Prime Time Performers: Ensworth vs. McCallie

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Blue Tornado flexed their muscles Friday evening in their commanding road win over Ensworth where they received strong play from their top players while others contributed to cause, pushing McCallie back into the D2-Class AAA championship game. </h2>     Culture, physicality and great defensive play has McCallie back in the D2-Class AAA title game after a commanding road victory over previously underrated Ensworth, 31-7.    The offense had something to say in this win as well but the physical play up front along with coming up big in key moments led the Blue Tornado past the Tigers. It was an overall impressive performance from the road team and possibly one of their better offensive showings of the year.    Their run game was established early with [player_tooltip player_id='892340' first='Keylan' last='Syam'] pounding his way through the Ensworth D-line and it led to some big plays in the 2nd half that broke the game open towards the win.    The Blue Tornado defense was stellar in this game as they harassed [player_tooltip player_id='1153810' first='Taylor' last='Hasselbeck'] for most of the night while receiving strong play on the back end from their secondary. Safety [player_tooltip player_id='219372' first='Carson' last='Lawrence'] produced possibly the biggest play of the game with his 3rd quarter pick six that basically put the game on ice.    McCallie was clearly the better team in this matchup but I see a bright future from Ensworth, especially with a good coaching staff in-place. The Blue Tornado will return to the D2-Class AAA title game to defend last year's championship against a familiar opponent in Baylor.    Top Performer    It doesn't matter what Syam's final stats might look like because he was the X-factor in this matchup that pushed his Blue Tornado team to the D2-Class AAA title game. McCallie made it a point in the 1st half to use Syam and the offensive line to establish their will and it worked as the senior back consistently plowed over the Ensworth defense. His physical running style wore down the Tigers defense where in the 2nd half, the McCallie offense began to pop for big plays and move the ball however they needed. That was able to be done due to the performance from Syam.    - - - - - - - - - -   Three Stars    On multiple occasions throughout the game, Lawrence flashed his massive college football potential and why he is a Prep Redzone Tennessee Top 10 prospect. This future Vanderbilt safety produced several big catches at wide receiver but broke the Tigers back in the 3rd quarter with a pick six that pretty much sealed the win. His size, range and natural feel for finding the ball are impressive traits about this 6 '2 defensive back and why he is one of the best prospects in the state. He used those traits and more to help get his Blue Tornado back into the D2-Class AAA championship.    - - -    Some in attendance covering this game may not have seen the same thing I did but I thought Smith was an impactful performer for his Tigers team and showed why he has strong potential for the next level. Even with the loss, this future MTSU linebacker kept his motor on high, making several at or behind the line tackles while also producing some of the biggest plays of the night on offense. Smith hauled in a deep pass right before to put his team in position to score then took over running the ball in the 2nd half where his physicality made a difference. This guy was a warrior in defeat but showed why he is a top ten ranked in-state linebacker.    - - -    This junior linebacker had one of his best games of his career to date where Abercrombie was all over the field and a key force behind McCallie's strong defensive performance and victory. The Tigers offensive line had a hard time staying in front of Abercrombie due to his quickness off the ball and his pursuit towards the backfield. The Blue Tornado junior also showed outstanding closing speed and range along with the ability to drop into coverage. His stock certainly rose on this night. Abercrombie is a talented young man that is still coming into his own with his best football days ahead of him.    - - - - -   Helmet Stickers   ‘26 (WR) [player_tooltip player_id='986024' first='Keeyshawn' last='Tabuteau'] - McCallie: This Canadian native didn't have the ball in his hands too many times in the team's 31-7 win but when it was, Tabuteau created positive gains, including a clutch touchdown reception in the 3rd quarter. A smooth runner with quick feet, Tabuteau produced out wide but several runs in the backfield were key in this matchup as they moved the chains to pick up first downs.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/20241122_204932.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1565213" style="width:368px;height:auto" /></figure>   ‘26 (S) [player_tooltip player_id='492562' first='Justin' last='Hopkins'] - Ensworth: Hopkins was a big contributor for his Tigers team on both sides of the ball where his outstanding athleticism flashed on several occasions. The biggest thing that stood out to me was his range and ability to close fast on the ball. Hopkins is a quick footed guy that reads the play well. He was a fearless competitor in this semifinal loss, showing why he is a highly regarded football recruit that still has room to grow with body and game.    (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1545797' first='Philippe' last='Robert'] - McCallie   - One of the more underrated senior prospects in this state is Robert and he showed why that's the case throughout his team's win on Friday night. Without having the official stats, this senior linebacker had to lead his team in tackles because Robert was around the ball all night long while laying some powerful hits. Robert is a physical ball player that has a nose for the ball and he used those instincts to become a force against the Tigers run game Friday night. After watching Robert, I truly think he is one of the more underrated prospects coming out of the #TN2025 class.    (S) [player_tooltip player_id='1128449' first='Sean' last='Couvertiere'] - McCallie   - One of the more physical competitors in the Blue Tornado 31-7 win over Ensworth was this senior safety that laid some big hits on the night while displaying good playing speed. Couvertiere showed a senior mentality on Friday night as he played like it would be last, giving everything he had and putting his body on the line. There were several times where Couvertiere came up from his safety position to make key stops against the Tigers run game and stall their drives. This was one of the best performances I've seen to date from this Chattanooga area defender.    ‘26 (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='212419' first='Cooper' last='Gentle'] - McCallie   - This dude is a thumper! Built like a house, Gentle imposed his physical will throughout the team's road win where he was a force against the run while providing the occasional pass rush. His energy was infectious and his physical play set the standard early in this contest. Gentle is a true football player that does a lot of things right and keeps his motor high until the final whistle. It will be interesting to see how his recruitment goes over the next year as I see a lot of team value with Gentle.    (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='219426' first='Sam' last='Haley'] - Ensworth   - During his team's defeat on Friday night, Haley did just about anything he could to help his team succeed, including taking snaps on offense at running back where he produced a few big runs. This guy is a good athlete that runs well along with sporting high football intelligence and an active motor that doesn't stop. Watching Haley perform in person for a few years now, I expect him to have a strong career during his time at TCU and possibly push for a spot beyond the college game with further development.    (DT) [player_tooltip player_id='1222988' first='Etison' last='Pholo'] - McCallie   - Ensworth had a hard time establishing the run game, especially through the middle where this senior D-lineman plugged up holes, using his athleticism and size to make plays on the ball. Getting the chance to see Pholo for the 1st time in person, he certainly looks the part with room to develop his body further on the next level. This is a big guy that does provide versatility to the line as Pholo could play some nose, the 3-tech or even slide outside to defensive end. His play in the trenches was a key force on Friday night that will be needed again in two weeks versus Baylor.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/20241122_210509-crop-3226x2118-1732380364.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1565215" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure>