West Tenn. All-Star Game – North Team Linebacker Headliners

In a memorable Centennial Bank West Tennessee Middle School All-Star Game this past weekend at West Carroll High School, the North Team out-slugged the South Team 18-16. There were a bunch of memorable plays on both sides, but the North Team came from behind to claim the title. Nonetheless, here are the standout Defensive Back and Linebackers from the North Team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Linebacker</h2>    On top of being the obvious Bell Cow back on offense, Boyd also showed his ability as an Outside Linebacker throughout the game. A starter on both sides of the ball, the Union City product did not get cheated on his playing time in the Centennial Bank West Tennessee All-Star Game. He's a prospect we've covered several times on PRZ Next over the last few months and it's easy to see why. While I truly think his future is at the Running Back position, he showed everyone how menacing he can be on the defensive side of the ball. On third down of the South Team's opening possession, he ripped the ball loose and it resulted in a fumble recovery by his teammate, Trenton Rosenwald's Roman Holbrook. Boyd continued to stay active during the tilt, making numerous plays in the backfield to help the North Team keep the South Team in check, before a big fourth quarter allowed the North to win.     Another prospect who didn't get the start on either side of the ball, but quickly stood out to me, was McKenzie's [player_tooltip player_id='1550518' first='Dawson' last='Reeder']. While Reeder was a focal point as both a Running Back and Linebacker during the season for the 8-0 Rebels, he planted his flag as a Middle Linebacker prospect in the Centennial Bank West Tennessee All-Star Game, accounting for 2.5 tackles on three straight plays late in the first quarter. Reeder's read and react skills continued to stay sharp into the second quarter, making a number of impressive plays out in space that could have been trouble if he wasn't a sure-tackler. Come the second half, Reeder stayed diligent and started the third quarter off with a textbook blitz and tackle for a four-yard loss on the first play, wrapping up eventual South MVP [player_tooltip player_id='1556481' first='Ayden' last='Kizer']. He put an exclamation point on his day with a pair of tackles on the South Team's final drive, fortifying the defensive team's 18-16 come from behind victory.     While Trenton Rosenwald Academy's [player_tooltip player_id='1550511' first='Destin' last='Wells'] wasn't a starter on either side of the ball for the North Team, it didn't take long for the Linebacker/Athlete to make his presence felt. On the North Team's fourth defensive series, Wells came up with tackles on back-to-back plays to make the South second-guess their movements...before they ultimately scored to take an 8-6 lead, late in the first quarter. He again made a highlight play in the third quarter after the South Team's Easton Hensley made a few defenders miss on a quick pass, before a big shot from Wells made him pay. He finished up his strong defensive performance with a pair of tackles on the South Team's last drive of the game, helping his team hold on to the 18-16 lead. Not to be forgotten, on the other side of the ball as a Wide Receiver, Wells became a favorite target of North Team Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1556491' first='Will' last='Dodds'] in the fading seconds of the first half, picking up 18 yards on back-to-back receptions.     Dresden Middle School coaches are on record saying that Jackson is/was, "a stud" and "the leader of the defense" for this 2024 season. While Jackson and Dresden came up short in the Reelfoot Conference Championship Game, Jackson did a very solid job in the Centennial Bank West Tennessee All-Star Game. Highlighted by a fantastic read and tackle for loss with just over 2:00 min left in the opening quarter, Jackson was a mainstay on the defense. His solid play wasn't limited it to the first half, as the thick Middle Linebacker made several stops where he wasted little time getting down hill and putting his nose in the chest of the ball carrier. For good measure, Jackson also started at Right Guard on offense, but did take some reps at Offensive Tackle as well.     Starting at the opposite Outside Linebacker from his regular season [player_tooltip player_id='1412191' first='BJ' last='Boyd'], Union City Caden Lecornu had a busy game. As mentioned Lecornu started at Outside Linebacker, but moved to Inside Linebacker when some of the second string came into the game. In the second quarter, Lecornu had to adjust his style of play again, when the North Team went from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 front--which ultimately resulted in him pouncing on a bad snap and recovering a fumble later in the first half. On top of all the moving around and responsibilities on the defensive side of the ball, Lecornu also got plentiful burn and touches as a Running Back throughout the game.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"></h2>

In a memorable Centennial Bank West Tennessee Middle School All-Star Game this past weekend at West Carroll High School, the North Team out-slugged the South Team 18-16. There were a bunch of memorable plays on both sides, but the North Team came from behind to claim the title. Nonetheless, here are the standout Defensive Back and Linebackers from the North Team.