Hudsonville Scouting Report (vs. Howell)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you had told me pre-season that Hudsonville would win the OAA Red and be favorites to get to Ford Field, I wouldn't have believed it. After an absolutely dominant win over red-hot Howell, I strongly believe that Hudsonville is the favorite to defeat Rochester Adams this Saturday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For now, here are my evaluations of five Hudsonville players that stood out to me. A lot of underrated talent, and I hope these players get more recognition moving forward! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1290565"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1559807,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67392e24373fb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Griffin played out of his mind against Howell. I haven't followed his whole career, but I'd say this was Griffin's best game of his entire career. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He ran the offense to perfection. Passing the ball, Griffin got the ball out quickly when he could. As long as the pocket was clean, Griffin stood strong, scanned the field, and ripped the ball to his receivers. He completed a lot of quick screens, slants, other routes over the middle of the field. Griffin was also excellent when the play broke down, and on 3rd down. There were several instances where Griffin was forced to leave the pocket, where he'd usually either find a receiver on the run or rush the ball himself. When running the ball, Griffin was extremely slippery against a Howell defense that just couldn't tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't see any offers listed on his Twitter. At the very least, Griffin deserves D3 offers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1559805,"width":"410px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/IMG_7665.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1559805" style="width:410px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1291326"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67392e243730c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Connor's experience defending against Wing-T offenses showed up in a big way on Saturday. He played out of his mind against Howell, reacting exceptionally fast to every run and filling his lanes incredibly well. Not only was Connor aggressive, but he was also an excellent tackler. I watched Connor wrap up the RB and then proceed to drag him backward, not allowing the RB to earn any extra yards by falling forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the best game I've ever seen from Connor. He played smart, aggressive, and confident. I am extremely interested in seeing how Connor performs against another run-heavy team in Rochester Adams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["824330"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67392e2437608"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Dykstra has put in so much work over the years, and I'm so happy to see it paying off. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's WR1 for Hudsonville; no question about it. First off, Carson has an excellent release and consistently great route running. He knows how to get out of press coverage, and he knows how to earn separation with great footwork on all of his routes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carson is also ever-improving after the catch. He earns a lot of targets over the middle of the field and does a solid job of trying to evade tackles via jukes, stutter-steps, etc. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carson is not the most gifted athlete, but he's made up for it with extremely consistent work over the years. For most of his career, I viewed him as a Division 3 prospect. Now, he's getting into D2 territory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1316941"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1510096,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67392e2437495"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Man- Cooper (G) played an excellent game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched him for one late-game drive, and he didn't miss a block. In fact, he dominated. There was one pull in particular that blew me away. Cooper got out of his stance and pulled over to his gap faster than I've seen from anyone this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the game, Cooper earned several pancakes. Everything from his footwork to power are pretty impressive. If only he was a little taller, he'd be a GLIAC prospect no problem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> I hope to see Cooper again at Ford Field! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1510096,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ferris Eldred","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Hudsonville","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67392e2437595"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Not having Ferris ranked is a crime by me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ferris is a long-overlooked prospect, my fault completely. In-game, he's a monster. Ferris faced off against some excellent DE/EDGE players and consistently stonewalled them in the pass game and moved them in the run game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like all of Hudsonville's O-Line, Ferris had great footwork, hand placement, and overall power. One last thing- Ferris is a good leader. He's pretty vocal, and provides some energy to the team. As long as Ferris is playing, I think Hudsonville has an excellent shot to win a State Championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->