Week 3: 7 Dominant Defensive Performances

We are cruising through the season and just wrapped up week 3. Today, we're looking at 7 of the top performances from the defensive side of the ball from Friday.    The first week of the season, I went and watched Warren Central take on Snider, and it was a relatively quiet game for Burrus compared to his normal standards. This past Friday, though, he took over and dominated the game. He was in the backfield on almost every rep. He finished the night with 6 solo tackles and 3 sacks against North Central. Two of those sacks were for big losses and ended the drive right on that play. Burrus is off to Louisville next year, but he's still got a handful of weeks left to terrorize offenses.     This is the first I've come across Cain and I'm now a big fan. Not only is he a valuable 2-way player for Catholic, but he's a great athlete who makes play after play. Offense and defense they trust him and he comes through. Friday night, he finished the evening with 12 total tackles, 8 solo tackles and 3 TFLs. He then casually added another 95 yards and a pair of TDs through the air on offense. Cain is a playmaker on both sides of the ball who is virtually unknown but will make a collegiate program better.     Putting on a show this past Friday in the backend was Arnold who helped shutdown Hamilton Heights as they blew them out 31-2. Arnold had not 1, not 2, but 3 picks on the night with his most impressive being where he saw it coming and laid out for it and made the catch in front of the receiver as Arnold came flying out of nowhere. He's long, has great instincts, and will make you pay if you're inaccurate.     Alzeer has been on a different level to start the season and what he just did on Friday was nothing short of spectacular. He's all over the field and every week of the season this year has been over double-digit tackles. Friday, he put up 18 tackles, 2 TFLs, and recovered a fumble. With 48 tackles through 3 games, it's clear Alzeer has a sense of what the offense is trying to do and he's comfortable in his own scheme.     Putting up one of the best performances to date, it's hard not to circle back to Ramirez to point out what he just did on Friday. The senior linebacker finished the night with 10 tackles, a sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 TFLs. I like Ramirez because he trusts what he sees, he plays downhill and likes to hit. The guys around him trust him and it's because he's consistent down after down.     Taylor is a defensive lineman who is starting to come into his own and find his groove on the field. He's a big lineman who can create pressure and does a good job using his hands. Right from the interior of the line, he's able to create pressure and force the quarterback out of the pocket. He finished Friday with 2 sacks and now has 2 sacks in every game this year. Taylor isn't the biggest name in the area, but he's productive, has the size, and is turning into a heck of a player.     Smith is an incredibly valuable player for Marian as he's on both sides of the ball, but what doesn't get enough credit is his consistency. Through 3 weeks of the year, he's already put up 41 tackles a pair of interceptions, and recovered 2 fumbles. 12 of those tackles 1 of those recovered fumbles, and 1 of those picks came this past Friday. Smith is all over the field and has a nose for the football, which is all you can ask for sometimes.

We are cruising through the season and just wrapped up week 3. Today, we're looking at 7 of the top performances from the defensive side of the ball from Friday.