Fab 50 Breakdown: Defensive Backs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two corners, one hybrid and one true safety.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's it. All we picked for the 2024 Fab 50 squad.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The reason was clear. These four players set the bar so high that we knew if we didn't cut it off, the next tier was jammed. That's not an insult to any the others we considered. Rather, it was the ultimate compliment to our four selections.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Corner [player_tooltip player_id='390438' first='Ramani' last='Bruton'] and safeties [player_tooltip player_id='272699' first='Da'Marion' last='Coe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions'] further cemented their own legacies in their own way in their final seasons of high school ball. And sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1283361' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson'] proved he might very well be the gold standard for the next two seasons moving forward.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What each of them did gave us every reason to include them. Let's show and tell you what made them so special. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='390438' first='Ramani' last='Bruton']</strong> JL Mann | By the time the playoffs started, Bruton had obliterated the pass-break-up figures he had as a junior that helped him make this squad then, too. As a junior at nearby Greenville, Bruton's five picks and three PBUs were huge for his team's postseason run. In 2024, he found ways to reinvent himself. His interceptions dropped as teams new better than to throw his direction. However, he quickly found himself shifting gears into more of a supporting role where he grabbed influence. It's how he broke up 23 passes as a senior for a team that won 10 games in his one and only year in its jersey.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16056913/672d059c742f7fc527269a8d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676e49373bbdd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1283361' first='Jaylon' last='Richardson']</strong> Catawba Ridge | The lone sophomore among any of our defensive selections, Richardson made the cut not because of his one pick, eight pass break-ups, one blocked field goal or 23 tackles, but how much he cut down on what the rest of the Catawba Ridge defense had to worry about on a snap-to-snap basis. When teams did decide to challenge him, they usually found little to no pay dirt. And while being charged with covering opponents' top receivers, Richardson's effectiveness on the island had a lot to do with the Copperheads going from one victory in 2023 to eight in 2024.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19797548/672baf21866dd4a803dfe96d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676e49373bc33"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272699' first='Da'Marion' last='Coe']</strong> Hartsville | Fab 50 isn't a lifetime achievement award. But we'd be remiss not to point out that Coe - like Bruton - was a two-time selection for Fab 50. His impact clearly wasn't a one-year deal for Hartsville. In fact, he finished his Red Foxes career with 349 career tackles. This fall, Coe helped lead a run to the Class 4A Lower State title by piling up 102 stops, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions (one he returned for a score) and a forced fumble. And while we saw a few of his highlights live, watching them again during our film review for Fab 50 player selection was a reminder of just how electric he was for so long in Kellytown.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16145345/67281ea5a97ad782a140dc7f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676e49373bc69"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1012606' first='Elgin' last='Sessions']</strong> Dutch Fork | When we asked around at the beginning of the playoffs, the answer we got to one question kept coming back to Sessions. Which defensive player could have the biggest impact in the playoffs? The reasons why varied, but they all pointed to the Silver Foxes' defensive standout. He then spent the postseason backing up the predictions. While frequently lining up as a corner, Sessions (pictured) could shift into safety mode in the blink of an eye. Another Dutch Fork title run didn't end until he had put up 43 tackles, three picks, 14 pass break-ups and a couple of defensive touchdowns.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13771893/67680a7ba232c3c8c26950e4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676e49373bc99"} /-->