Returning Contributors: Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers’ Skills

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the last three seasons the Bridgewater-Raritan Panther's football teams have named three different head coaches: long-time incumbent Scott Bray, hall of famer Rick Mantz, and now DJ Catalano. In his first season Catalano led the Panthers to a 3-7 record and a playoff birth, only losing a single game by more than one score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a number of seniors graduating in 2024, Catalano and his staff must get a number of rising underclassmen up-to-speed and ready to become varsity contributors. Here are a few prospects that his staff might be looking to in the fall of 2024. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1180008"],"_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='1180008' first='Henrique' last='Santos'] is an interesting prospect that I am very curious to see where he pans out. Based from his freshman film, we see Santos play guard, linebacker, and serve as a kickoff specialists. As a kicker, Santos consistently boots the ball to within the 5-yard line. Similarly he appears very good at directional kicking, as Santos manages to kill the ball between the numbers and the sideline effectively neutralizing any returns. Playing off the edge Santos is a play the run first, play pass second type of defender. His team trusts the offensive u003cemu003eguard u003c/emu003eto cover #2 against twins. Should Santos not get home he is trained to match the quarterback's hand to deflect pass attempts. We see this trait both when he passes the rusher and plays short routes like bubbles, rockets, or slants. Santos does a really nice job keeping contain. This disciplined approach forces ball carriers back to his help; however, Santos is athletic enough to squeeze to make the tackle. Against a 3 x 1 set, Santos shows that he understands the defense's leverage as he races to the outside to set the edge as a perimeter force player. A lot is asked of Santos, but I feel as if he can apply his discipline to how much depth he gains playing the run in the backfield he could have a huge season defensively.rnrnAs a guard Santos has solid fundamentals. It appears that he understands the premise to seal off defenders' from the intended gap with his body. Similarly, he allows defensive linemen who do not fight pressure to rush upfield. Although he played guard Santos is athletic enough to latch on to second- and third-level defenders with ease. He keeps his feet moving through contact when pulling. What will have Santos excel this coming season is if he remembers to u0022with with his headu0022 and keep a steady base.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65caf8a3487e4"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17802818/642454c7ab9c5705f403b27b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65caf8a34889c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1180007"],"_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":"Unsure whether the clips I watched were of JV or freshman footage, one thing is transparent: [player_tooltip player_id='1180007' first='Mikey' last='Bratus'] is a versatile chess piece. I witnessed Bratus line up at quarterback, receiver, and safety. Bratus' ball skills appear to be there, as he can out-jump defenders and high points the ball with his hands and authority. With the rock in his hands the young signal caller does a good job following his blockers and rushing inside-out. Like a locomotive, Bratus gains more speed as he climbs into each level the defense. When in the final level of the defense, Bratus is unabashed to lower the shoulder and lay the boom on a would-be tackler. What perhaps may be something overlooked, as a quarterback he appears to carry out the majority of his fakes at full-speed. He looks extraordinarily fast against slower competition. Bratus may be a safety, however he typically appears to play at linebacker depth. He is ruthlessly aggressive in pursuit when filling the alley. In coverage we see Bratus see pass patterns relatively clearly, aggressively playing driving on the ball to break the play up from over the receiver's back. An area I would stress for Bratus is to be judicious when he uses his stiff arm. He hits a nice one up the middle; however, that may not be the best part of the defense to execute that move.rnrnu003cstrongu003eHudl: u003c/strongu003ehttps://www.hudl.com/profile/17798872/Mikey-Bratus/highlights","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65caf8a34890b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1180006"],"_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='1180006' first='Victor' last='Dominguez'] has limited film, but what what we can see he looks like a special team's ace. He hustles down field consistently and is always in the mix. Similarly, he is unafraid to mix it up and tends to always be around the ball. Akin to Bratus, Dominguez might be a safety who plays at linebacker depth. He comes up to stuff the run;  but he can stand to improve his shoulder tackles.rnrnu003cstrongu003eHudl: u003c/strongu003ehttps://www.hudl.com/profile/17798906/Victor-Dominguez/highlights","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65caf8a348964"} /-->