Under The Radar Ballers in Ohio Pt 2

Big Walnut pulled off the biggest upset of the season last Friday night as they knocked off defending state champion Massillon Washington 14-7. Stover is a big part of a stout Golden Eagles defense that held a strong Tigers offense to only 7 points. At 6'2 195 pounds Stover shows off a great frame with room to add good weight. He's an explosive downhill player in the run game and as a blitzer in the pass game. He's comfortable in space as he shows good hips and change of direction movement skills. He has the blood line of a big-time player as big brother Garrett is a freshman linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes. His cousin Cade is a former Ohio State Buckeye and current TE for the Houston Texans.     Gay is an outside corner who fits well in a man-to-man scheme. Gay is an uber athletic corner with excellent long speed. He's comfortable in press or off man coverage. He uses his hands and mirrors well early in the route. He does a great job of attacking the ball and batting it down. Na'Cari has the long speed and loose hips to turn and run with most any receiver and take away any deep route. I would expect that Gay's recruitment would take off this offseason.     Branch is a player who's been on our radar since his freshman season. That being said he's flown under the recruiting radar as far as offers go. He put together a strong junior season tallying 79 tackles, 7 sacks, and 18 TFL's. Branch was moved all over the defensive line in a 2-point stance to rush the quarterback and be a disruptor. From the standup rush Branch is able to use his strength to bull rush. He also has the athleticism dip and bend to beat blockers on his way into the backfield. Branch should get a lot of attention this offseason.     Roney is a fun watch on film. He has a versatile skillset as a cornerback. Playing press man coverage, he's physical at the point of attack and plays with heavy hands. On one play in his film, he jams the receiver and then drives him all the way out of bounds. Amar'e is also comfortable playing and covering in space. In the run game he loves to come up and stick the runner. He is a form tackler who has the ability to make the big hit. I'd expect that Roney will start to garner a lot of recruiting attention starting this offseason.     Schroeder is a talented young cornerback from Olentangy Orange high school. For a sophomore he's a patient in his backpedal and has fluid hips to turn and run with receivers. He has a strong break on the football. You see this on a few plays where he breaks hard and jumps the receiver's route for either the interception or PBU. For a sophomore cornerback playing in a strong big school conference like the Ohio Capital Conference, Schroeder displays a ton of confidence. He's also a willing tackler in run support. Treyton has a very bright future ahead of him.     Bell is a long and athletic defensive back for the Lions. He has the versatility to line up both in the box and single high. Bell has the athleticism to defend in man coverage and the comfort and instincts to play in zone coverage. Though you see a little bit of tentativeness sometimes in trusting his eyes, you definitely see flashes of his athleticism and ability to break the ball and make plays. As he gets more experience and more reps, he'll get the confidence to trust his eyes and play to the speed he's capable of.