Top 15u Athletes from Garden State Gridiron

At this weekend's Garden State Gridiron 7v7, some of the most valuable contributors were the athletes who rarely stepped off the field. The 15u division featured a number of players who took on responsibilities on both sides of the ball, lining up at wide receiver and in the secondary while consistently impacting the game.   In a fast paced 7v7 setting, that kind of versatility stands out. These players showed the ability to compete in coverage, force mistakes, and then flip the switch offensively to create separation and make plays with the ball in their hands. This article highlights the top two way athletes from the event, a group that proved their value by producing in multiple roles throughout the day.    Elijah was one of the most impressive athletes out of all of 15u. A special talent on both sides of the ball, Elijah has that rare ability to thrive anywhere you place him on the field. As a receiver, he was extremely shifty in his movement and in his ability to break away from defenders. He has quickness out of his burst that makes it difficult for defenders to anticipate which direction he is going.   Elijah may have shined even brighter on defense. A slot corner for a majority of the tournament, Elijah was glued to the hip of the small and quick receivers, and showed off his ability to come screaming back up field by picking off the ball on the first play against Dreamchasers. There is a lot of upside with Elijah .      [player_tooltip player_id='1513665' first='Karter' last='Baker'] is a well known player in the state, and is only getting more impressive with time. A standout player for Dreamchasers, Karter consistently found open space through crisp route running and fast foot work. Karter's longer legs and height advantage gives me the look of a true deep threat in the future. Karter also lined up as safety as well, where he demonstrated smooth hip movement and the ability to fly sideline to sideline to break up the pass. Bergen Catholic has a stud in [player_tooltip player_id='1513665' first='Karter' last='Baker'].     A 2029 talent coming out of New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='2171502' first='Chase' last='Wilder'] was a name that kept coming up this past weekend because he was always finding a way to get involved in the game. Making big play after big play, Chase is another receiver/safety hybrid, flourishing at both positions.   Chase is real rangy with a huge catch perimeter, making it easy for him to pull a ball in from afar. He did it on multiple occasions, but one that really stood out to me was when he ran a route across the middle and fully stretched out for the ball to pull it in and kept on running. As a safety, he was a natural there too. Essentially playing as a receiver on D, anticipating the routes and putting himself in position for the ball.     Another Dreamchasers product, Brandon Plummer is another reason why this team was so loaded with talent. Listed as an RB on X, Brandon played the role of a receiver this past weekend and played it well. An extremely fluid route runner, he was most impressive on the short and intermediate routes where he would force a defender to get twisted up and find windows for his QB to throw into. Defensively, Brandon came up with a pivotal pick off a deflection on one of their Saturday games to seal the deal and give his team the W.     In general, Buffalo Athletics was one of the top teams within the 15u tournament. Markel Hunt was one of the reasons why that was the case. Markel is dangerous as a route runner, and may be even more dangerous with the ball in his hands in open space. With a million ways to separate from the defender, Markel was open on nearly every route he ran. Markel's skills don't stop on offense, though. He is extremely versatile and flourished in the secondary, batting the ball down multiple times to stop's the offense's drive.

At this weekend's Garden State Gridiron 7v7, some of the most valuable contributors were the athletes who rarely stepped off the field. The 15u division featured a number of players who took on responsibilities on both sides of the ball, lining up at wide receiver and in the secondary while consistently impacting the game.