Catawba River Region’s Best: Top 10 Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Catawba River Region is loaded with talent. There's no question about that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We sought out to find the best 10 players that you'll be hearing about during the 2025 season. And believe us when we say, it was no easy task.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Half of the ten on this list have committed to play at major Power Four schools in 2026. We wouldn't be surprised to see the other five either receive interest if they have not already, or make decisions as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One quarterback, one running back, three linebackers, one offensive linemen, two athletes and one cornerback. All in alphabetical order. Let's jump in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165103' first='Anthony' last='Baxter']</strong> | OL | South Pointe&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The University of South Carolina commit heads into his senior season as the leader up front on the Stallions offensive line. He has great size for the position and can move opposing defensive linemen off the ball. There were several times in watching his film where he pancaked opposing linemen, and we expect that to continue heading into 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165099' first='Darriyarn' last='Baxley'] </strong>| LB | Chester</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you're looking for a linebacker who flies downhill looking to crush what an opposing offense is trying to do, Baxley is your guy. It seemed like every time there was a run play, he was in the backfield before it could even get going. That's how quick and instinctive he is to be able to react to plays – you can tell he watches film and is a student of the game. He can also cover out in space and make tackles in pass defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1594865' first='Brysen' last='Ginn']</strong> | LB | South Pointe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ginn is an impact player for the Stallions' defense, whether it's picking balls off and going the other way or getting involved within a play itself. He is very instinctive in being able to recognize what the play is and then react to it quickly to limit the play for a short gain. He has a physicality to him to where he can throw guys off their routes without interfering. And his ability to move sideline to sideline and make moves in space is fun to watch, too</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] </strong>| QB | South Pointe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McMillon returns for his senior season after an impressive junior campaign, where he threw for 2580 passing yards, completing 66 percent of his passes for 31 touchdowns. He can create plays that may not be there through the air, and he has the athleticism to keep plays alive. He also has great size for the position as well and can launch the ball downfield to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1270438' first='Connor' last='McFadden']</strong> | DL | Catawba Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McFadden is a nightmare to try to block at his defensive end spot. His ability to defeat blocks from the snap of the ball and rush the passer is impressive. Even if he may not get the sack all the time, he has a motor that is always running and he will apply pressure. He can clog up running lanes and not allow the back to get any momentum in the run game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592288' first='Jamol' last='Horton'] </strong>| RB | Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horton fits exactly what the Warriors are going to want to do in 2025 offensively – run the football. He is a physical, downhill running back who has a combo of speed and power that is fun to watch. He runs angry, in a good way and he's not going to stop until he gets into the endzone. He has good patience to wait for his blocks to develop and then he explodes out of the hole. He's tough to bring down upon his first initial contact.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212416' first='J'Zavien' last='Currence']</strong> | ATH | South Pointe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 1 player in the PRZ Class of 2026 rankings (pictured above) resides in the Catawba River Region. The University of South Carolina commit is versatile in that he can play on both sides of the ball. He can line up at receiver and catch passes in the slot. The Stallions even used him at quarterback some last year. He was also used on defense last year at safety to break up passes and move around to different parts of the field to provide coverage. That versatility will be beneficial for the Stallions' aspirations in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson']</strong> | CB | Catawba Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dobson is one of the top cornerbacks in our PRZ rankings. He has the ability to stay stride for stride with the best receivers and doesn't allow them to get behind him. He has great size for the position and anticipates what the route is going to be. You can tell he's a student of the game and it's why he has major Power Four offers from all over the place</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance']</strong> | WR | Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vance returns for his senior season with the Trojans following their state title run in 2024. He had 1126 yards and 16 touchdowns. He normally lined up in the slot and he runs great routes and has the ability to outrun defenders. Once he gets out in the open, it's either a touchdown or a long gain, because he can take a 10 to 15 yard gain and turn it into 50 to 75 yards. He committed to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania on June 27.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036748' first='Sequel' last='Patterson']</strong> | ATH | Indian Land</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The University of South Carolina commit is the jack-of-all trades for the Warriors. He'll line up at receiver and show off his athletic ability and speed with being able to beat one-on-one coverage for a touchdown. Or he can line up on defense and knock balls away and stay in the hip pocket of an opponent's best receiver. His versatility makes him the player to keep your eye on for Adam Hastings' group in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1267200' first='Tamarion' last='Watkins']</strong> | LB | Northwestern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Watkins is back for the Trojans' defense in 2025 after finishing with 28 tackles and 7.5 for a loss. He's tough to try to run the ball against and he can cover out in space against receivers. He is active on the defensive front to limit the opposing offenses' explosive plays at safety. He can cover sideline to sideline well and has good length and size for the position. He is also impactful on special teams as he can block kicks and get the ball back for his own offense. He committed to Texas A&amp;M on Monday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->