Francis Howell vs. Eureka Top Performers: Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2024 high school football season officially kicking off this week in the state of Missouri, I had the pleasure of attending a highly-anticipated matchup between Francis Howell and Eureka on Thursday night. This was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game for the most part but Eureka was able to pull away in the fourth, resulting in a 26-7 victory on the road. While there was a lot of talent on the fields on both sides on Thursday, there were some players who stood out among the rest. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, here are my top performers from Thursday night's game on the defensive side of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1233954"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d231c32bc1c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1233954' first='Blake' last='Ashby'] was very disruptive at defensive end on Thursday night. Against the run, he showed the ability to shed blocks quickly then get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle before they could get going. He was also able to use his speed and strength off the edge as a pass rusher to blow by the opposing offensive tackles with ease on his way to the quarterback. Ashby also played a role on offense as an H-Back. Blake currently holds offers from Graceland, Truman State, McKendree, Southwest Baptist, and Benedictine College, and I expect more to come his way as he definitely has the talent to play at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1238587"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d231c32bc7d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1238587' first='Jaeger' last='Funk'] is another Eureka defensive linemen who stood out to me Thursday night. Funk lined up at defensive tackle where he did a great job against the run. He was able to stack and shed blocks with ease then use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he got to the ball carrier, he proved to be a very reliable open field tackler. Funk currently holds offers from Graceland and Benedictine College, and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1125426"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d231c32bcc5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Despite the loss, [player_tooltip player_id='1125426' first='Cayden' last='Duncan'] had a strong performance on Thursday. He lined up at inside linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. Duncan did a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill to meet the ball carrier in a hurry. Once he got to the ball carrier, he showed the ability to explode through contact to finish his tackle and not allow for extra yards to be gained. Cayden doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jason Stringfellow ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"175","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Francis Howell","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d231c32bd6f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jason Stringfellow is another Francis Howell linebacker who stood out on Thursday. He lined up on the inside where he did a great job against the run. Against inside runs, he did a great job of coming downhill in a hurry to meet the ball carrier and make the tackle before they could get going. When the ball was run away from him, Jason showed the ability to take good angles to the football and use his speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle in the open field. Stringfellow doesn't currently hold any offers but he will be a player to watch during his senior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Curtiss Witt","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"175","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Francis Howell","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d231c32bdfe"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">My final defensive top performer from Thursday night's game is Curtiss Witt. Witt lined up at safety where he was very impressive against the run. He showed the ability to come downhill and fill the lane in a hurry to make tackles in the open field. Witt also proved to be reliable in coverage, showing the ability to read route combinations then open up and run with receivers on deep routes. Curtiss also played a key role on special teams as a kick returner. Witt doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->