West Tenn. All-Star Game – North Team Linemen/Skill 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 Offensive/Defensive Linemen and Tight Ends from the North Team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Linemen</h2>    The starting Center for the North Team, it all started up front with [player_tooltip player_id='1550454' first='Peyton' last='Johnson']. Blessed with what appeared to be pretty good size, he had a tough task in front of him with all 6-foot-2 and 280-pounds of Inman Middle School's Desius McLucas and Henderson County's [player_tooltip player_id='1549635' first='Logan' last='Dunavant'] across from him--but he did a very commendable job on the day. While both opposing South big men did have a strong game, it didn't shouldn't take away from the job Johnson did. He was strong at the point of contact and did a great job of getting his hips and back to the presumed hole.     Based off what I watched of Vitale during the regular season, I came into the Centennial Bank West Tennessee All-Star Game liking him as an Offensive Lineman. However, after earning the starting nod as a Defensive Tackle in the game, he impressed me here too. On one play early in the second quarter in particularly, he stopped South Quarterback Jacob Duck dead in his tracks on an RPO, prompting the announcers to say that, "Duck ran into a brick wall"--the brick wall was Vitale. Vitale also nearly had a sack on the final play of the opening half, as his pressure caused and incomplete pass.     While Baker wasn't a kid who initially jumped out at me during pre-game warmup or even in the early stages of game action, Baker did a decent job as the game played out--but it wasn't perfect, as the line as a whole struggled picking up blitzes. Baker was a shorter, squatty prospect who got the start at Left Guard for the North Team. On arguably the most impressive play I saw him make all day, Baker stood up a blitzing South Team Middle Linebacker and proceeded to drive him backwards seven yards before pancaking him into the ground.     It took a little while and a bit of a minor position change/adjustment of responsibilities, but [player_tooltip player_id='1551113' first='Jakobe' last='Clay'] came on strong late in the second quarter. While he didn't register an official stat, he looked really good when rushing the Quarterback. After originally entering the game as a true Outside Linebacker, he lit up when getting an opportunity to pin his ears back and get after the Quarterback as more of an Edge/Defensive End. Based off what I saw out of Clay in this Centennial Bank West Tennessee Middle School All-Star Game, I think the upside is nearly as big as his wingspan. He passed the eye test right away and firmly believe, he's just starting to scratch the surface of what he could become.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wide Receiver/Defensive Back</h2>    A starter on both sides of the ball, Gallup was a consistent thorn in the side of the South All-Stars, from the opening whistle to the last whistle. On the North's second possession of the game, Gallup caught a perfectly-placed ball from QB [player_tooltip player_id='1556491' first='Will' last='Dodds'] and it resulted in a 75-yard TD catch and run, just two offensive plays and 1:20 into the ball game. Gallup's big offensive output wasn't limited to just the early touchdown. Late in the third quarter, he would again notch a big gainer as he out-jumped a smaller Cornerback and raced downfield to the South's 8-yard line for an 80-yard catch and run off the pass from [player_tooltip player_id='1550283' first='Parker' last='Ross']. With a 15-yard horse collar tacked on, Gallup's play brought the North team up to the 4-yard line. He would go on to be be rewarded as the scoreboard flipped to the fourth quarter when Ross and Gallup connected again, to cut into the South lead and make the score 16-12. He put an exclamation point on his game of big plays as the midway point of the fourth quarter approached, when he brought in a 37-yard reception that led to the eventual game-winning score for the North.     Crockett County Middle School's Jeremiah Young wasn't a starter on either side of the ball but proved his worth as both a Wide Receiver and Defensive Back, for the North Team. He first struck on the South Team's second possession of the game, when he came up from his Cornerback position on a third down play and made a solid tackle for a loss resulting in the South Team to punt. Young would also be a factor on the offensive side of the ball, as he appeared to get open a few times late in the first half, before ultimately making a tough catch on the last play of the first half. Young emerged again with his team trailing near the halfway point of the fourth quarter, after taking catching a quick pass from [player_tooltip player_id='1550283' first='Parker' last='Ross'] and picking up 11 yards.     Aside from entering the game as an Outside Linebacker when the North Team switched to a 3-4 front from the 4-3 they started the game in and entering as a Wide Receiver with 2:31 left in the second quarter, I didn't have a single note on Guyton. That is, until the Wide Receiver brought down the game-winning 26-yard touchdown reception from the right arm of [player_tooltip player_id='1550283' first='Parker' last='Ross'] with 3:51 left in the fourth quarter. Lined up wide on the outside of a four-receiver, single-back set, he screamed up field and caught the ball in a crowd to help put the North Team up 18-16.

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 Offensive/Defensive Linemen and Tight Ends from the North Team.