2025 Team Preview: Cactus Shadows Defense

<p>As we continue to roll out our team previews, we'll shine some light on the top storylines and the breakout players you won't want to miss. We will wrap up in the 5A Northeast Valley Division with the Cactus Shadows Falcons Defense.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">2027 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1609159' first='Aidan' last='Chambers'] is an absolute game wrecker for this Cactus Shadows defense. Some notable stats from his first varsity season include 43 total tackles, 23 of those as solo tackles, 4 pass deflections, a safety, and a couple of forced fumbles. A player who can play a lot of positions in the secondary, but he primarily played at the free safety in their 2-high safety defense. Chambers can cover tons of ground, whether playing his zone back deep or getting downhill and into the box quickly. His tackling ability is incredible, especially considering he can tackle defenders who are substantially larger than him in size. He makes impact plays by seeking turnovers or incompletions, always aiming to make plays on the football. After a marvelous sophomore year campaign, look for Chambers to be the main chess piece for a dynamic Falcons defense.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">2026 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1682229' first='Ryker' last='Krank'] is a dangerous ballhawk for this Cactus Shadows defense. He finished out his junior season with 37 total tackles, 26 of those as solo tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, and 3 pass deflections. Krank displays the ability to play on both sides of the ball at receiver and defensive back, but he mostly played at the corner position. He is patient at the line when playing as the outside defender, showcasing good backpedal and nice hand usage to disrupt receivers and reroute them downfield. When the ball is in the air, he tracks it down beautifully, always high-pointing the ball with outstanding leaping ability. He is also not afraid to lay a hit when given the opportunity, leading with his shoulder pad to jar the ball free or to send a message. Krank will continue looking to be the main shutdown defender on the outside in his senior season.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">2026 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1647549' first='Dylan' last='Malone'] is poised to be an unrelenting force on this front four for the Falcons' Defense. He finished his junior season with 29 total tackles, 17 of those as solo tackles, 4 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 2 hurries, and 1 forced fumble. As an interior defensive lineman, Malone gets impeccable push at the point of attack at a stellar 6'4 250lbs frame. He holds his gap soundly in the run game, utilizing his solid arm reach to grab the ball carrier and yank them down to the ground. In his pass rush, he possesses lateral movement to be effective on stunts and great finish on the quarterback to put fear in the opposing team's signal caller. With much of the senior talent from the previous year departing, look for Malone to take a significant step as a leader and playmaker for this defense in 2025.</p>      <p class="text-gray-700">2027 Defensive Lineman Jack Yost will be looking to be a productive player for this defense this upcoming season. Yost recorded 6 total tackles in 3 games last season for his sophomore year, including 3 solo tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. Yost, at his 6'2 185 lb frame, displays some surprising sound body control and strength when rushing from the edge. He showcases good low center of gravity to take on contact and solid bend to get around blockers to the quarterback. He also has nifty inside quickness to rush inside if the offensive line is over-setting against him. Yost is a thrilling young prospect to watch this year on the outside edge for the Cactus Shadows Defense.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JackYost19/status/1933043974559969518 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">2027 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1745368' first='Tavion' last='Johnson'] will be looking to be another key contributor in the secondary for Cactus Shadows. In his first varsity season, he has 16 total tackles, 1 INT, and 1 pass deflection. Johnson plays particularly well as a zone corner, reading the quarterback's eyes while covering his zone with tons of range. Once he identifies where the ball is going, he doesn't hesitate and moves with promising agility and acceleration. He also has notably quick recovery speed when needed to plant and drive down to make a play on the ball. Johnson with a full junior season in front of him should be an exciting watch to see how he builds off his sophomore year.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Tavion7Johnson/status/1887741040515555657 </div></figure>

As we continue to roll out our team previews, we'll shine some light on the top storylines and the breakout players you won't want to miss. We will wrap up in the 5A Northeast Valley Division with the Cactus Shadows Falcons Defense.