Rising Stars Bowl Preview: Team New York City’s Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It all goes down tonight. Team New York City vs Team Long Island. To finish up our preview series, let's take a look at New York City's defense and special teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DL</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defensive line group only has 4 players listed but they have a solid group. It starts with [player_tooltip player_id='648881' first='Zaire' last='Caldwell'] from Mount St Michael. Caldwell was one of the top players in the AA-2 division of the catholic league. He earned All-League honors and was one of the top pass rushers in New York City. He's accompanied by a beast from Staten Island. [player_tooltip player_id='648916' first='Ashton' last='Wilson'] from Curtis will be getting looks from plenty of schools. Wilson is a monster at 6'3 and 335 pounds. He clogs up the middle and is a great run-stopper. Two more PSAL players round out the group. Rahiem Phifer from Eagle Academy (Queens) is a big and athletic edge rusher and Jesse May from Franklin K Lane is another dangerous player on this line.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">LB's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a deep and talented group for the city. It's a mix of talented PSAL and catholic league prospects. We'll start with [player_tooltip player_id='805692' first='Gerard' last='Sheehan'] from Monsignor Farrell. The physical linebacker from Staten Island will be one of the city's top players. He had a great junior season for a Farrell team that had one of the best front defenses in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='806366' first='Aiden' last='Alvia'] out of St Francis Prep also had a solid junior season. He was a staple for St Francis' run defense last year. The final linebacker from the catholic league is [player_tooltip player_id='505535' first='Michael' last='Herbert']. The Moore Catholic product was one of the top tacklers in NYC. He was one of the top contributors to a Moore Catholic team that made the AA-1 championship for a third straight season. Heading over to the PSAL, [player_tooltip player_id='648977' first='Joel' last='Ryan'] from Boys and Girls became a well-known name last year. He was one of the top players for a Boys High team that came away with a dramatic PSAL 3A championship win. At 6 2 and 200 pounds, he has good size and made an impact on both sides of the field as a linebacker and a running back. [player_tooltip player_id='1283590' first='Christian' last='Etienne'] is another championship linebacker on this roster. He won the 2A title with South Shore, and he was a great LB/TE for the Vikings during their title run. He has intriguing measurables at 6 '3 and 215 pounds. Staying in Brooklyn, Tyrese Butts from FJM is another talented linebacker. He was a captain just as a junior for the Sharks. He showed flashes of doing well against the run and the pass this season. Another Eagle Academy (Queens) prospect is on this team. [player_tooltip player_id='1202355' first='Titus' last='Powell'] had solid showings as both a sophomore and junior. He's in for a big senior season. And finally Timothy Tan of Fort Hamilton adds another great run-stopper to this linebacker core. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DB's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New York City will be going up against some elite receivers, but they have a great defensive back group to compete. We start off with a hybrid type of player within Isiah Vanterpool out of Moore Catholic. Vanterpool is one of the top prospects in the state, he's collected multiple FBS offers and will make plays all over the field. He's joined by two players transferring into New York City schools. [player_tooltip player_id='836781' first='Jayden' last='Locke'] and [player_tooltip player_id='806310' first='Richard' last='Paul'] have transferred to Erasmus Hall for their senior year. Locke is one of the top cornerbacks in New York and had a monster junior season with Holy Trinity. Paul is another great athlete who will add even more talent to a loaded Erasmus Hall secondary. [player_tooltip player_id='648870' first='Gmaryah' last='Mnahsheh'] out of Randolph has put together a great start to the offseason. He performed well at the Elite V Showcase and is the anchor for APR's talented secondary. I'm excited to see [player_tooltip player_id='1283688' first='Khajiere' last='Watts'] from Boys and Girls on this field. Watts is a lengthy cornerback standing at 6 foot 4. He has a high ceiling and will be a great player for Boys and Girls next fall. Canarsie's defense is being rebuilt and [player_tooltip player_id='505907' first='Jadan' last='Barrett'] will be one of the pieces to help their secondary. I'm intrigued to see how he does against a loaded group of receivers. Bodhi Sabongul out of Stuyvesant was a ball hawk of a safety during his junior season. He was one of the top playmakers for his team, as he also played quarterback for Stuyvesant. Jaylen Fortune is another athletic DB that was solid for Eagle Academy in Brooklyn.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Special Teams&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan Wallace from St Joe's by The Sea will be taking both kicking and punting duties. He received Staten Island player of the week honors once last season. Wallace has a big leg and will look to help Team NYC gain an advantage in the special teams category of this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->