2025 Team Preview: The Bayonne Bees, Part II

<p>As head coach Jerome Hayes enters his fourth season, there has been a steady ascension in the Bees' win column. After a playoff appearance in 2024 as the #16 seed, last season's 6-2 campaign ended in a first round defeat in Piscataway. This year, with a talented senior class, the Bees are looking to make a deeper playoff run.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">If he was not one of the state's leaders, he had to be <em>the </em>state's leader in interceptions last fall. Back for his senior campaign is [player_tooltip player_id='1183271' first='Deon' last='McKinnon'], who nabbed a whopping 8 interceptions last fall. What makes McKinnon effective is that he does a good job reading the quarterback's eyes from his safety position. Additionally, he has shown willingness and, frankly, the nastiness to lay a big it on would-be receivers as he dislodges the ball loose. McKinnon is also athletic enough to get over the top and close space when he is rubbed. I would, however, like to see McKinnon's backpedal with lower pad level, have more urgency, and move more efficiently when doing so.</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/deonmckinnon_4 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Complementing McKinnon in the defensive secondary is classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1183899' first='Daryl' last='Smith']. As a corner, Smith does a nice job of getting his hands in the mix to tip the ball in order in hopes to make a frantic play on it. He is aggressive too, as we see him drive underneath under thrown balls, often catching with his hands. Defending the run is something Smith is solid in too, wrapping defenders well. When defending the pass Smith would benefit from keeping his feet more active when defending the pass and maintaining a clean and linear drop. If I am being frank, it was a bit hard to get a further and accurate evaluation on Smith due to the fact that a lot of times he highlights himself mid-play, if at all.</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/DarylSmith3_ </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Amongst what seems to be a never-ending list of returning skills, [player_tooltip player_id='1513535' first='Xavier' last='Paulino'] might be one of their only returning linemen. The first thing that you notice notice is that he wins and beats people with speed. Complimenting his speed is the desire to chase sideline-to-sideline. No defender is too far away from Paulino, as evidenced by his epic pursuit angle way down field as the backside end that prevented a touchdown from being reflected on the scoreboard. Additionally, likely due to his wrestling background Paulino is a very good tackler. He works to lock out his arms and recognizes reach. Areas where Paulino can continue to develop would be in his stance. His get off and explosion can improve if he adopts a power angle philosophy. Additionally, I would love to see him disengage with his blocks - particularly a rip move.</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/Xavier_Paulino6 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another piece to the puzzle is safety/linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1801116' first='Kameron' last='Martin']. Martin's tape did not show any clips of him in pass coverage, but what it did show was a solid piece in supporting the run. Martin wraps ball carriers well and naturally gravitates to the ball. In order for Martin to play more down hill, he should focus in on and zero in hard on his keys.</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/KamMartin_15 </div></figure>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2025 Team Previews</h2>   <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/08/2025-team-preview-the-bayonne-bees-part-i/">Bayonne Bees, Part I</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/08/2025-team-preview-the-bayonne-bees-part-ii/">Bayonne Bees, Part II</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/08/2025-team-preview-the-linden-tigers/">Linden Tigers</a></p>   <p></p>

As head coach Jerome Hayes enters his fourth season, there has been a steady ascension in the Bees' win column. After a playoff appearance in 2024 as the #16 seed, last season's 6-2 campaign ended in a first round defeat in Piscataway. This year, with a talented senior class, the Bees are looking to make a deeper playoff run.