The Best Players You Haven’t Heard About Yet

I've discussed Balistreri's potential before, and he is continuing to shine. The 6'1 160-pound wide receiver has 45 receptions for 729 yards and 8 touchdowns with 9 total tackles (7 solo, 2 assisted), 1 INT, and 2 PD. The senior has very good athletic ability due to very good jumping, acceleration, good change of direction, and speed. Very good release at the line of scrimmage. Uses his quick feet and physicality to get the upper hand on the DB. Good separation quickness due to him out running the DB. Balistreri is a contested ball specialist. He uses his very good jumping, paired with very good body control and adjustment to secure the catch. Very good ball tracking and catching. After the catch, he uses a powerful stiff arm to gain extra yardage. Kid's a beast and is one of the reasons why Arvada West is looking to success in the playoffs.     Measuring in at 6'4 275-pounds, [player_tooltip player_id='1720477' first='Kaden' last='Myers'] is a versatile offensive lineman for Windsor who can play any position on the line. However, he mainly plays center. Very good strength, good balance, knee bend, and flexibility. Very good foot quickness. He has good quickness from snap to block with good hand speed to engage with the defender first. Maintains a low pad level uses his very good hand placement and hand strength to control and steer the defender in either the run or pass game. He's a very good run blocker, creating lanes for his running back. He has good acceleration and speed from 1st to 2nd level blocks. In the screen game, he has good blocking out in the open field. Myers is an exciting prospect to keep an eye out for, especially in the playoffs!     Woods is currently ranked 4th in all of Colorado with tackles. The 5'10 205-pound LB/RB has 113 total tackles (83 solo, 30 assisted), 6 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1FR, 1 PD, 15 carries for 108 yards and 6 touchdowns. Woods has good athletic ability due to very good speed, good acceleration, lateral quickness, change of direction, and good jumping. He's got very good read and reaction speed. Very good ball instincts to lead him to the ball carrier. Woods has very good tackling and very good strength. He pulls down the ball carrier with ease. He's also a hard hitter, laying the boom on unsuspecting ball carriers. Woods uses his good range to go deep into his zone coverage or assist in run support. Very good at blitz rush. Very impressed with this senior's performance.     Hodge is one of the best jump ball receivers / contested catchers in the state. The 6'5 230-pound tight end has 37 receptions for 477 yards and 10 touchdowns with 6 pancake blocks. Hodge has good athletic ability due to very good jumping, balance, good acceleration, speed, and change of direction. He has a very good release, especially the line release. His ability to escape hold up at the LOS and get into his route is beautiful. Good separation quickness. Very good ball tracking and catching. Strong hands to come down with finger tip catches. Very good ball adjustment and control. Hodge's ability to adjust and still come down with the catch reminds me a lot of FBS tight ends. He's a very good blocker as well. Using his very good strength to overpower the defender and win the block. Hodge is a dog, and deserves more love from the college side.     Stewart measures in at 6'1 170-pounds, and the WR/CB has been balling out for Dakota Ridge. He has 31 receptions for 505 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 9 total tackles, 2 INT, and 3 PD. Stewart has good athletic ability due to very good acceleration, jumping, good speed, and change of direction. He uses his good release at the line of scrimmage to beat the press jam, or get the advantage in off coverage. Good separation quickness with smooth route running ability. Very good ball tracking and catching. He plucks the ball out of the air with ease. He has very good adjustment skills and body control. He'll contort his body to make the big catch. Good run blocker, creating lanes on the perimeter for his running back. Stewart is also a good corner as well. He jams the receiver at the line of scrimmage and has very good closing quickness. Good back pedal and good man coverage too. He's had a great season so far, and will continue dominating into the playoffs.