St. Dominic vs Timberland Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2023 high school football playoffs officially underway in the state of Missouri, I got to attend an intriguing first round matchup last week between St. Dominic and Timberland. St. Dominic asserted their dominance earlier and continued to do so in the second half, pulling away for a 45-28 win. With this win, they will advance to the District Championship Game where they will face Fort Zumwalt North. While there was a lot of talent on the field on Friday, here are my top performers that stood out the most.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["172153"],"_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='172153' first='Thomas' last='Pulliam'] solidified himself as the best player on either side of the ball from the very beginning of this game and didn't look back. He had a very impressive game out of the backfield, running the ball 22 times for 253 yards and four touchdowns. Pulliam showed impressive speed, bursting through the running lane and breaking away for long runs. Once he hit the open field, he showed the elusiveness and contact balance to make defenders miss without breaking stride. He also caught one pass for 21 yards. Pulliam also played a role on defense at safety, showing the ability to come downhill and provide support against the run. He finished the game with five tackles. Thomas currently holds offers from Benedictine College and Southwest Baptist, 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_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["213079"],"_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":"Another player from the St. Dominic offense that stood out in this game was [player_tooltip player_id='213079' first='Brennan' last='Czeschin']. The sophomore quarterback showed very impressive accuracy, completing 12/12 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. He also showed a very strong arm which he used to lead his receivers down the field in the deep passing game. Brennan also showed the ability to escape pressure while keeping his eyes down the field to make throws on the run. Czeschin doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect him to be a player that college coaches play close attention to as he continues to develop over the next few seasons.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["633244"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='633244' first='Connor' last='Beerman'] is a player who did a little bit of everything for St. Dominic in last Friday's game. On offense, he proved to be a very reliable receiver out of the slot. He showed the ability to create separation with smooth breaks in his routes and showed the speed to get up the field to pick up yards after the catch. Connor finished the game with three receptions for 34 yards. Beerman also showed some reliability as a ball carrier, running the ball four times for 25 yards. He also made two tackles on defense and showed promise as a returner on special teams. Connor currently holds offers from Mid America Nazarene, Southwest Baptist, and Benedictine 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":"Mason Kohout ","_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":"2408","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"St. Dominic","_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":"Mason Kohout is another player from St. Dominic that grabbed my attention on Friday. He served in a backup running back role behind Pulliam but made the most out of his opportunities, running the ball two times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Kohout showed impressive speed, bursting through the running lane and breaking away on a 40-yard touchdown run. Once he hit the open field, Kohout showed the elusiveness to make defenders miss. Mason doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be a player to keep an eye on as his role in the St. Dominic offense grows.","_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":"Nicholas Bittner","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"St. Dominic ","_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":"The final player from St. Dominic that stood out to me was Nicholas Bittner. He is a very physical player that lined up in a tight end/H-Back role on offense. Bittner showed some impressive hands in the passing game, catching one pass for 23 yards. He stood out the most to me as a blocker, showing the ability to pick up blocks in open space and drive his man out of the picture to create an opening for the ball carrier. Bittner also played a key role on defense at defensive tackle as he showed the ability to cause disruption against the run and as a pass rusher. Nicholas doesn't currently hold any offers but he deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["895249"],"_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":"While his team fell short, [player_tooltip player_id='895249' first='Zay' last='Hamilton'] truly grabbed my attention on Friday. He is an athletic, big body wide receiver that thrives on the outside. Hamilton showed the speed to blow by opposing defensive backs in the deep passing game and to get up the field to pick up yards after the catch. He also showed the ability to use his athleticism to go up and catch passes at their highest point in contested catch situations. Hamilton finished the game with seven catches for 175 yards. He also played a key role on defense at safety, finishing the game with seven tackles. Zay doesn't currently hold any offers but I expect some to come his way as he has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Austin Humphrey","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"2409","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Timberland","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Austin Humphrey is another player from the Timberland offense that stood out to me on Friday. The junior quarterback completed 23/35 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. He showed the ability to escape pressure while keeping his eyes down the field to make tough throws on the run. Humphrey also showed a strong arm which he used to stretch the field in the deep passing game. He also showed ability as a ball carrier in read option situations, showing impressive speed and strength in his running. Humphrey also caught one pass for a six-yard touchdown. Austin doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on going into his senior season.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1132540' first='Stony' last='Billings']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Timberland","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Another player that played a key role in the Timberland passing game was [player_tooltip player_id='1132540' first='Stony' last='Billings']. Billings lined up in the slot where he was a go-to target in the short passing game. He showed smooth breaks in his routes to create separation and  the speed to pick up yards after the catch. Billings finished the game with four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. He was also used out of the backfield on jet sweeps where he was able to use his speed to pose as a threat. Billings also played a role of defense at corner, finishing the game with two tackles.  Stony doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep a close eye on.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='402132' first='Riley' last='Holstein']","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"Timberland","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_8_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"To wrap up my top performers from Friday's game, I have [player_tooltip player_id='402132' first='Riley' last='Holstein']. Riley made his biggest impact on defense from defensive end/outside linebacker. He showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the game with 10 tackles. Holstein also showed the ability to use his speed off the edge to blow by offensive tackles as a pass rusher, finishing the game with one sack. He also returned one fumble recovery for a touchdown. Riley also proved to be a reliable receiver out of the slot on offense, catching five passes for 29 yards. Holstein doesn't currently hold any offers but he will definitely be a player to keep an eye on over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65496035a2787"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->