Rising Stars Bowl Preview: Team Long Island’s Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now it's time to preview the defense for Team Long Island. Some of the Island's top 2025 prospects are looking to stop New York City's finest in a full-contact game Saturday night. Take a look at the breakdown of Team Long Island's defense and the player taking on special teams duties below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><br>DL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive line group starts with Jah'rece Matthews out of Roosevelt. He has been a household name since his freshman year. Matthews is one of the strongest prospects in New York. He's joined by West Islip's Stephen McDermott. He is a quality edge rusher who put together a great junior season. McDermott was a great pass rusher for a West Islip team that went to the county title game. Another defensive end to keep an eye on is [player_tooltip player_id='1283622' first='Kevin' last='Washington'] from Miller Place. Washington was excellent against the run and has intriguing measurables at 6 '4 and 225 pounds. Staying in Suffolk County, Nehemiah Wilkerson brings a ton of versatility to this defense. The Bay Shore product is excellent in coverage and is a very quick pass rusher. He'll be a hybrid type of player for Team Long Island. And the final defensive lineman in the group is Dom Sellitto from Centereach. Sellitto isn't the biggest lineman but his team needed him to play nose guard and he did well. Selitto fought through double teams and constantly was in opposing teams' backfields.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">LB's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Team Long Island doesn't have a ton of linebackers but they have some of the best to offer. [player_tooltip player_id='806354' first='Trey'von' last='Holland'] out of Bellport sets the tone for this group. Holland is one of the hardest hitters you'll find on Long Island. Holland is an incredible run-stopper that more people need to see. He's joined by one of the best linebackers in the state, as [player_tooltip player_id='451507' first='Luka' last='Skoda'] from St John The Baptist will be playing. Skoda just picked up an offer from Ithaca, and he's listed to play offense as well in this game at H back. Skoda is a “gamer” and was a big reason why St John's won a catholic league title. And the final true linebacker in the group is [player_tooltip player_id='1284142' first='Adrian' last='Ayala']. For his senior season, Ayala will be going back to Uniondale. He was always around the ball on defense last year for Holy Trinity and strung together some solid performances.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DB's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a special group for Team Long Island. To start things off, [player_tooltip player_id='806593' first='Christian' last='DaCosta'] from Kellenberg is a terrific cornerback. He is fresh off of a breakout season in the AAA division where he performed very well against division one-level receivers. Another cornerback who people need to watch is [player_tooltip player_id='1283634' first='Kris' last='Watkins'] from Floyd. Watkins is athletic and isn't afraid to get physical. He played a big role for a Colonials defense that was great in their county title run. Another playmaker in this secondary is Enoch Thomas out of Holy Trinity. He plays much bigger than he is, and Thomas is a very physical safety. He got off to a great start this offseason with a great performance at the Elite V Showcase. Also at the safety position is Commack's [player_tooltip player_id='1142424' first='Andrew' last='Riggs']. What a junior year Riggs had, as he totaled 7 interceptions along with 70 tackles. Riggs is the ultimate ball hawk on Long Island. [player_tooltip player_id='634970' first='Justin' last='Baldwin'] from West Babylon is another intriguing prospect. He showed flashes of being great against the run and the pass during his junior season. He excelled at the Prep Redzone camp in January, being one of the top DBs. Baldwin's stock is rising. [player_tooltip player_id='1221106' first='Eriq' last='Anthony Graham St Louis'] is someone I've been looking forward to seeing. The Bay Shore native is a long and athletic corner. He's looked great in man coverage and I'm excited to see how he does against a loaded New York City offense. Closing out the group is the Long Island champion [player_tooltip player_id='1284033' first='Frank' last='Romano']. In a great season with Massapequa, Romano showed a high football IQ and was a great asset on both sides of the ball. He collected a couple of interceptions for a defense that was amongst the best in the state.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Special Teams</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taking both the kicking and punting duties will be [player_tooltip player_id='811903' first='Jace' last='D'Jon'] from Holy Trinity. He was regarded as one of the top kickers in the catholic league this past season. This winter D'Jon was named to the top 25 kickers to watch in the country and the number one northeast prospect by “Top High School Kickers” for the class of 2025.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->