Catholic Conference Preview (Players to Watch)

The Catholic Conference preview features two quarterbacks [player_tooltip player_id='408630' first='William' last='Wood'] (Penn State Commit), who was ranked a three-star recruit from Xaverian Brothers High School, which is seeking a three-peat in state championships, and a recent Ohio State Commit [player_tooltip player_id='400828' first='Christopher' last='Vargas'] from Saint Johns Prep. Catholic Memorial, who is looking for another state championship, features players such as [player_tooltip player_id='1591238' first='Kennedy' last='Jones'], who already holds multiple Division I offers heading into his sophomore year, and shutdown corner [player_tooltip player_id='2104001' first='Brian' last='Green']. Additionally at Xaverian, there is 3-star linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1286076' first='Michael' last='Harden'] who is a Boston College commit along with rising juniors such as bruising back [player_tooltip player_id='2082984' first='Rocco' last='Sestito'] and fellow offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1317843' first='Jake' last='Loynd'] who has a chance to play a bigger role in the Hawks offense.    Evaluation: A mobile quarterback with a championship pedigree who can take full command of the huddle with even-keeled poise in the pocket. He is a sound decision-maker, taking what the defense gives him, especially under heavy pressure, by keeping his eyes downfield. In addition, he is a dynamic runner with the ball, showing speed and vision. Areas for improvement: he needs to clean up his footwork and get the ball out quicker on release, despite solid accuracy. Heading into his final season with Xaverian, polished mechanics will take his style of play to an elite level.     Evaluation: A standard frame for a pro-style quarterback, with elite throwing mechanics and pinpoint accuracy. He needs to be more consistent with throws over the middle, as he sometimes overthrows his receivers. He gets the ball out quickly with a nice zip on his release and into tight windows. Vargas progresses rapidly to take what the defense gives him. However, he needs to apply sound decision-making under heavy pressure. With two years remaining at St. John's Prep, Vargas needs to solidify his command in the huddle and take a more leadership role. Vargas has all the physical traits to become a starter at the collegiate level; taking a leadership approach will elevate his style of play.     Evaluation: A tall, lanky corner who possesses speed and ball skills to deflect passes away and come down with interceptions. Green has fluid hips that allow him to change direction quickly. In coverage, he has the range to cover deep, intermediate, and quick passes. Green makes a relentless effort in pursuit, constantly showing a willingness to come up and tackle. When making a tackle, he rapidly closes in on the ball carrier. Although he is more of a zone coverage corner, he needs to be more physical when jamming the receivers in tight-man coverage.     <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul>   Evaluation: An off-ball backer who displays instincts and intelligence. He is a sound tackler with untapped closing speed. However, he needs to work on setting his feet in his tackling angles. He excels at block destruction when using his hands to shed off blocks to find the ball carrier. Harden is efficient in his blitzing, with a pass-rush plan that incorporates a variety of inside and outside counter moves. With Harden entering his final season at Xaverian, expect him to take on a leadership role on defense as he works to get people lined up.     <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul>   Evaluation: A battering ram is an understatement for Sestito, as he constantly churns out yardage after contact. As a ball carrier, he displays great vision when finding the hole, enabling him to burst into the second level. He has adequate cutback ability despite lacking the elusiveness to make defenders miss. The main area for Sestito to improve is his ball security, as he fumbled at times.     Evaluation: A physical player who explodes out of his stance with a flat back, moving people with his feet, firing on contact. In gap schemes, he walls off defenders on down blocks and shows solid foot speed when asked to pull. In zone schemes, he has a solid second level but struggles to latch on to quicker defenders. In pass protection, he needs to clean up his footwork on his vertical sets against inside moves. The primary area of improvement is that he needs to clean up his punch and get his hands inside the breastplate in pass and run blocking. Overall, a switch to guard would benefit him to get more looks at the collegiate level.     Evaluation: A twitched-up two-gap defender who is a space eater against the run. At the snap of the ball, he explodes with his first two steps, firing out with a flat back. As a pass rusher, he has an effective inside-outside counter move. His bread-and-butter move is straight power, collapsing the pocket in the interior. In the run game, he gets knockback extension when creating penetration. The biggest area for improvement in the run game is maintaining his leverage against double teams. The primary area for improvement is that he needs to speed up his hand use when getting off blocks in the run game and when using his counter moves in pass rush situations. Heading into his sophomore campaign at Catholic Memorial, staying put at defensive tackle will give him more recruiting offers at the collegiate level.   <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul>

The Catholic Conference preview features two quarterbacks William Wood William Wood 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Xaverian Brothers | 2027 State New E (Penn State Commit), who was ranked a three-star recruit from Xaverian Brothers High School, which is seeking a three-peat in state championships, and a recent Ohio State Commit Christopher Vargas Christopher Vargas 6'5" | 190 lbs | QB St. John's Prep | 2028 State New E from Saint Johns Prep. Catholic Memorial, who is looking for another state championship, features players such as Kennedy Jones Kennedy Jones 6'4" | 285 lbs | DL Catholic Memorial | 2029 State New E , who already holds multiple Division I offers heading into his sophomore year, and shutdown corner Brian Green Brian Green 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB/WR Catholic Memorial | 2027 State New E . Additionally at Xaverian, there is 3-star linebacker Michael Harden Michael Harden 6'1" | 205 lbs | LB Xaverian | 2027 State New E who is a Boston College commit along with rising juniors such as bruising back Rocco Sestito Rocco Sestito 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB Xaverian Brothers | 2028 State New E and fellow offensive lineman Jake Loynd Jake Loynd 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Xaverian Brothers | 2028 State New E who has a chance to play a bigger role in the Hawks offense.