Upstate NY Players to Watch
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Checking in this week on some of my top players to watch in the upstate NY region. These players are ready to return this upcoming season, and are looking to take their play on the football field to the next…
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Continue ReadingChecking in this week on some of my top players to watch in the upstate NY region. These players are ready to return this upcoming season, and are looking to take their play on the football field to the next level.
A talented ball hawk that will be entering into his senior season at Greece Athena High School. Darius Howard Darius Howard 5’10” | 155 lbs | DB Athena | 2025 NY plays DB for Greece Athena and was aggressive all over the field. Not only did Howard show his aggressive side in coverage; being able to play in press situations on WRs, but Darius also showed that he can be patient and play off-coverage in zone schemes. Many times, Howard was able to stick with WRs deep down the field and break up intended passes in one-on-one situations. Being able to track the ball and keep his composer really showed. One of my favorite attributes in Howard’s game is the versatility that he presents. The talent to be able to line up as a Safety in the middle or deep portion of the field, or even being able to line up as a slot CB, showed a tremendous amount. This is a DB that is not afraid to line-up against the best weapon on the opposing team and did it many times this past season. Certainly, being able to come up and make big time tackles is a portion of Howard’s game that has improved. Many times, Darius was flying down and attacking in the run game to secure tackles behind the LOS.
Highlights
The speedy and young Travis Tolbert Jr. Travis Tolbert Jr. 5’5″ | 130 lbs | DB Geneva | 2027 NY is an upcoming sophomore CB that had a heck of a past season for Geneva High School as he started all 9 games as a freshman. The number of times that this young man was chasing after the football if a fumble was caused and being able to recover the ball for a CB was incredible to watch. The straight acceleration and burst to come up to hit the intended ball carrier really displayed on Tolbert’s film. Travis showed an outstanding coverage ability for his age in cover-3 and in cover-1 plays, which even opened opportunities for his teammates to make plays on the football for turnovers. The ability to be used on special teams was also a huge factor in the punting unit as a gunner. The speed and aggressiveness to fight through his blocks to get after the punt returner would flash. Travis was even placed at RB for a few plays this past season as well. Travis was able to score at times because of his breakaway speed around the bend was too much of a challenge to chase down. For Geneva, this is a very talented, young football player that will be very exciting for them to utilize this next season and down the road.
Highlights
John DiBattisto
John DiBattisto
Such a fun football player to watch in John DiBattisto from Hilton High School. DiBattisto was an impactful force on both sides of the football for Hilton as an RB and OLB. I expect to see the same force in DiBattisto’s game as he enters into his senior season. At the RB spot, DiBattisto was a North-South runner as he was always really physical with defenders at the POA. There was a lot of speed and brute force coming straight at these defenders when John had the ball, but he could also put a quick move on if he needed to. Near the goal line, John was also very impactful to punch the ball in for a quick score. At the OLB position, speed was also a huge emphasis here as well as DiBattisto was moving sideline to sideline making tackles. John is a LB that was able to take multiple pursuit angles, play with a lot of leverage, and even showed the ability to drop in coverage to be effective. Being able to read a play and jump on it with an extreme amount of quickness, really is what stood out when attacking the run game. Many times, DiBattisto was shooting into gaps or meeting the RB into a hole, where he was able to secure the tackle for little to no gain. Certainly, this will be one big time season for number #35.
Max Tomaszewski
Max Tomaszewski
A firing force coming off the edge in Max Tomaszewski out of Churchville-Chili. This is an upcoming senior DE that brings a lot of power and speed, but was also able to lean the corner a lot against OTs this past season. The intensity and pure energy to continue to get after the QB or ball carrier was endless on tape. The athleticism to get around opposing blocks, jump to swat passes down, or even chasing RBs down from behind the LOS would show up often. The flexibility to play inside as 3 technique defensive linemen did show in Tomaszewski film, but he was much more effective out on the edge in a 5 technique. Being able to let Max go out and rush the passer out on the edge let Churchville-Chili come away with big-time sacks, but certainly moving him around does not hurt. The burst coming off the snap of the ball was incredible to watch, especially against punts, when Tomaszewski was able to successfully block a few punts. This is a strong senior for Churchville-Chili to have on their defense unit and much more!
Marcus Roney
Marcus Roney
Marcus Roney had a knack for being around the football this past season as a junior for Churchville-Chili. The fast play speed and being able to come away with multiple turnovers flashed on multiple occasions. Roney does play LB for Churchville-Chili and his coverage ability was outstanding to watch. Many times, Roney was able to stick with WRs and TEs in intermediate parts of the field to then come away with numerous interceptions. When playing against screens, Marcus was able to scan them out quickly and attack with great strength. Roney also showed a strong ability to be effective at blitzing the QB, even being able to force a fumble when sacking the QB. The ability to play at the inside backer position and also at the outside backer position as a 5-technique also showed throughout Roney’s film. Roney is an upcoming senior for Churchville-Chili with a lot of closing quickness. The versatility in Roney’s game will pay huge dividends for the defense.
Jaxxon Cody
Jaxxon Cody
Jaxxon Cody is a well-built, upcoming senior that plays OT for Churchville-Chili. Cody showed a tremendous amount of power when blocking in the run game, especially when it came to being able to take over opposing blocks. Many defenders were caught getting placed off-balanced and then driven into the ground by Cody. The best blocks that Jaxxon was able to produce on film were reach blocks in the run game. Cody did flash his athleticism many times to make some solid pull action blocks that went for a lot of positive yardage as well. In pass protection, Cody showed how strong of an anchor he can be. A few times, Jaxxon was able to hold up well against powerful rushes that were sent his way. Additionally, Jaxxon also plays the DT position for Churchville-Chili where he was able to produce well against the run and his play speed was surprisingly quick for his size. A huge senior year for Cody.