayed good technique and use of arms while defending receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass against him. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field. Marquis is receiving a lot of recruiting interest from Power5 schools, should start to receive offers soon.
Zavion Griffin-Haynes Zavion Griffin-Haynes 6'6" | 220 lbs | DL Rolesville | 2026 State NC – DL, 6’6″ 220 (No. 6 DL, No. 39 Overall). Zavion displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed quickness out of his stance to make contact with blockers while moving into the backfield to pressure the quarterback. Zavion has received D1 offers, more are expected to come in for him during his high school career.
Aidan Pounds Aidan Pounds 5'10" | 205 lbs | LB Rolesville | 2024 State NC – LB, 5’10” 205 (No. 20 LB, No. 158 Overall). Aidan displayed good lateral movement and speed to cover ground quickly while closing in on the ball carrier for stops. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field. He has received D2 and D3 offers and may receive additional offers.
Kam Manley Kam Manley 5'9" | 165 lbs | DB Rolesville | 2024 State NC – DB, 5’9″ 165 (No. 36 DB, No. 313 Overall). Kam displayed good speed and the ability to change directions quickly while covering receivers. He displayed good technique and use of arms while defending receivers against passes thrown in his direction. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field.
Jovon Wright Jovon Wright 6'0" | 175 lbs | DB Rolesville | 2025 NC – DB, 5’11” 170 (No. 25 DB, Watchlist). Jovon displayed good speed and the ability to change directions quickly while covering receivers. He displayed good technique and use of arms while defending receivers against passes thrown in his direction. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field.
Cardinal Gibbons HS
Chris Pinder Chris Pinder 6'1" | 260 lbs | DL Cardinal Gibbons | 2025 NC – DL, 6’0″ 255 (No. 19 DL, Watchlist). Christopher displayed good technique and good use of hands to control blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed quickness out of his stance and upper body strength to make contact with blockers while moving into the backfield to pressure the quarterback. He was double-teamed on several plays throughout the game. Christopher should start to receive recruiting interest from schools.
Conway Kelly Conway Kelly 6'1" | 220 lbs | DL Cardinal Gibbons | 2025 NC – DL, 6’1″ 220. Conway displayed good technique and use of hands to control blockers while moving past them for stops. He displayed good technique on tackles made in the open field.
Corban McDaniel Corban McDaniel 5'9" | 180 lbs | DB Cardinal Gibbons | 2025 NC – DB, 5’9″ 180 (No. 15 DB, Watchlist). Corban displayed good speed and the ability to change directions quickly while covering receivers. He displayed good technique and use of arms while defending receivers, making it difficult to complete a pass against him. He finished the game with 8 total tackles. Corban should start to receive recruiting interest from schools.
Billy Turner Billy Turner 5'11" | 165 lbs | LB Cardinal Gibbons | 2026 NC – LB, 5’11” 165. Billy displayed good speed and lateral movement to cover ground quickly while closing in on the ball carrier for stops. He finished the game with 8 total tackles.
Chip Coleman Chip Coleman 6'0" | 160 lbs | DB Cardinal Gibbons | 2024 State NC – DB, 6’1″ 185. Chip displayed good speed and the ability to change directions quickly while covering receivers. He finished the game with 7 total tackles.
Braylon Peebles Braylon Peebles 5'10" | 165 lbs | ATH Cardinal Gibbons | 2026 NC – DB, 5’10” 165. Braylon displayed good speed and the ability to change directions quickly while covering receivers. He finished the game with 7 total tackles.
Ryan Ziegler Ryan Ziegler 6'0" | 215 lbs | LB Cardinal Gibbons | 2024 State NC – LB, 6’2″ 215 (No. 10 LB, No. 148 Overall). Ryan displayed good speed and good lateral movement to cover a lot of ground quickly to close in on the ball carrier for stops. He displayed good explosion from his stance to move into the backfield to pressure the quarterback. He finished the game with 4 total tackles, 1 which was a tackle for a loss. Ryan has received several D1 offers and may receive additional offers.