Prospects Poppin: Rahway Seminoles vs. Dark Knights (NJ) - Part 1

This past Saturday the Rahway Seminoles welcomed the Dark Knights to Madden Field, for a Big Tri-State Youth Football showdown on the 13u level. While the game was very one-sided with the Dark Knights coming away with a 41-0 victory, there were bright some obvious bright spots on both teams. Below is a look at the prospects from both teams that stood out to me in the game.    There was simply no answer for [player_tooltip player_id='1295971' first='Justin' last='Golden'] on the Offensive Line or Defensive Line. He started at Right Guard and got more than enough reps at Defensive End. Throughout the game was dominant no matter where he lined up. He's a big, strong kid with better feet than a lot of youth offensive linemen. His long arms helped keep defenders out at sea during pass blocks. On running play his sheer power was too much for anyone on Rahway to contend with, as his down blocks completely washed out the Seminole front.     While watching warmups, [player_tooltip player_id='1455168' first='Adonis' last='Rabrun'] was the first prospect that caught my eye. He's a very muscular, rocked up prospect and his claims of a 225-pound bench press and 300-pound squat appear to be valid. He looks ideal as a Running Back prospect who used a combination of power and speed to find the end zone in the game. He claims a 4.53 in the forty and he certainly has some wheels too. Defensively, as a Linebacker, he may have an ever higher ceiling. Fast to the ball, fearless and violent.     There weren't many fireworks for the Seminoles during the game, on either side of the ball, as they were simply not on the same level as the Dark Knights. With that said, I did see some promising things out of [player_tooltip player_id='1171341' first='Caden' last='Lauderdale']. He's one of the kids that caught my eye early because of his frame--standing at an estimated 6-foot and 180-pounds. He mainly played both Linebacker and Running Back during the day, but I'm not sold either of those positions being where he plays longterm. At this point I'm listing him as an ATH (Athlete) because of his physical stature and potential.     Another impressive prospect on the offensive side of the ball for the Dark Knights was QB1 [player_tooltip player_id='1466123' first='Bray' last='Brown']. Brown's clearly a tall and long (estimated at 6-foot and 160-pounds), athletic-looking kid, so it didn't shock me learning about his athletic past. He mainly played Wide Receiver last year and is also one of the Garden State's top basketball players. As a Quarterback he brought a dual-threat skill set and had a few very nice runs, which showed off both the speed and athleticism needed to be a force over the next few years. He also used that same speed and quickness to get outside of the pocket and make throws on the run.     Before the game coaches told me to keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='1455175' first='Kaeshon' last='Mcmillian Jr.'], as he runs the ball with a forward lean and "finds the right angles/running lanes to make things happen." As it tuend out, those words couldn't have been more on the money. Mcmillian Jr. put the game's first points on the board, after taking a direct snap up the sidelines before a few nice cuts allowed him to cross the goal line for 43-yard scamper. He went on to have a few other nice runs on the day.     From a pure talent standpoint, [player_tooltip player_id='1463280' first='Saa'hir' last='Herbert'] may have been the prospect on the field with the most upside and potential out of any--and I saw more than a couple future D1 players in the game. I hesitate to say this, but since this game was in New Jersey and not far from The Meadowlands, there was some Lawrence Taylor to his game. At times he was unblockable as an Outside Linebacker attacking the edge. At an estimated 6-foot-1 and 180-pounds, he made a couple of key tackles behind the line of scrimmage early in the game that had me pondering if he had a future as a Defensive End too. He also spent a fair amount of time on the sidelines when the game became out of reach. If he can consistently stay checked in and focused, the sky is the limit for Herbert.     The starter at Left Offensive Tackle for the Dark Knights, Gjokaj confirmed what I saw on film from last year: he's a talented linemen. He was lined up across from Rahway's talented star [player_tooltip player_id='1463280' first='Saa'hir' last='Herbert'] and did a nice job of blocking him, when it was his job to do so. Gjokaj spends some obvious time in the weight room, as he pushed and drove defensive players off the ball with ease. On pass blocking plays, what he lacked in technique, he made up for in foot speed and quickness. It should also come as no surprise that on the Dark Knights second score, they ran right behind that left side for a score.     As mentioned above in [player_tooltip player_id='1463266' first='Luay' last='Gjokaj']'s write-up, that left side of the Dark Knights 13u Offensive Line stood on business all game long against Rahway. While Gjokaj protected the blind side of the QBs, Vasquez was a human forklift at Left Guard. Physically stronger and simply more dominant, he was moving the Linebackers and Defensive Linemen wherever he pleased. On top of what he showed on the offensive side of the ball, he also started at Defensive End in the Dark Knights' 3-4 front. Perhaps the most telling stats of the day: Vasquez was held on 1st down and drew a flag; Then, on the next three straight plays, the Rahway player tasked with blocking him committed a false start.

This past Saturday the Rahway Seminoles welcomed the Dark Knights to Madden Field, for a Big Tri-State Youth Football showdown on the 13u level. While the game was very one-sided with the Dark Knights coming away with a 41-0 victory, there were bright some obvious bright spots on both teams. Below is a look at the prospects from both teams that stood out to me in the game.