6A’s Sack Artists Making an Early Impact

<p>With more than a quarter of the 2024 season come and gone, there have been plenty of incredible performances from all across the state. As is typically the case with defensive players, many of the top defensive performances have been overlooked in favor of big offensive numbers. Sacks are usually some of the biggest plays in a game and can completely change the momentum of a contest on a single snap. Going from 2nd & 5 to 3rd & 13 is a massive swing that all but guarantees giving the ball back to the other team. With that in mind, we're going to take a closer look at 6A's sack leaders and how they're affecting the scoreboard without having to score any points. </p>    <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top linebackers in the state last season as a sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='992770' first='Hudson' last='Dunn'] is picking up right where he left off in 2024. The incredibly long and athletic linebacker already has 7.5 sacks through three games and has a deep rolodex of pass-rushing moves to get him into the backfield. Dunn is simply too fast for linemen to stay in front of and quarterbacks to scramble away from. To be able to move all 6'2" and 215 lbs of him that fast and get up to speed so quickly is a scary sight for any offense. He does a great job when tackling in open space and with his agility, it's no easy task for ball carriers to have to make him miss. Dunn already holds a plethora of Division 1 offers including Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Penn State, and others; he could easily rack up many more if he continues to play the way he has been. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LibertyFBLions/status/1835351325141602781 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Coming off the edge for Hamilton's defense, [player_tooltip player_id='1353857' first='Ben' last='Jones'] is a combination of speed and strength that's just too much for most offenses to handle. Lined up out wide in a two-point stance, he's hard to double-team without taking away the option of play-action. He's got quick feet that fire off at the nap of the ball and his strong base and sheer strength allow him to move offensive linemen, even when they have the size advantage over him. Jones does a nice job of keeping his eyes on the ball to ensure that he doesn't over-run the ball carrier and is relentless in his pursuit. Recently receiving an offer to Montana Tech, Jones is a player coaches should all have their eye on as he works through his senior season.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/benbjones18/status/1834346411082883468 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1573394' first='Talon' last='Roit'] went into Thursday night without having a sack, going through his first two weeks with eight total tackles — one of those for loss. Facing off against a rival in ALA Gilbert North, Roit showed up and showed out when it mattered most. He was credited with a whopping five (5!!) sacks through the 48 minutes of football and helped lead the team to a 21-0 victory. Two of those sacks came in the middle of the third quarter on back-back-back plays. Overwhelming the offensive line on second down, Roit flew to the quarterback and was able to bring him down. The very next snap, he used his active hands to fight off the lineman and showed his speed again as he caught the quarterback from behind — stripping the ball in the process. Roit made himself a name to watch with an impressive 48 minutes of football on Thursday night. </p>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[player_tooltip player_id='1573394' first='Talon' last='Roit'] had 5 sacks in second half in American Leadership Queen Creek's 21-0 win over American Leadership Gilbert North <a href="https://t.co/7dwHdOPwKd">pic.twitter.com/7dwHdOPwKd</a></p>— Richard Obert (@azc_obert) <a href="https://twitter.com/azc_obert/status/1834460020395966570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2024</a></blockquote>     <p class="text-gray-700">The second pass rusher from Liberty's roster to make the top four in sacks through the first three games, Paz St. John has all the tools to excel at the next level. I was fortunate to get eyes on him through the offseason at the PRZ Arizona Combine and you could tell then that St. John was in line for a big junior year. Standing at 6'3" 260 lbs going into his junior year, his size alone makes him a force in the run game. Adding in his strength and really refined footwork, he becomes an incredibly disruptive force against both the run and the pass. He possesses the kind of power that can completely blow up double teams and then has surprising quickness to make sure the quarterback can't get away. With both Dunn and St. John attacking opposing quarterbacks, Liberty's defensive front is going to give offensive coordinators nightmares.</p>   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="light"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Extremely blessed to receive a huge offer from <a href="https://twitter.com/KU_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KU_Football</a> !<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AGTG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AGTG</a><br>Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/DKMcDonald1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DKMcDonald1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/coachthomasfb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coachthomasfb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LibertyFBLions?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LibertyFBLions</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachPerrone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachPerrone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GuineyTravis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GuineyTravis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RonTBAOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonTBAOL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/lion_liberty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lion_liberty</a> <a href="https://t.co/5Tde8zHN5C">pic.twitter.com/5Tde8zHN5C</a></p>— [player_tooltip player_id='992813' first='Paz' last='St John'] ✝️ (@Paz_StJohn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Paz_StJohn/status/1786176229034610828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2024</a></blockquote>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three-Way Tie at Fifth</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">All with 4.0 sacks</h3>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1399752' first='Derrick' last='LeBlanc'] Jr</strong>. / 6'1" 210 lbs / <em>Hamilton</em> </p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>LeBlanc is only a sophomore and he's still able to produce on a very talented Hamilton roster. The powerful defensive lineman does a great job of winning the leverage battle and consistently drives his opponent into the backfield. Really effective against both the run and the pass, LeBlanc uses his strength to crash down the line of scrimmage and allow his long arms to get to the ball carrier. </li> </ul>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='933244' first='Kaedyn' last='Smith']</strong> / 5'11" 170 lbs / <em>Basha</em></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Smith is the epitomy of versatility as a linebacker. Using his speed to his advantage, he has no porblem getting around linemen and into the backfield to affect the quarterback. He's also really skilled in coverage, using that athleticism to stick with speedy slot receivers. Able to still play physically while also reading the game and following the flow of the offense, Smith is going to be an impact olayer for Basha's defense as just a junior.</li> </ul>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992816' first='Preston' last='Atwood']</strong> / 6'1" 240 lbs / <em>Westwood</em></p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Atwood is a real tone setter for Westwood's defense. The hard-hitting edge rusher really makes his presence felt, especially in the run game. When the quarterback drops back to pass, he's an aggressive pass rusher and with the strength that he's shown, it's proven to be too much for most offensive linemen to handle. Having four sacks and a whopping nine tackles for loss through the first three games of his junior season, Atwood is a player coaches should keep a close eye on. </li> </ul>

With more than a quarter of the 2024 season come and gone, there have been plenty of incredible performances from all across the state. As is typically the case with defensive players, many of the top defensive performances have been overlooked in favor of big offensive numbers. Sacks are usually some of the biggest plays in a game and can completely change the momentum of a contest on a single snap. Going from 2nd & 5 to 3rd & 13 is a massive swing that all but guarantees giving the ball back to the other team. With that in mind, we're going to take a closer look at 6A's sack leaders and how they're affecting the scoreboard without having to score any points.