Charlotte Metro Area + Beyond Week 4 Defensive Playmakers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All across the Charlotte Metro Area &amp; beyond in Week 4, there were big-time defensive performances, and we're going to highlight them here with a bit of commentary tacked on as well for select players. Please make sure you are sharing your performances with me via Twitter/X @pepman704, especially if you are in the Charlotte Metro Area, to be considered for inclusion! We will have this series all year long on Prep Redzone North Carolina, and we will recognize everyone – including linemen! Stats and film will help a TON when being evaluated for inclusion! All right, let's get started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600218' first='James' last='Bailey']</strong> - East Mecklenburg - 3 Interceptions, Sack, 2 Tackles For Loss, 3 TD's, 100 Total Yards in win over North Meck - James had an incredible game on both sides of the ball in the Eagles' big win last week. The 3 interceptions were huge in keeping North Meck off the board, allowing time for the offense, which he was a big part of, to get on the board and win 20-16. I spoke with James about his big game and more earlier this week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1968122675395772593","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1968122675395772593 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1421082' first='RJ' last='Lynch']</strong> - Lincolnton - 9 Carries, 100 Yards, TD, 34 Receiving Yards, 72 Passing Yards &amp; TD, 2 INT's in victory over Burns</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687735' first='Antonio' last='Flowers']</strong> - West Mecklenburg - 9 Tackles, 5 Tackles For Loss, 3 Sacks vs. Corvian - There were points in the game where Antonio was simply unblockable - he was shooting gaps so fast from his defensive tackle spot he was almost literally taking the snap from the opposing team's quarterback, it was that impressive. Antonio continues to show why he has an offer from Syracuse, and he honestly should have more coming his way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1692741' first='Jackson' last='Laws']</strong> - Cannon - 10 Tackles, 5 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks in victory over Northwood Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671981' first='Ethan' last='Wilson']</strong> - North Pitt - 9 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks vs. Greene Central - With offers from Missouri State, Hawaii, and Middle Tennessee, Ethan is fast becoming a hot recruit. At 6'4 playing a highly coveted EDGE position, if Ethan continues these levels of production, more offers will be coming his way for sure. Ethan's speed and hand usage to defeat offensive tackles are impressive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='223038' first='Justin' last='Abanquah']</strong> - Providence Day - 14 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks in victory over Butler</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1626325' first='Brennen' last='Wallace']</strong> - Christ The King - 110 Rushing Yards, 10 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks in win over Mtn Island</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379024' first='Memphys' last='Barb'] </strong>- Lake Norman - 3 Sacks from the EDGE position vs. Independence - Memphys had an impressive performance against the Patriots, as he used a combination of speed and power to get to the quarterback on all three of his sacks. Memphys also added several tackles and a couple of tackles for loss in its game last week. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600424' first='Jaylen' last='King']</strong> - Cleveland - 14 Tackles, 7 Tackles For Loss, 4 Sacks in victory over New Bern</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1623018' first='Kai' last='Phinazee']</strong> - Forest Hills - 6 Tackles and 2 Sacks in victory over Cuthbertson - Kai is a powerful and explosive defensive tackle who used a nice combo of a fast getoff on the line of scrimmage and power-based pass rush moves to get to the quarterback and also slow down the powerful running game of the Cavaliers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1699333' first='Emmanuel' last='Miller']</strong> - West Craven - 12 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 2 Sacks, Punt Block in victory over Farmville Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elijah Kimber</strong> - Williams - 6 Sacks in victory over Heritage, broke 27-Year-Old School Record! - In watching Elijah's film, he won consistently against offensive tackles using a nice pass rush move where he stabs outside and then comes back inside, ripping through the tackle's inside shoulder. It's a credit that he stuck with what was working to have such an incredible performance for him and his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='284097' first='Samari' last='Matthews']</strong> - Hough - Pick 6 and a Fumble Recovery in victory over Mooresville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1368126' first='Dawson' last='James']</strong> - Porter Ridge - 7 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 4 Sacks in victory over South Iredell - Dawson's sacks were a result of good pass coverage, great effort, and impressive strength to push and collapse the pocket around the quarterback. I like Dawson's game because he can also clog running lanes on the interior with his strong size and power. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Morgan </strong>- Marvin Ridge - 8 Tackles, 2 Tackles For Loss, &amp; a sack vs. Ashbrook</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->