Dominance Defined: Week 5's Ballers

Today I will be diving deep into some of the performances in week 5. Each of these players defined dominance in their respective game. I wanted to include some names that aren't as well known. Let's dive into it.    Riehl had his best game of the season against Palmer Ridge. The 6'1 160-pound senior threw for 28/34 for 319 yards with 4 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and an 82.4% completion rate. On the ground, he rushed 11 times for 133 yards and 1 touchdown. Bryce has very good athletic ability due to very good change of direction, balance, good speed, and good acceleration. Riehl has good accuracy at all 3 levels, excelling at medium. Very good ball placement skills. On the money or in stride. Riehl stays poised under pressure. He will go through his progressions, and if no one is open, he'll burn the defense with his feet. This game showed his ability to evade sacks. He uses his strong legs and very good balance to stay up. He shed a sack, rolled out right and burned the defense for a big gain. Another instance where he spun out of being sacked, and turned it into a 10-yard rush. Riehl deserves more eyes on him, as he's thrown for 1105 yards, 14 tds, 2 int, and a 73.5% completion rate through 5 games. Give him a look!!     Tesen is continuing his dominating linebacker streak. He has gone over 10 total tackles in each game with this one being no different. The 5'10 175-pound senior had 13 total tackles (6 solo, 7 assisted) with 2 TFL. Tesen is a force in the middle. He's got good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, balance, good speed, and change of direction. Tesen uses his good mental processing to identify which gaps to rush leading to a TFL. Good blitzer. Tesen initiates contact first with the OL, then uses a powerful bull rush to knock them around. He also uses his hands to swat away their arms. He's a patient and good tackler. Not getting overzealous and jumping it, while tackling towards the center of gravity. Tesen has very good strength, and it's evident throughout his game. He uses it to overpower the OL, or lays the boom on unsuspecting ball carriers. I'm excited to see how the senior continues his defensive dominance through the rest of his games.     Louis had a monster game against Pueblo West. The 5'9 200-pound senior had a season high 15 total tackles (11 solo, 4 assisted) with 1 sack. Louis was using his very good athletic ability to patrol the field. He has very good acceleration, speed, and change of direction. One instance was he ran downfield after the RB, ended up outrunning him and tackled him. He's very shifty, using dynamic cuts to completely change direction. Louis is a very good run stopper. By watching the QB, he ID whether it's a run/pass. He runs with a head full of steam, and lays the boom on the ball carrier. It was a phenomenal performance out of Louis, and he deserves more eyes on him as the season progresses.     Mangrum showed off his athleticism against Palmer Ridge. The athlete went 3/4 for 56 yards 1 TD, 8 carries for 147 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 reception for 9 yards. Mangrum has very good athletic ability due to elite acceleration, very good speed, and change of direction. Once the ball was in his hands, he used his homerun speed to blaze past the 2nd and 3rd level into the endzone. Mangrum is an angry runner, running with a chip on his shoulder. He has very good vision to identify the holes, and exploit them. He's only a sophomore and is already showing how versatile of player he is. More teams need to keep an eye on Mangrum.     Rogers notched another stellar game under his belt. The 6'3 receiver had 11 receptions for 105 yards and 1 touchdown. Rogers has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, speed, change of direction, and good jumping. Rogers has very good mental processing. For example, he faked out the DB by starting an out route, then switched to the go route for a big catch). When his QB is in scramble drill, he looks back for the easy completion. He has good separation quickness due to his athletic ability and out running the DB, or using his mental processing. Rogers is a very fluid route runner, and his comeback routes look very smooth. Rogers uses his length and strong hands to pluck the ball out of the air, and holds onto it while being contacted. He's a fantastic receiver, and more teams need to be looking his way.     Huckstep is a large defensive back measuring in at 6'4 165 pounds. Against Doherty, he had 13 total tackles (11 solo, 2 assisted) and 1 forced fumble. Huckstep has good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, good speed, change of direction, and jumping. He was consistently all over the field. Showing his good competitive toughness by helping his teammates finish up tackles. An aspect of his game that stood out to me, was how patient he was against the run. He'd come down from his zone and watch the RB's moves. Not being reactionary. Huckstep is a hard hitter, and lays the boom on the ball carrier. Huckstep is a good tackler. He tackles towards the center of gravity. His speed and size intrigues me, as it's uncommon for a safety to be 6'4.     Fox put on a behemoth of a game against Pine Creek. The 5'11 175-pound junior had 21 carries for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns. Man did he put on a show. Fox has elite athletic ability due to elite speed, acceleration, change of direction, balance, and lateral agility. I've never given elite in all categories before. He is a gamebreaker. His ability to accelerate, then decelerate is uncanny. Fox uses his elite vision to identify which holes to run through. If there isn't a lot of space, he uses his very dynamic cuts to make defenders miss at the LOS, or pivot into a different hole. Fox uses his powerful legs to drive through the defense, not giving up on the play. It takes multiple defenders to take him down. Fox burns the defense in different ways. He will use his elite change of direction to break ankles or use a nasty stiff arm to throw the defender on the ground. He uses his home run speed to blaze past the 2nd and 3rd level of the defense. He always looks like the fastest guy on the field. He is only a junior, however I wouldn't be surprised if colleges were knocking down his door to get him on their team.     Kasayka showed his defensive dominance against Sierra. The 6'4 195-pound TE/DE out of Air Academy had 9 total tackles (1 solo, 8 assisted), 4 TFL, and 2 sacks. He was a force to reckoned with on the field. As a TE, man can this kid block. He is a very good blocker. Using a low pad level to out leverage the defensive line. He uses his very good hand placement to control and steer the defender away. Kasayka can shove people back 5-10 yards with ease on blocking. He brings these skills onto the defensive side. Good acceleration out of his stance, engaging with the OL first. He has very good hand strength, and moves the OL with ease. One play he went unblocked for a TFL, the other he just pushed through the guy. I fell in love with Kasayka's blocking, and I believe colleges will too.

Today I will be diving deep into some of the performances in week 5. Each of these players defined dominance in their respective game. I wanted to include some names that aren't as well known. Let's dive into it.