20 Names To Watch During Blitz Junior Bowl

A little over a year ago, we saw a number of then-juniors arrive in Columbia for the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/01/defense-dominates-to-lead-west-to-a-42-7-victory-in-all-star-game/">annual Blitz Junior Bowl put on a show and then kickstart their final offseason</a> of high school football.    The likes of [player_tooltip player_id='1359112' first='Hunter' last='Taylor'] (Greenville), [player_tooltip player_id='797158' first='Shedrick' last='Sarratt'] (Gaffney), [player_tooltip player_id='1157815' first='Kevin' last='Peay'] (Lancaster), [player_tooltip player_id='1012834' first='Malik' last='Clark'] (Rock Hill) and [player_tooltip player_id='1012579' first='Sterling' last='Sanders'] (Blythewood) helped the West squad to a dominant 42-7 victory. Flash forward to this January, and all of those players are now signed with NCAA Division-I programs.   Will Sunday's Blitz Junior Bowl (Sunday, 1 p.m., Airport High School) have the same type of potential for the players in attendance? That remains to be seen.   But if we're looking at the updated rosters for this weekend's game, we see some names who are primed to use the opportunity and then start maximizing the next several months prior to the start of their senior seasons. There are some obvious names here, but some not-so-obvious ones, as well.    WEST SQUAD   Head Coach: Bennett Swygert, Hillcrest   Highest Rated Player   [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'] OL, Clinton; No. 2 OL, No. 5 overall   Aiken recently helped lead Clinton to the Class 2A state championship, where the Devils rushed for 312 yards. He's a punishing left tackle who will be asked to led the West's offensive line. Remember, teams have only three practices/walk-throughs to prepare, so the scheme is typically kept rather simplistic.   Under-The-Radar Prospects To Know   [player_tooltip player_id='1267215' first='Michael' last='Posey'] DL/LB, Eastside   The talented hybrid missed some time last fall, but when he was on the field, he was highly effective, averaging better than seven tackles per game. He also notched nine tackles for loss, six sacks and four quarterback hurries. He provides the all-star staff some flexibility in lining him up, which could extend the number of snaps he sees Sunday.    [player_tooltip player_id='1639712' first='Triston' last='Lewis'] QB, Greenwood    Lewis has yet to pick up his first college offer, but we think that changes sooner rather than later after a better-than-expected junior season in which he showed off some collegiate skills, primarily while on the run or throwing the deep ball. All eyes will probably be on South Pointe's [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] to start, but Lewis should be able to draw some attention as the game progresses.    [player_tooltip player_id='1394986' first='Zyon' last='Ratchford'] LB, Gaffney   It's to say that Ratchford has been overlooked as much as he's been enveloped by a sizable number of Indians' defensive standouts the last few months. Yet, he led the team in tackles and showed an edge to him that we think is about to come out in full force. This is the perfect opportunity for him to do that in a less stressful environment.    [player_tooltip player_id='1165128' first='RJ' last='Brown'] ATH, Lancaster    Brown, who plays quarterback, tailback and defensive back for the Bruins, could be in on a trick play or two while split out wide. But it doesn't really matter how Swygert and Co. get the ball in the 5-foot-8 sparkplug's hands. Brown is a threat to produce massive plays, be it on the ground or through the air. If you haven't seen him play live yet, we suggest you do so.    Five Additional Names To Watch   [player_tooltip player_id='816752' first='Will' last='Love'] K/P, Spartanburg - What better time for a coach to tune his inner Lane Kiffin and let a kid with a monster leg try an insanely long field goal? Mr. Swygert, Love is your excuse to try it. You have our permission.   [player_tooltip player_id='1579733' first='Walker' last='Kelley'] WR, TL Hanna - We've been high on Kelley this rankings cycle on the strength of his role not only as a tight end for the Yellow Jackets, but also as a linebacker. In condensed conditions, his physical presence could equate to more usage.   [player_tooltip player_id='816734' first='Terry' last='Radford'] DL, Chester - Radford has 69 tackles for loss over the course of his high school career, one that spans 34 games. You don't really think he's going to turn that off, do you? His ability to get into the backfield can be highly disruptive.   [player_tooltip player_id='617663' first='Kaleb' last='Simpkins'] DB, Strom Thurmond - A big rangy cover corner who reads the ball well in the air, Simpkins put up three interceptions and five pass break-ups last fall. He can also return punts and kickoffs, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him take one of those all the way back.   [player_tooltip player_id='1592250' first='Hayden' last='Myers'] RB, River Bluff - Myers can handle a big workload. Case in point, he had 234 carries over the course of the 2024 season; the next most for any River Bluff player was 71. If the weather lessens the passing game, Myers has value as a back who will protect the ball.   EAST SQUAD   Head coach: Corey Crosby, Bamberg-Erhardt   Highest Rated Player   [player_tooltip player_id='473010' first='Michael' last='Boulware'] LB, Gray Collegiate; No. 1 LB, No. 6 overall    The Gray junior piled up more than 130 total tackles for the second straight season despite Gray being rule ineligible for the playoffs and missing the possibility for more in the postseason. He'll enter his senior year with north of 330 career tackles between his freshman year at Spring Valley and the last two seasons at Gray.    Under-The-Radar Prospects To Know   [player_tooltip player_id='1395042' first='Malachi' last='Gethers'] DL, Myrtle Beach   Gethers put up decent numbers (48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, one sack) as a junior with the Seahawks. But what he's very good at doing is setting the edge. Because he's going to be focused on forcing everything back to the middle, some of the star-studded cast behind him will have a chance to put up some big numbers.    [player_tooltip player_id='1165148' first='Jachin' last='Davis'] QB, Stratford    While fellow East quarterbacks [player_tooltip player_id='1592310' first='Quinn' last='Mahoney'] (Bishop England) and [player_tooltip player_id='797160' first='Moon' last='Gerald'] (Loris) can move well, Davis is the one with the most experience while putting it all together when things are breaking down. And, trust us, things will break down in this environment. Davis' ability to throw on the run and or use his legs to get the ball downfield will become paramount against the West front seven.    [player_tooltip player_id='1126113' first='Jordan' last='Avinger'] WR/RB/ATH, Orangeburg-Wilkinson   In Corey Crosby's own words, the offense has sort of built around all the different things Avinger can do. This was a player who rushed for 900 yards and 10 scores last fall, but he can also catch passes, line up as an H-Back and block at the line or come out of a slot position and do the same downfield. He's got the size to dominate in that diversity.   [player_tooltip player_id='1551561' first='Aaden' last='Starnes'] OL, Hartsville    As talented as the offensive linemen in this class is, we don't think it's done putting more names on the map. Enter Starnes, who joined our rankings for the first time last week after making a massive leap forward as a junior guard for Hartsville. He's got an excellent reach, and combined with some of the tackles he'll be lining up next to, the West interior linemen have their work cut out for them.    Five Additional Names To Watch   [player_tooltip player_id='473015' first='Tyleek' last='Dukes'] DB, Kingstree - Dukes was moved to tailback this year and rushed for 1,800 yards. He'll get offensive snaps Sunday, too, even though he's listed as a DB on the all-star roster.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165144' first='Tony' last='O'Banner'] RB, Thomas Heyward - O'Banner is the tailback in this game with the most varsity experience and most production. Yes, he plays in the SCISA ranks, but we've seen him do just fine in crossover competition before.    [player_tooltip player_id='816740' first='Marcus' last='Cann'] ATH, Bamberg-Ehrhardt - Cann is a do-it-all production magnet who is equally effective as a receiver or ball carrier. His regular head coach is in charge of this team. Think he might get a few touches?    [player_tooltip player_id='1168540' first='Quency' last='Grant'] DB, Ridge View - His instincts are so good that his first few steps off the snap usually dictate the rest of plays in long passing situations. He's a cover corner who doesn't mind scrapping for the ball mid-air.    [player_tooltip player_id='1575461' first='Zach' last='Balog'] WR, Bishop England - When the aforementioned Mahoney is taking the East's snaps at quarterback or not, Balog is a super-active receiver who is going to find ways to get open amid any potential chaos.

A little over a year ago, we saw a number of then-juniors arrive in Columbia for the annual Blitz Junior Bowl put on a show and then kickstart their final offseason of high school football.