Myers Park at West Charlotte: Defensive Standouts

The West Charlotte Lions had a strong overall performance on both sides of the ball and eliminated the Myers Park Mustangs 34-21 in a game that saw a big crowd on both sides and a number of big plays throughout the game. With the victory, the Lions move on to play the Hough Huskies, a game that the entire city of Charlotte has been wanting to see all season long. We have some standouts from both teams here, so let's take a look at who played well in this one.    Elijah flat-out looked like a Power 5 player who just committed to Georgia this weekend in this one. His speed off the edge was dynamite, and he was in on inside zone plays that he had no business making the tackle on from his EDGE position when lined up on the line of scrimmage. Elijah also got to the quarterback multiple times in this one, totaling 1 sack officially, but multiple QB hurries. On top of that, Elijah was the Lions' leading tackler with 9 total tackles, 6 of them being solo tackles, and 3 total tackles for loss.     The second leading tackler on the game for the Lions, Michael, was all over the place as one of the primary run defenders in this one. There were often times when Michael was shedding blocks from a talented Myers Park offensive line and making solo tackles in the running game. I liked how well Michael was covering off-tackle runs as well from the Mustangs, showing nice speed and pursuit angles going downhill. Michael totaled 7 tackles in the game, 6 of them being solo tackles.     Jashawn had a really strong performance here against a very good Myers Park offensive line. The stats may not show the impact, but Jashawn allows those 2nd and 3rd-level players to shine and make a lot of plays in their defensive scheme. Out of his 3 tackles, they were all tackles for loss, though, so Jashawn did get some penetration to make some things happen from both a defensive tackle and defensive end spot. Jashawn was also credited with 1.5 sacks on the night, really good work.     One of the highlight plays in this one for the West Charlotte defense was a nice interception off of a tipped pass by Micah that was returned for over 40 yards back into Myers Park territory, setting up a subsequent Lions' touchdown drive. Micah has come along as a dependable safety prospect who shows nice range and instincts in pass coverage, along with some good ball skills.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRWZarVgHY0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== </div></figure>     The most impressive play Davion made in this one defensively was a big hit on a Myers Park running back, which showed his run support ability from his defensive back position, but it was also a statement of the physicality that the Lions were going to play with all night long. I thought Davion had some nice pass coverage throughout the night as well, which really helped limit the Mustangs' passing game to less than 100 yards on the night. Davion finished with 4 total tackles on the night, three of them being solo tackles.     To their credit, the Mustangs could have easily quit down 34-7 in the last 3 minutes of the game, but they did not, and Justin had an impressive interception on a quick pass the Lions had done throughout the game. Justin literally jumped the route and ran it back for a touchdown, closing the margin late in the game. On the season, Justin was quietly a ballhawk for the Mustangs, with 7 interceptions totaling for the year. I think he is a player who could help a college program, and I'm interested to see what he does for his college football career.     Hank was the captain and heartbeat of the Myers Park defense this season, and he left it all on the field in this one for sure. Hank, it seemed, was in on every other play defensively for the Mustangs, and his heart and hustle were something fun to watch for me when I saw him play. Hank earned a Queen City Senior Bowl selection and has committed to play college football on the next level, so I'm excited to see him continue his football career!

The West Charlotte Lions had a strong overall performance on both sides of the ball and eliminated the Myers Park Mustangs 34-21 in a game that saw a big crowd on both sides and a number of big plays throughout the game. With the victory, the Lions move on to play the Hough Huskies, a game that the entire city of Charlotte has been wanting to see all season long. We have some standouts from both teams here, so let's take a look at who played well in this one.