MCYFL All-Star Game - National Conference Standouts

<p>On an afternoon with conditions harsh enough to make a grown man cry -- complete with wind gusts of 50 mph+, a windchill of 22 degrees and intermittent driving snow -- the Morris County Youth Football League held its first ever All-Star Game(s). The 24-town league, located in northern New Jersey, asked each of the towns with eighth-grade athletes to nominate athletes for the game. Here's a look at the National Conference All-Star Game standouts.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Teams</span></h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Denville</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Hackettstown</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>High Point</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Jefferson</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Madison</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Newton</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Somerset Hills</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Vernon</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Alpha Dog - Skill</span></h2>    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Somerset Hills Mountaineers</li> </ul>   <p class="text-gray-700">In my opinion, the most impressive overall prospect in the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game was Somerset Hill's [player_tooltip player_id='2055678' first='Zander' last='Diemar']. Lining up at both Wide Receiver and Linebacker, Diemar was a kid who caught my eye from the second the team took the field. Also a standout on the lacrosse field, Diemar has a sinewy build and has a lot of promise. As a Linebacker he was the definition of a sideline-to-sideline player, as he was in on several tackles recovered a fumble. On the offensive side of the ball, he was put in motion a good amount and was clearly a player the coaching staff wanted to get the ball to in space. On a day where throwing the ball was going to be a chore due to the blustery conditions, the Blue All-Stars still attempted to get it downfield to Diemar.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Alpha Dog - Line</span></h2>    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Jefferson Falcons</li> </ul>   <p>As previously stated (and I will continue to drive home) in this write up, the conditions were tough to play in this past weekend and if there was ever an opportunity for linemen to shine -- this was it. Jefferson's [player_tooltip player_id='2055702' first='Dylan' last='Reed'] was a consistent disrupter along the defensive front for the Blue team and did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage as an interior Defensive Lineman. By my unofficial tally mark he finished with four tackles, two of which were behind the line of scrimmage. If he didn't make the tackle, his initial explosion off the line did a lot to disrupt the timing of the offensive play. Unassuming strength and a powerful first step allowed him to have a nice day.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Top Performers</span></h2>    <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>High Point Wildcats</li> </ul>   <p>It was a tail of two halves for High Point Wildcat prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2055754' first='Kayden' last='Carney'], in a victorious effort in the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game. Carney lined up at Linebacker and Running Back in the game, with his defensive prowess taking center sage in the opening half. Playing with excellent strength and leverage for his shorter stature, he was an active Linebacker who made a number of impactful stops. In the second half Carney's mix of power and speed was on full display, as he motored around and over the opposing defense. Tough runs wore down a tired Blue defense and eventually led him to bouncing a number of runs to the outside for big gains. He capped off the day with the lone touchdown of the game, giving the White team a 6-0 victory and securing Player of the Game honors.</p>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Vernon Vikings</li> </ul>   <p>Joining fellow Sussex County native [player_tooltip player_id='2055754' first='Kayden' last='Carney'] as Player of the Game in the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game was Vernon's [player_tooltip player_id='2055800' first='Logan' last='Bakay']. Bakay was one of the very select few players (throughout the afternoon) that impacted the game(s) in all three phases. Lining up as a Defensive Back, Running Back, Kick Returner, Punt Returner and anything else asked of him, Bakay was all over the field. With the Blue team trailing down the stretch, they turned to Bakay to in times of desperation to make things happen. Despite being kept out of the end zone, Bakay was impactful throughout the day.</p>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Madison Dodgers</li> </ul>   <p>As mentioned throughout this write up, the treacherous conditions made any type aerial assault a tall task. However, Madison's Micael Beacom had himself a nice afternoon on both sides of the ball in the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game. The three-sport athlete proved to offer a plus-amount of overall athleticism from behind Center, using his legs to pick up yards -- whether by design or not. On the defensive side of the ball he also had a strong day at Safety. Beacom wasn't afraid to get his nose dirty in run support from his Safety position. Additionally, he would have had a game-clinching interception if he wore a half-size smaller cleat, as his toes were barely/debatably out of bounds late in the fourth quarter on a wild play. </p>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Denville Blue Angels</li> </ul>   <p>One of the most physically imposing prospects on the field in the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game, was Denville Blue Angels' two-way big man [player_tooltip player_id='2055860' first='Finley' last='Dilworth']. The reigning Denville Lineman of the Year proved to be worthy of the award as he did a bang up job on both the Offensive and Defensive Line. He comes with an excellent build and frame for a lineman still months away from the presumed start of his high school career. He lined up alongside his regular season running mate [player_tooltip player_id='2056970' first='Ivan' last='Strikhar'] and the duo controlled the left side of the O-Line.</p>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Vernon Vikings</li> </ul>   <p>Despite not having a prototypical Edge build or frame, Quaranta made his presence know throughout the afternoon. The Vernon Vikings product made stop after stop on the edge and made running around his side a very difficult task. Built more like a compact Middle Linebacker than anything else, he played with infections energy from the opening whistle to the final whistle of the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game.</p>     <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Denville Blue Angels</li> </ul>   <p>Rounding out the top performers of the MCYFL National Conference All-Star Game, Safety/Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='2055862' first='Dylan' last='McCarthy'] had a great showing -- specifically on the defensive side of the ball. He played Safety like an attacking extra Linebacker in the box, which turned out to be helpful in a run-heavy game. On multiple occasions he came screaming downhill like a heat-seeking missile, taking the Blue team Running Back out at the knees. The aggressive two-way prospect also recorded a crucial interception on the road to a 6-0 victory.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Additional Prospects of Note</span></h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2057006' first='Trey' last='Labita'] | Quarterback | Vernon Vikings</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2057007' first='Mack' last='Stanley'] | Quarterback | Jefferson Falcons</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2056970' first='Ivan' last='Strikhar'] | Denville Blue Angels</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2057004' first='Luke' last='Lamont'] | Denville Blue Angels</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2057005' first='John' last='Ritchie'] | Madison Dodgers</p>

On an afternoon with conditions harsh enough to make a grown man cry -- complete with wind gusts of 50 mph+, a windchill of 22 degrees and intermittent driving snow -- the Morris County Youth Football League held its first ever All-Star Game(s). The 24-town league, located in northern New Jersey, asked each of the towns with eighth-grade athletes to nominate athletes for the game. Here's a look at the National Conference All-Star Game standouts.