Kirkwood vs. Marquette: Defensive Top Performers

As we get deeper into the month of October, we have had a very exciting season of high school football in Missouri so far. This past Friday, I had the opportunity to head out to Kirkwood High School for their matchup against Marquette. While both teams showed promise, Kirkwood was able to pull away in the end for an impressive 52-21 win. Although there was a ton of talent on display on both teams, some players stood out above the rest. With the offensive side of the ball already being covered, here are my defensive top performers from Friday's game.    Carson Lindquist is a player who jumped onto my radar with a very impressive game on Friday. He lined up at inside linebacker where he was very reliable against the run, showing the ability to read his keys then flow to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackle. Lindquist finished the game with eight tackles. He also showed the ability to put pressure on the quarterback as a blitzer, finishing the game with two sacks. Carson currently holds an offer from Southwest Baptist and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play at the next level.     Tafari Staples is another Kirkwood defensive player that stood out on Friday. Staples lined up at defensive end where he was able to cause disruption as a pass rusher. He showed the ability to use an impressive combination of strength and speed to blow by opposing offensive linemen to get into the pocket. Staples also showed the ability to stop the run, finishing the game with three tackles. He also made an impact on special teams on Friday with a blocked punt. Tafari doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to continue to watch this season.     Jorden Henry is a young prospect who caught my attention on Friday. Henry lines up on the outside at corner where he is very reliable in man coverage. He does a great job of opening up and running with receivers to mirror their routes then reacting to the ball with perfect timing to make a play when it is thrown his way. Henry finished the game with one interception. Jorden also made a big impact on special team with two kickoff returns for 99 yards. Henry doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.     Another Kirkwood defensive back who stood out to me on Friday was Tommy Steuby. Tommy lined up at safety where he was very reliable against the run, showing the ability to read the play then come downhill and fill the lane to make tackles in the open field. He also showed the ability to make plays in pass coverage, coming away with one interception. Steuby also recovered a fumble in Friday's game. Tommy doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to watch during his senior season.     [player_tooltip player_id='328110' first='Donovan' last='Fitzmaurice'] is a player who has been high on our radar for a while now and continued to impress on Friday. Despite the loss, Fitzmaurice caused a ton of disruption in the backfield from defensive tackle. He explodes out of his stance and uses his strength to fight through blocks and speed to get to the ball carrier in a hurry to make the tackler before they can get going. Fitzmaurice also showed the ability to bull rush straight through opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher and get to the quarterback. Donovan currently holds multiple Division I offers and I expect more to come his way as he is a very talented prospect.     My final defensive top performer from Friday's game is Nolan Kuchnicki. Nolan lined up at linebacker where he was very impressive against the run. He did a great job of reading his keys quickly then fighting through blocks on his way to the ball carrier. Kuchnicki was able to use his speed to fly all over the field to get to the ball carrier and showed that he is a very reliable tackler in the open field once he got there. Nolan currently holds an offer from Beloit College and I expect more to come his way as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.

As we get deeper into the month of October, we have had a very exciting season of high school football in Missouri so far. This past Friday, I had the opportunity to head out to Kirkwood High School for their matchup against Marquette. While both teams showed promise, Kirkwood was able to pull away in the end for an impressive 52-21 win. Although there was a ton of talent on display on both teams, some players stood out above the rest. With the offensive side of the ball already being covered, here are my defensive top performers from Friday's game.