North Meck at Olympic – Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Olympic Trojans won an emotional and hard-fought 26-23 game over the North Meck Vikings in a postponed game that was completed on Saturday Night. We will take a look at some of the defensive standouts from both teams right here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='760719' first='Solomon' last='Ford'] - ATH - Olympic - Solomon made a huge play to give Olympic the final margin it needed to ultimately win the game. Down 19-17, North Meck was attempting a field goal to take the lead. A high snap sailed over everyone, and Solomon was able to pick it up and return it for a touchdown and a 26-17 lead. Solomon showed some great speed and awareness to make that play for the Trojans. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joel Rivers - DB - Olympic - I thought Joel was the overall player of the game between both teams. Joel had two interceptions, including the game-clinching play to seal the Trojans victory. The biggest thing I like about Joel's game was his discipline. He played his zone responsibilities well on both interceptions and jumped the routes at the appropriate time. On his first interception, Joel showed some good speed and vision on his return, getting the ball deep into North Meck territory. As a 2025 prospect, I will keep an eye out to see if Joel can continue to replicate this kind of success. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryce Nixon - LB - Olympic - Bryce had a big play in this game as well, returning a blocked punt for a touchdown in the first half of the game to widen the Trojans lead at the time. As an outside linebacker, I thought Bryce did a good job of keeping the North Meck speed in the running game in check - typically when North showed success in the running game it was running right up the middle of the Trojans defense. I'm excited to see how Bryce continues to develop with the versatility in his game - he can also play some db per his Twitter profile. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1610634' first='Kenyan' last='White'] - DB - Olympic - Kenyan looked like he was playing a Strong Safety/Linebacker hybrid role, and he did a good job in helping keep the edges of the defense contained. He had two nice tackles especially, showing good technique and physicality in setting the tone for the Trojans defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='719690' first='Charles' last='House'] - DL - North Meck - The Tennessee Volunteers commit played on both sides of the ball in this game, and defensively he was a big reason why the Trojans never really found an offensive rhythm in anyway. Charles did a great job disrupting the interior run game, and he commanded double teams when the Trojans tried to throw the football, allowing his teammates to shine in rushing the passer and making plays behind him all night long. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryan White - DB - North Meck - Bryan made a great play when the Trojans went for it on 4th down from midfield, making a nice interception in the end zone and returning it deep into Trojans territory. I thought Bryan showed excellent ball skills in plucking the football out of the air, great vertical ability on the catch, and excellent speed and agility in the return. As a Class of 2027 prospect, Bryan is a player to watch on a good Vikings defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1283601' first='Ryan' last='Hailey'] - LB - North Meck - The senior prospect started the game off with an interception returned for a touchdown. Ryan did a great job in dropping to his zone, making the catch, and showed good speed and vision on the return for the touchdown from about 35 yards out. Ryan also did a great job in making tackles in the interior run game, setting a physical tone for the Vikings defense from his middle linebacker position. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->