Prospect Spotlight: Week 5's Hidden Treasures

Week 5 was full of fantastic performances. Today I wanted to shed a light on some players flying under the radar. There are tons of underrated gems throughout Colorado. This article will be showcasing 8 players that deserve more eyes on their play.    Petree had a nice outing against Cherry Creek. The RB/LB had a total of 16 carries for 74 yards and 1 touchdown with 4 total tackles. He measures in at 5'10 210-pounds. Petree was consistently thumping against the defense, eating away with each yard. Petree used his good athletic ability to create quick cuts making defenders miss, looks like he is bouncing off the OL. Petree is a bruiser. He puts his shoulder pads down and runs through defenders. When multiple defenders are tackling him, he uses his powerful legs to push forward. A play that stood out to me was his direct snap TD. He leaped over both teams into the endzone. Good performance from the junior, against a stout Cherry Creek defense.     Graver had a nice performance against Cherry Creek. The 5'8 160-pound linebacker had 6 total tackles (2 solo, 4 assisted), 1 TFL, and 1 sack. Graver used his good athletic ability to get off the edge quickly and into the backfield. He used a low pad level to knock the OL off their feet, gaining an extra advantage. Graver used his good mental processing to watch the QB's eyes putting himself in a position to be successful. I'm looking forward on seeing more from Graver, as he had a nice night against one of the top schools in the state.     Next on our list is [player_tooltip player_id='283698' first='Cameron' last='Tertulien']. Tertulien had 12 total tackles (8 solo, 4 assisted) against Palmer Ridge. The 6'0 185-pound linebacker was all over the field making plays. He showed his good competitive toughness by helping teammates finish tackles, as well as playing through the whistle. Tertulien has good athletic ability due to good speed, acceleration, and change of direction. He's a good run stopper, stopping them in their tracks. Cameron's a hard-hitting linebacker who lays the boom on the ball carrier. An aspect of his game that is overlooked is his block shedding. He's a very good block shedder and uses a mixture of strength and speed to get off the block. Look out for Tertulien as he's a name to know going forward.     Ledbetter had a good outing Friday evening. The sophomore measures in at 5'11 175 pounds, and had 21 carries for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns against Kit Carson. Ledbetter has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, good acceleration, and change of direction. Using his good vision, he hits the hole with ferocity, and with a burst of acceleration. He creates contact first, putting his shoulder down to truck though the defender. Ledbetter uses his home run speed to blaze past the defenders. Watch out for Ledbetter. He's only a sophomore with tons more to grow!     Irwin had a fantastic game against Cheraw. The 6'5 185-pound receiver had 5 catches for 127 yards. On the defensive side, he had 9 total tackles (7 solo, 2 assisted). Josiah has good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, good speed, and good jumping. Irwin also has a good release. He used his physicality at the line of scrimmage to beat the press jam, getting open for the easy catch. He creates separation through his athletic ability and physicality. He won't shy away from contact, and will get physical during the route. Irwin uses his big frame and lengthy arms to pluck the ball out of the air. I'm excited to see more of what this dynamic playmaker has in store.     McFarland is continuing to put up numbers. He has 3 games of over 100+ yards, and this game was no different. He had 8 carries for 100 yards and 1 touchdown against Pueblo West. Measuring in at 6'0 205 pounds, the senior back was difficult to tackle on the defense. Each time he carried the ball, he was taking big chunks out from underneath the defense. He used his good mental processing and good vision to identify which holes to run through. He hits the hole with a tenacity to him. He's a bruising running back, with it taking multiple defenders to bring him down. Great performance by the senior who capitalized on each carry.     Evans had a big game for the Sand Creek Scorpions. The 5'10 170-pound junior had 8 carries for 122 yards and 1 touchdown. Evans has very good athletic ability due to very good speed, acceleration, and good change of direction. Good mental processing too. He'll identify the hole and bulldoze through it. Using his good change of direction, Evans will utilize dynamic cuts to make the defenders miss. He jukes them out, then uses his home run speed to blaze past the 2nd level into the secondary. I was impressed with Evans' shiftiness and how it looked like he was gliding on the field.     Valenzuela has been having a good year so far. He continued that against the Air Academy, accounting for 13 total tackles (7 solo, 6 assisted). The MLB measures in at 5'7 183 pounds. He has good athletic ability due to good speed, and acceleration. Valenzuela was everywhere on the field. Valenzuela showcased his very good competitive toughness throughout the game. He was consistently helping his teammates finish tackles, or ran to the opposite side of the field to make the play. Ruben watched the QB's eyes which led him to a tackle. He'd put himself in a position to succeed. He's a good run stopper, who plugs up the gaps. Due to his athletic ability, he can go out in zone coverage to cover TEs.

Week 5 was full of fantastic performances. Today I wanted to shed a light on some players flying under the radar. There are tons of underrated gems throughout Colorado. This article will be showcasing 8 players that deserve more eyes on their play.