West Meck at Rocky River – Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West Meck Hawks defeated the Rocky River Ravens 32-6 in a game completed on Saturday Afternoon due to storms in the Charlotte Area on Friday Night postponing the game. We will share some defensive standouts from the game here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1170182' first='Elijah' last='Littlejohn'] - LB - West Meck - This game was Elijah's first game with the Hawks - he recently joined the program after leaving private school Charlotte Christian. Elijah had a strong game with a sack, a couple of tackles for loss, and multiple quarterback pressures. His addition to the West Meck defense allows for some other players to excel at other positions, strengthening the unit as a whole. We had a chance to speak with Elijah after the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829945460460577254?t=Chk94e9QywxhuR3dBmIjpw&amp;s=19">https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829945460460577254?t=Chk94e9QywxhuR3dBmIjpw&amp;s=19</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1222362' first='Mark' last='Foster'] - ATH - West Meck - On The defensive side of the ball, Mark exclusively played safety for the Hawks. He was really impressive playing as a free safety in a Cover 1 look - Mark has incredible speed and coverage skills when he is able to read the quarterback's eyes and react without any hesitation. Mark also did a good job in coming up and supporting the run, something natural for him with his linebacker experience. His head Coach, Beady Waddell, believes he is the best player in the Charlotte area. We spoke with Mark after the game: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829941558231044467?t=JX1hDz6gcmuDUE_mzx6Ewg&amp;s=19">https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829941558231044467?t=JX1hDz6gcmuDUE_mzx6Ewg&amp;s=19</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cam Gibson - DL - West Meck - At 6'4 and 290 pounds, Cam had a strong game controlling the middle of the defensive line. He consistently had penetration which disrupted Rocky River's run game and forced them to become more pass heavy in their offensive attack. I liked his burst off the ball and strength Cam exhibited when controlling his assigned gap. Cam also showed good hand usage to shed blocks and put pressure on the quarterback in the passing game. We were able to speak with him after the game as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829947211100103024?t=NAbyRPIFOHNQgHSiVo0afQ&amp;s=19">https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1829947211100103024?t=NAbyRPIFOHNQgHSiVo0afQ&amp;s=19</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marcus Myers - DB - West Meck - I thought Marcus had a good overall game for the Hawks. Marcus had a crucial interception deep in their territory to shut down a Ravens drive that was headed for the end zone. On that play, Marcus showed good ball skills and positioned his body well to shield the receiver and grab the ball at its highest point. I also thought Marcus showed good speed and didn't panic while playing most of the game on an island in man coverage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Julian Platt - LB - Rocky River - Julian showed excellent ability in stopping the running game of the Hawks. Out of the Hawks 32 points, 21 of them came via special teams, reflecting how well of a job the Ravens defense played throughout the game overall. Julian took food angles and tackles well on the Hawk ball carriers during the contest. Julian also helped out some on the Ravens offense, catching a pass to convert an important 3rd down play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jahki Harris - DL - Rocky RIver - The Class of 2027 prospect has some great size and showed some good ability in both stopping the run and rushing the passer. Jakhi showed some good ability in using his hands to shed blocks and slow down the perimeter run game from his defensive end position. I also liked Jahki using his strength and motor to beat an offensive tackle in pass protection and get a quarterback sack - on that play, Jahki was able to get his hands on the tackle first, and simply push him back into the pocket before ripping through his outside shoulder and getting to the quarterback. He will be a player I will keep a close eye on to see his continued development. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->