Season Starters: Week 0’s Top Performances

Week Zero is now in the books, and it's time to highlight some standout performances.    Romo continues building off an impressive sophomore season. The 6'1 175-pound junior normally plays as a defensive back, however he started to get reps on offense and knocked it out of the park. In Week 0, he had 2 receptions for 2 touchdowns, and 8 total tackles. Romo showed off his elite jumping skills. Jumping over a DB to get the touchdown not once but twice. Romo has a good release paired with very good ball tracking and catching. Uses his quick feet to gain separation. Very good body control and adjustment to keep both feet in bounds. Physical blocker in run game. Romo is an aggressive and physical corner. He is a hard tackler, and a hard hitter. He ran across the field just to make a tackle. He is a beast, and will continue to show off his athletic ability as he gains more reps as a WR.     Reese is picking off where Modrzewski left off. Against Liberty, he threw for 410 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INT, with a 61% completion rate. He also had a TD on the ground. Reese starts with a very quick release giving the ball a tight and past spiral. Very good throw power, and can fit the ball in tight windows between defenders. Reese is a quick decision maker in the RPO game. Good at faking the run in RPO, and throwing it. He's a smart player, going through his progressions to find the open man. If no one's open, he will use his very good scramble ability to evade pressure and get the first down. Stays poised under pressure and very good at breaking sacks. Turns would be negative plays into positive ones. He's an exciting player that I believe will continue to put up big numbers over the course of the season.     Mangrum lit up the scoreboard in the upset over Denver East. He had 17 carries for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 reception for 13 yards. He averaged 11.2 yards per carry and his longest rush was 58 yards. He showed off his very good athletic ability due to elite speed, change of direction, very good acceleration, and balance. Mangrum has elite vision and weaves around defenders. On his first TD play, he juked out 3 defenders and ran through the entire defense for a 60+ yard TD.  Very good juke moves and dynamic cuts. Mangrum has home run speed, and consistently would gain yards after contact. Even though he's a weaver, he isn't afraid of getting physical and laying the boom. Mangrum also showed off  his blocking skills out ins pace. He lined up in the slot to block for his QB on the option, and killed it. Locked up the LB on 2 separate option plays, and created lanes for his QB. Kid is a dawg, and I believe he will cement himself as one of the top running backs in the state after this season.     Flores had himself a nice outing with the first game. He had 6 total tackles and 2 sacks against Vista Peak prep. The 6'3 200 pound edge rusher continued to show off why he has multiple offers. He has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, speed, and good change of direction. Flores maintains a very good bend around the edge and shows off his flexibility and balance. Good hand speed to engage with the OL first. Very good hand strength and hand placement. Very good block shedding and get off speed. Flores used his powerful bull rush to knock the OL off their feet, and create pressure on the QB. He was stopping players in the run game as well, using his strength to stop them in their tracks. I'm looking forward to seeing how Flores continues to improve his craft over this season.     Meurer started off the season with a bang. The 6'0 175-pound wide receiver had 5 catches for 111 and 1 touchdown, with his longest reception being 50 yards. He also got 23 yards on kick returns too, including a punt return TD. He has very good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, speed, change of direction and jumping. He's well rounded. Meurer demonstrated a very good release due to his quick feet and showed his separation quickness. He's a fluid route runner. In one play, he jumped up high, extending his body and arms to come down with the catch. Very good body control and adjustment to stay in bounds on the sideline, resulting in a touchdown. He has strong hands, catching the ball with 2 defenders pressing up against him, and not letting go. He's a very good blocker as well. Very good hand strength and placement to control and steer his opponent creating running lanes. I firmly believe Meurer will elevate his game to another level season.

Week Zero is now in the books, and it's time to highlight some standout performances.