August Edition: Section V Players

August has finally come around. That means the high school football season is less than a month away. These players have worked hard over the hot summer to get in elite shape and back onto the field to show the colligate programs what they can do. Check out what players made this August edition here!    If you want to talk about pure physicality and athleticism when attacking the LOS, then check out the Junior LB named [player_tooltip player_id='518168' first='Gianni' last='Velazquez'] from Geneva High School who is a big-time tackler all over the field. Velazquez stands at 6'0” and weighs 240-pounds. The ability to move all over the field was a major stand out in the game for Velazquez and proved him with a ton of lift on opponents. The sideline-to-sideline range and ability to blitz up the middle of the A-gaps proved that Velazquez is an incredible force at the LB spot. So many times, you would see Velazquez making diving tackles to stop the ball carrier from advancing for a huge gain through the hole. Being able to sniff out screens and attack with a lot of fire was displayed. Continuing to be that consistent force in the middle of the defense for Geneva will be key for the overall of this team.      Kyle Serow is a high running and no stop DE and OT for Hilton High School that will be entering into his last season with the Cadets. Serow stands in at 6'3" and weighs 245-pounds! When playing at the DE spot, Serow showed a lot of strength and drive to get after the ball carrier. Being able to get off the LOS quickly and off his blocks was shown with confidence. I did like the position versatility all over the LOS where Serow was seen playing at the 5-technique and inside at the 1 or 2-technique. Being able to use power or speed moves on opposing defenders was also a huge reason why Serow was able to get by his blocks so quickly and often. When playing against the run, I was impressed with how well Serow was able to set the edge and not let the ball carrier bounce runs to the outside. This is a DE that plays with a lot of strength and balance which is why he can control his blocks in certain directions.        Steve Masetta is a senior WR and Safety for Eastridge High School that stands in at 5'8” and weighs in around 165-pounds. For Masetta, his pure long-range endurance really showed out when you would watch him play the game of football. Masetta is not going to put the most electric moves on defenders, but he is smart when it comes to reading tackling angles that defenders throw his way. Masetta was used at a high rate in the slot, but he was also able to play out at the boundary running a fluid number of intermediate routes. Being able to make tough diving catches over the middle where Masetta would pay a price did show as well. This is a tough WR that can make tough grabs for his team. One route that Masetta would run a lot in short yardage situations was an out-route. DBs and LBs had a tough time sticking to Masetta on the out-route when running out of the slot because of Steven's quick feet. A huge upcoming senior year for this Eastridge senior.        A multiple positioned player that stands in at 6'2'' and weighs 245-pounds. James Dietz plays at the DE, OT, and he can even punt! The OT and DE positions were where he was able to show a huge amount of strength at the POA. When playing the OT position, that pure strength really stood out when manhandling one on one blocks. The biggest strength for Dietz was blocking in the run game. Dietz also was a huge force when playing against the run at the DE position. Beginning able to block shed quickly and still move with lateral speed to trap the running back in his tracks would show. Dietz does not have the best speed, but he does have the fire to chase down ball carriers. Dietz would tend to rush standing up in a OLB type role, but he can rush with his hand in the dirt.      Robby Johnson Jr. is a shifty 5'11” WR that will be entering into his senior season at Geneva High School. Johnson Jr. was able to make a string of electric plays on tape including a huge jump ball deep down the field over two defenders. The ability to run routes and separate from defenders in the deep or middle portion of the field will arise but will need to show up more on tape. This is a quick WR on his feet and using that to his advantage against DBs is critical.  Being able to get the ball into Johnson Jr. hands more will pay major dividends when it comes to his production into his senior season and beyond for this offense that Geneva will have in store.        Boom, that is right! A WR again! This is Zaire Good who had 585 all-purpose yards and TDs this past season and will now be entering into his senior year at Greece Athena. Good is one of those WRs that stands in at 5'10” but plays much bigger than his height. Many times, Good was able to out-jump the DB for the football. Fighting for the football is a huge skill to have and Good wants to win in those situations for his QB. The YAC ability was a major factor for Zaire, as he was able to take screen passes and quick passes for many huge gains. Being a WR that has the strength to withstand a big hit to stay on his feet was evident on tape too. What was also evident was Good can return punts and kickoffs to get his offense into great field position. Greece Athena will have a great season on offense if they continue to get the ball into #11 hands.

August has finally come around. That means the high school football season is less than a month away. These players have worked hard over the hot summer to get in elite shape and back onto the field to show the colligate programs what they can do. Check out what players made this August edition here!