Groves Scouting Report (vs. Warren Cousino)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Groves Falcons are moving on to the Regional Finals, where they'll travel to either Lakeview or Grosse Pointe South. Last night, they matched up against a gritty Warren Cousino team. Though Groves consistently won in the trenches, and were able to pull away late. Today, I'll share my quick thoughts on my top 5 standouts from last night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1613561"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-690ed1236de9a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I said it last year, and I'll say it again: Mattia is a dang good high school football player. He's the clear #1 on Groves' O-Line this year, and arguably the best all-around player on this 2025 Groves team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's one of the best run blockers in the state. Excellent footwork, great hand placement, and always plays through the whistle. Constantly finding someone new to block, and doesn't let up unless the play is blown dead. Mattia deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the Groves rushing success this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition, Mattia earned several reps at NT. He was a pretty effective gap-to-gap run stopper, and provided good upside in pass rush. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1667539"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-690ed1236df22"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A surprise to absolutely nobody, Malik had an outstanding game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Repeating myself a bit here, but Malik is as explosive and bendy as they come. Against the vast majority of OTs, Malik is able to bend and rip through, offering elite High School upside in pass rush. Several QB pressures for Malik, and if I'm not mistaken, a few sacks. Additionally, Malik showed great motor in the run game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Malik reminds me a fair amount of Kade Frisen from Rockford. Really nice bend, great motor, but an inch or two too short for most D1s to take real notice. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["762939"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-690ed1236df82"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I can pretty much copy and paste Malik's evaluation. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lining up as a 5-tech, Joshua did a phenomenal job speeding past the Cousino O-Line, pressuring the QB, and converting a few sideline-to-sideline plays. Joshua was a massive reason why Groves was able to close out this game. Cousino was forced to throw the football, and they simply couldn't keep Joshua and Malik contained. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Great leader, excellent performance, and a key player for this stout Groves defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1398340"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-690ed1236e002"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1398340' first='Kameron' last='Smith'] has the potential to be an elite high school DT/NT, and the potential to be an excellent college prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The size is there—around 6'2" 270. Elite frame, and high potential if he's able to fill out that frame while upgrading his explosiveness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That said, Kameron is currently a great A-Gap run-stopper. Cousino could not move him whatsoever. He's a brick wall in the run game and a headache for teams wanting to run up the gut. As I alluded to earlier, I'd love to see Kameron upgrade other areas of his game. A little more explosiveness and strength would go a long way. Sky's the limit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1615802"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-690ed1236e072"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jeremiah is having a sensational season. No surprise that he had yet another sensational game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jeremiah does his job, and he does it well. Most of his big runs are started by excellent play from his O-Line, leaving a giant hole. From there, Jeremiah finds the hole, hits it, and takes it from there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jeremiah took Groves' 2nd offensive play 85 yards for a touchdown- most RBs would have gained around 20 yards because of the blocking, but Jeremiah was able to take it the distance because of his speed. I was also impressed with what he was able to do in the open field. He's rock-solid at running through arm tackles, and has great vision. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->