Orchard Lake St. Mary's Impressions (vs. DCC)

Yesterday, I was able to attend the first half of St. Mary's matchup against Detroit Catholic Central. The end result didn't turn out how OLSM would have wanted, but there are still some positive takeaways from the evening. Here are my quick impressions of five of St. Mary's best.    No doubt that Jabin has improved over the past year.   He runs the offense well. Lots of RPO, quick reads, designed QB run. I thought Jabin started out hot, perfectly hitting his first read on a consistent basis. Later in the half, especially after the pick-6, I thought Jabin's accuracy dipped a bit, but most balls were still catchable.   Yesterday was tough, and there were few opportunities to throw it deep. I'd love to see Jabin get to his second or third reads more consistently and throw it downfield- should earn those opportunities in future games. Another quick note- I was not able to get much of a read on Jabin's rushing ability. I know he's a great athlete, but his opportunities were limited.   I also thought Jabin looked poised on the sidelines. Even when things weren't looking great, Jabin looked motivated to get back out there and give it another go.     The biggest standout on the St. Mary's side.   For starters, Michael passes the eye test. He's tall and has a great frame. Plus, he moves quite well for a 6'5" offensive lineman. There's still plenty of time for Michael to fill out his frame- adding some more muscle will absolutely help his future recruiting.   On the field, Michael did well. Pass blocking, he has a solid kickstep, keeps his hands up, and did a great job keeping his man in front of him. When run blocking, Michael was able to cover a ton of ground with his first step, and he looked dominant at times, especially when blocking down.   Finally, Michael impressed me on the sidelines. There was a moment when OLSM gave up a TD, and Michael showed some frustration with his offense. No finger-pointing, nothing negative, just some motivating emotion. I can tell Michael is a passionate player, and that's something I value a ton.     An incredibly explosive defensive tackle. I see the upside. Really nice getoff, and fast enough to blow past the vast majority of high school offensive linemen. Unfortunately, Gibson was going up against some of the best O-Linemen in the state. Gibson looked a bit out-muscled against DCC's interior O-Line, and he struggled to anchor down.   I'd expect Gibson to shine against the rest of OLSM's schedule- that IOL was the best he'll face all season, even if OLSM makes it to Ford Field.     I caught a handful of Brian's reps during the first half. He looks a little taller than the 6'2" we have him listed as, and a heck of a lot better than a "Watch List" player.   Solid mobility for the position, and great physicality. You can see it in Brian's offseason clips- he's not afraid to get his nose dirty in the trenches. A good showing from the Indiana transfer, and someone who deserves some college attention. I'm a little surprised to see zero offers on his Twitter.     It was nice to see [player_tooltip player_id='528082' first='Lorenzo' last='Barber'] earn so many touches. A lot of speed-in-space opportunities for Lorenzo, and a handful of opportunities between the tackles. He's explosive and can be slippery in traffic. His tape showcases a little more of his abilities as a receiver.   Extremely versatile player who I hope to watch again sometime this year. I feel like I'll have a chance to do so at Ford Field this November.

Yesterday, I was able to attend the first half of St. Mary's matchup against Detroit Catholic Central. The end result didn't turn out how OLSM would have wanted, but there are still some positive takeaways from the evening. Here are my quick impressions of five of St. Mary's best.