2025 Rankings: Catawba River Region Zone Read

The rising senior class is shaping up to be a special one in the Catawba River Region. There's two top prospects who already are carrying offers. And there are several who could make a lot of noise between now and spring practice, which is four months away to continue to improve and boost their college prospects.   [player_tooltip player_id='1012611' first='Fred' last='Reese'] | DB | South Pointe   Reese is as active and athletic as they come at the defensive back position. He can time his jump perfectly to make interceptions or make hits to jar the ball loose and make the wide receiver feel the impact in the process. If you want someone who is a difference maker on special teams, he's your guy. He blocked three punts during the 2023 season. He came away with 116 total tackles, 4 interceptions and 2 defensive touchdowns.    [player_tooltip player_id='1012612' first='Aidan' last='Turner'] | RB | South Pointe   Turner is one of the more physical, downhill running backs that we had a chance to see last year and we expect that to continue in 2024. He runs hard and straight to where the run is designed to go, not dancing in space. He will run through contact and has the speed to outrun defenders once he gets out in the open field. Catching the ball out of the backfield and blocking down field are two other attributes that stand out when watching him. He ran for 1,025 yards in 2023.    [player_tooltip player_id='1012627' first='Landon' last='Stone'] | RB | Clover   Stone will be another physical runner that you'll want to keep your eye on. He has a great combo of speed and power to where he can outrun defenders or run through contact. He had multiple 150+ yard games where he was the focal point of the Blue Eagles offense, as he finished with 2254 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season.    [player_tooltip player_id='457973' first='Trooper' last='Floyd'] | QB | Chester   Floyd (pictured above) is tall and athletic and excels in making throws on the run. He is accurate with throws to the boundary and puts it in a place where only his receiver can get it. That athleticism gives him the ability to create when the play breaks down and make plays with his feet, showing off his speed in the process. The rising senior finished with 2,060 yards passing and 19 touchdowns, while rushing for 550 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.    [player_tooltip player_id='241044' first='Finley' last='Polk'] | QB | Northwestern   Polk will be a part of a loaded Class of 2025 quarterback room across the state in 2024, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/01/class-of-2025-quarterback-room-nothing-short-of-absurd/">as we told you last week</a>. The touch and velocity on the rising senior's throws are fun to watch and he puts it in a position where only his receiver can make the catch. You can tell by watching his film that he is very comfortable in the up-tempo, Air Raid system that the Trojans run. He threw for 2902 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2023. Colleges are starting to take note as he received an offer from Georgia Southern University last Tuesday.    [player_tooltip player_id='809747' first='Brady' last='Ambrose'] | TE | Catawba Ridge   Whether you flex him out wide as a receiver, or line him up in the backfield in a flex/wing position, Ambrose showed the ability to make an impact for his team. He is tough to defend out wide because of his size and he can go up and make catches against guys that are smaller than he is to help keep the offense on schedule. He's physical at the point of attack and can help open run lanes.    [player_tooltip player_id='809751' first='Ian' last='Grissom'] | QB | Lewisville   Grissom will be one of the top quarterbacks in the area in 2024. He can sling it all over the field, whether it be throws right up the pike or throws deep down field for six points. He has great pocket presence and looks comfortable in running the Lions offense, which enables him to make beautiful throws. He threw for 2,904 yards, completing 68% of his passes for 37 touchdowns. He also ran for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns.    [player_tooltip player_id='649189' first='Justice' last='Foster'] | DL | Rock Hill   Foster has great size and is physical at his defensive tackle position. When the ball is snapped, he has the ability to get off blocks quickly and clog up the run lanes. He wraps up well and most of the time, it's before the back can get his momentum going. He has a motor that is running and can get after the quarterback – he may not get the sack, but he can affect the throw. He had 20+ quarterback pressures to go along with 75+ total tackles and 20 tackles for loss in 2023.    [player_tooltip player_id='371858' first='Trenton' last='McGill'] | OL | Clover   McGill is a big and strong right guard who can move and put his hand in the dirt when he needs to. One thing that was impressive when watching his film was his ability to pull block in the run game and go get the first opposing linemen that he sees with speed and power. He had 20 pancake blocks in 2023.    [player_tooltip player_id='605531' first='Will' last='Massey'] | DL | Northwestern   Massey can shoot gaps well and come up and make tackles from his defensive line position. He is a guy who brings aggression when he comes and can defeat blocks quickly to make plays on the ball. He caught our eye at the Prep Redzone Carolinas <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/01/defensive-observations-from-the-prep-redzone-carolinas-showcase/">Stock Up Showcase in Fort Mill two weeks ago</a>. He led the Trojans defensively with 61 total tackles and 15 for a loss in 2023.    [player_tooltip player_id='1012834' first='Malik' last='Clark'] | WR | Rock Hill   Clark made one of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/01/2025-rankings-update-the-stockrisers-2/">biggest jumps in our latest Rankings update</a>, and it's clear why when you turn on the film. He is an excellent route runner who can beat you deep, of course. But what is probably more impressive is his ability to find green grass and make plays over the middle and to the sideline. He has great speed to match the route running. His recruitment has picked up major steam over the last few weeks as he has offers from Virginia Tech, South Carolina, UCF and North Carolina, just to name a few.    [player_tooltip player_id='1158006' first='Avery' last='Alexander'] | ATH | Lancaster   Alexander was a key cog for the Bruins in 2023, and made his presence felt during their playoff run. He is an impressive two-way player who can make catches near the sideline on offense while reading the quarterback and making interceptions on defense, which earned him All-Region honors.    [player_tooltip player_id='1157761' first='Mason' last='Picket-Hicks'] | RB | South Pointe   Picket-Hicks provides a great one two punch to go along with his counterpart, [player_tooltip player_id='1012612' first='Aidan' last='Turner'] like we mentioned earlier. He explodes out of the hole with quickness and has the ability to bounce outside and elude defenders. We also saw an ability to line up and make plays at the receiver spot, particularly in the slot.    [player_tooltip player_id='1157988' first='Aakil' last='Brown'] | LB | South Pointe   Brown is a tackling machine from his EDGE position. He takes excellent angles to the ball and can get to the quarterback in a hurry. He is tough for opposing lineman to block because of his closing speed once the ball is snapped. And if he can't get to you, he'll make sure the quarterback feels him by forcing an errant throw.    [player_tooltip player_id='995603' first='Brody' last='Rowan'] | DL | Clover   Rowan is a sure tackler from his defensive end spot. He can chase down ball carriers when it comes to the running game. And on the rare occasion if he doesn't get there, he can slow down their momentum to allow his teammates to get in there and make the play. He finished with 53 tackles and 16 of them for a loss.

The rising senior class is shaping up to be a special one in the Catawba River Region. There's two top prospects who already are carrying offers. And there are several who could make a lot of noise between now and spring practice, which is four months away to continue to improve and boost their college prospects.