Takeaways: Belleville West vs Mascoutah

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Football is BACK!&nbsp; The IHSA season began in full on Friday evening.&nbsp; I kicked off my in person coverage at Belleville West as the Maroons took on Mascoutah.&nbsp; Belleville West led the whole way but it was a one score game heading into the fourth before the host Maroons put it away with a pair of QB runs from Ciden Capell to win 40-21.&nbsp; Lots of ways to look at this game and we dive into it all here in <strong>Takeaways: Belleville West vs Mascoutah</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hankins Does His Best Travis Hunter Impression</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top prospect on the field was Belleville West cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1585119' first='Nick' last='Hankins'] who is the top defensive back in the senior class.  In the opener he would do damage on both sides of the ball ala Travis Hunter.  As a corner he showed locked down ability with his fluidity and smooth coverage skills staying right with receivers all night with nothing really thrown at him.  Came in and made a few tackles against the run.  Love his upside as a long and rangy corner that should shine down the line in the Big 10 for the Illini.  On the offensive side he had the two most explosive plays of the day.  First was a 80 yard swing pass when he was lined up at running back that he took down the sideline beating a pair of defenders that had the angle, but he blew past them with his speed.  Another one he took 71 yards up the middle to the house showing that lighting acceleration.  Two scores and over a 150 yards of offense just like that.  His ability on the offensive side just shows the kind of athlete he is.[player_tooltip player_id='1870253' first='Sean' last='Murphy']<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Plethora of Backs for Maroons</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was more than just Hankins out of the backfield for the Maroons as he was actually kind of the change of pace back to their two headed monster of 2026 Isaiah Williams and 2027 running back Dewonde Taylor.&nbsp; Williams broke one early going off 2027 left tackle Clinton Dawson who was very good in the run game all night.&nbsp; The senior back took it to the edge and ran past defenders for a long TD to open scoring.&nbsp; He runs with a ton of power, physicality, and burst with the ball.&nbsp; Taylor is a bit smaller at 5'7” 165 pounds.&nbsp; He brought a spark every time he touched it as he was the human chain mover on the night!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Young QBs on Both Sides</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a pair of younger signal callers in this game with Belleville West going with 2027 quarterback Caiden Capell while Mascoutah countered with 2028 Jackson Hilgendorf.&nbsp; Capell was a monster with his legs all night whether it was on designed runs of scrambles.&nbsp; Several times he scrambled for long first downs.&nbsp; Also rushed for 3 TDs of 10 yards, 5 yards, and 21 yards on quarterback keepers.&nbsp; Good athlete that will have to continue to develop as a passer, but he can impact with his legs for sure.&nbsp; Mascoutah's 2028 Hilgendorf showed solid decision making on 3^rd down a few times with quick reads moving the chains.&nbsp; Most impressive pass was one where he showed mobility rolling out to his right for a 25 yard pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1677289' first='Marcus' last='Nobles'] for a score putting touch on the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mascoutah Junior Back Reminiscent of Another #22 The Muscle Hamster</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really enjoyed watching Mascoutah junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='1870253' first='Sean' last='Murphy'].  He is a smaller guy at 5'7” 170 pounds, but he reminded me of another undersized back that wore #22 Doug Martin aka the Muscle Hamster.  Not quite as thick up top as Martin, but what we loved about Murphy was his ability to run in between the tackles while keeping churning his strong lower half to power through defenders.  Dashed for a pair of scores on a 25 yard run along with a goal line carry for 1 yard.  Also showed some pass catching potential out of the backfield.  After a 1,000+ yard season a year ago expect more the next two years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2029 Defensive Lineman Has Major Potential</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe the most physically impressive prospect on the field was Mascoutah 2029 defensive end Cameron Casey who goes 6'4” and 235 pounds with a frame he can easily add a ton of strength on.&nbsp; He jumped off the field to us during warm ups and then as a freshman came out of the gate starting.&nbsp; He did more than just look the part as he was impactful with a couple of explosive tackles.&nbsp; Solid vs the run making several stops.&nbsp; Like how he runs to the ball on either side after the play is kicked to the outside as he made several tackles doing that.&nbsp; Mobile and physical vs the run.&nbsp; Showed flashes as a pass rusher as well which will continue to develop more time and reps.&nbsp; Very bright future for Mascoutah defensive lineman.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belleville West Defensive Stars With Next Level Ability</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CJ Cutler is an outside linebacker/strong safety hybrid that can absolutely play at the next level.&nbsp; He goes 5'10” 180 pounds and was all over the field throughout the night.&nbsp; Flies to the ball in both the run and pass game.&nbsp; Physical tackler that was a playmaker.&nbsp; He had a pair of sacks coming off the edge including a strip sack that came on a key third down.&nbsp; Good in coverage as he stayed with tight ends and receivers over the middle.&nbsp; While Hankins gets the attention in the Maroons defensive backfield we liked what we saw from 2027 corner [player_tooltip player_id='1865039' first='Zion' last='Hill'].&nbsp; Instinctual player that helped in the run with good form.&nbsp; Made plays in coverage as well including breaking on a pass that he broke up and almost had a pick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mascoutah Has Variety of Weapons</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Murphy carried a big load on the ground, but we saw flashes from several prospects for Mascoutah on the offensive side.&nbsp; Their star athlete is [player_tooltip player_id='401598' first='Camren' last='Reed'].&nbsp; Explosive kick returner that almost took one to the house early in the game.&nbsp; Also had a key catch on 3^rd down to extend a drive on an 11 yard catch.&nbsp; We mentioned [player_tooltip player_id='1677289' first='Marcus' last='Nobles'] earlier who caught a 25 yard touchdown.&nbsp; The long and rangy athlete played both wide out and corner doing a solid job defensively as well.&nbsp; Deonta Beverly is a wide out that at 5'10” made a couple nice catches on a crossing route along with finding weak spot in the defense for another grab.&nbsp; Jordan Beck has great size at 6'4” 220 pounds.&nbsp; Strong two way player that we like as a tight end/H-Back at the next level.&nbsp; Safety outlet for his QB.&nbsp; Made catches over the middle with sure hands.&nbsp; Also brought it blocking as well in the run game.&nbsp; Want to make note of their 2027 linebacker Nygel Bowers who goes 5'10” 215 pounds making plays in the middle of the defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->