Providence Practice Report

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night, I hit the road and headed down to New Lenox to take a look at the 2024 Providence Celtics. Led by head coach Tyler Plantz, Providence looks to build on last year's semifinal finish. They bring back a boatload of talent from last year's final-four team and should be serious contenders yet again in either 5A or 6A. I analyzed some of the best prospects I saw on Monday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>OL: [player_tooltip player_id='801713' first='Bryce' last='Tencza'] 6'4" 275, 2026</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic interior offensive line prospect with his best football ahead of him. He's got great feet, a natural high football IQ, and plays with a bit of an edge to him. Tencza was also a starter on the Celtics state championship baseball team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>OL: Anthony Santori, 6'5" 320, 2027</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A raw prospect that is a mountain of a man with overall good body control. Anthony has continued to develop this summer and is learning to use his massive frame to dominate at the point of attack. If he can show a mean streak this fall, colleges are going to come calling quickly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>DB: [player_tooltip player_id='299449' first='Gavin' last='Hagan'] 6'1" 190, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Chicago Catholic League White Defensive Player of the Year. Gavin has great straight-line speed, he's got the feet to play press coverage, anticipates route concepts &amp; jumps them, and has the ball skills to make a play on the football. He's also a brilliant return man who can flip the field as a kick returner. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WR: [player_tooltip player_id='299468' first='Jayden' last='Mikulski'] 6" 180, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A crafty route runner with a whole bag of releases to defeat press coverage. Jayden is a natural hands catcher who can snag anything within the framework, he understands leverage &amp; how to exploit it and can drop his hips to decelerate with no wasted steps. He's also a talented safety as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>DB: [player_tooltip player_id='1151334' first='Jaylen' last='McMiller'] 5'10" 165, 2027</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaylen is beyond his years from a technique standpoint and was highly productive on varsity as a freshman. He's got a smooth pedal, loose hips, quality playmaking ability, and an extremely competitive on-field demeanor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>DB: Luke Leverett, 5'9" 180, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luke can play both corner and safety, he reads his keys, gets downhill, and looks to deliver the boom. He's got the speed to run stride for stride in man, he can easily mirror targets in press and is a PBU machine on the intermediate to vertical levels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size">Other Names to Know</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WR: [player_tooltip player_id='616487' first='Curtis' last='Stubbs II'] 6'3" 180, 2027</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WR: Seth Cheney, 6'2" 175, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>TE: Brenden Grohn, 6'3" 265, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>LB: Jay Jeziorski, 6'2" 225, 2025</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>WR: [player_tooltip player_id='801712' first='Xavier' last='Coleman'] 6'1" 180, 2026</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>QB: [player_tooltip player_id='401620' first='Leo' last='Slepski'] 6'2" 180, 2026</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->