Battle at the Beach Recap- Millville vs. Erasmus Hall

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Overview</h2>   <p>Erasmus Hall is at their best when they're playing ahead of the sticks, running the ball and staying in rhythm with the short passing game, and using this short game to set up shots. They want to get [player_tooltip player_id='2102992' first='Jalen' last='Pierre'] involved with his legs too, that's a big part of their offense, but he unfortunately was injured in the second quarter-which threw off their rhythm a bit. They got off to a bit of a slow start and fell behind early-which just really doesn't seem to be the style that they want to play. On the other hand-Millville looked effective in the run game and also throwing the ball. They were explosive and consistently got to the edges. It looked to me like Erasmus Hall had the size advantage in the trenches, but it didn't seem to matter much. Millville managed to keep making plays and got in the backfield on multiple occasions. <br></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standouts</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">First thing that sticks out about Jaden is his build. He's tall, but filled out and thick. He looks like a college football player playing high school football. He's got long speed, short area quickness, and his ability to fight through contact and track the ball was on full display against Erasmus Hall. He had an explosive 30+ yard touchdown in the first quarter, and an 85 yard touchdown in the third quarter that were both eye popping. He's also a rangey safety in the back end on defense. Days is a Temple commit-and it shows on the field.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Reggie actually plays running back for Millville contrary to what we have him listed here as on Prep RedZone. He shows really effective contact balance and burst, as well as good vision. He showed off his short area quickness in the beginning of the 2nd quarter where he avoided an unblocked defensive lineman before scoring a long touchdown. He's thick enough to handle the bulk of the workload and his burst makes him a threat anytime he hits the second level. Made good defenders on Erasmus look silly.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Victor is an explosive receiver with a great catch radius and strong hands. Impressive frame. He eats up space quickly with his longer legs. He needs to fill out his pads a little bit, and I'd love to see him get more 1on1 opportunities to catch the ball. He's consistent on the perimeter. Victor was easily the favorite target for both Erasmus Hall QBs. Had a great deep touchdown on a play action shot in the 2nd quarter of this game. He's really dynamic with the ball in his hands and a threat to go to the house whenever he touches the ball.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1513218' first='Jordan' last='Bishop'] is a powerful runningback. He's very difficult to bring down. Despite getting off to a slow start and having some not ideal conditions ([player_tooltip player_id='2102992' first='Jalen' last='Pierre'] was injured in the 2nd quarter) he had a good game, and continues to shine as one of the best backs in the state. He imposed his will on a good Millville defense behind a monster front. I think he projects as a short yardage/goal line back at the next level-he's gonna make a college program really happy.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Bennett came in for an injured [player_tooltip player_id='2102992' first='Jalen' last='Pierre'] in the 2nd quarter and looked really solid. He distributed the ball to his receivers effectively and moved around in the pocket well. He kept the offense afloat and allowed them to continue to work the short game and wait to take shots-even connecting on a few. He continually got Victor involved as well-who is essential for sparking the offense. I was impressed with Bennett's ability to come off the bench and keep the ship steady for Erasmus Hall.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Graves was a spark plug for Millville in this game. He brought a ton of energy and was really difficult for the Erasmus defense to bring down. There were multiple carries where Graves got up, excited, celebrated, and his teammates joined him. You could feel the energy he injected into the game. He's got some speed and ability to hit the corner, but mainly his contact balance, ability to fight through arm tackles, and keep his feet churning is what most impressed me about his game.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>   <p>Millville won this game 29-20. I don't think it's any cause for concern for Erasmus. Millville is a really good team with really dynamic skill positions and a ferocious defense, and they still managed to hang around despite losing their star quarterback to an injury. We'll find out how that injury will effect Pierre's season soon, but if he'll be ok for the rest of the season, and hopefully he will, they will bounce back and get back to playing their brand of football. Losing his dynamic running ability and his big arm is tough to overcome. I felt that [player_tooltip player_id='2361883' first='Michael' last='Bennett'] played well in his absence, but there's only so much he can do. Millville is looking to have a big season, and will as long as [player_tooltip player_id='1562026' first='Jaden' last='Days'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1476891' first='Reggie' last='Holley'] keep up this level of play.</p>