Hunt 34, South Garner 33 Defensive Standouts

For the first time this season, I got out and saw teams in person. Hunt staved off a potential South Garner upset with its second comeback win of the year, 34-33. Here, I'm looking at some impressive defensive performances from both squads.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hunt-South Garner Top Defenders</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Established Stars</h3>    Much of our years-long coverage of Harris has focused on his offensive talent. However, I was blown away by his range, instincts, and willingness to tackle from his safety position. The 4.4-speedster was officially credited with one pass breakup, but I saw at least three other potential catches that he stopped. He picked off a pass in the first half against South Garner's talented passing attack. He's arguably the most underrecruited player in the state, and, shockingly, he doesn't have more interest.     "JB" is making an argument for the best box safety in the state. He was all over the place, even when Hunt went out of its way to avoid him. He picked up four tackles for loss and two sacks while playing close to the line of scrimmage, but was also sticky in coverage. He tackled Harris twice one-on-one in the open field, which is twice more than I've ever seen happen. He has plenty of FCS interest, but it's not hard to imagine his skill set translating to the FBS level.     Bynum has really impressed me on film over the last few seasons, and his get-off in person was impressive. His closing speed is excellent, too, and against a less mobile quarterback, he would've had at least two sacks. He's not the biggest guy, but he has more than enough play strength to thrive against the run.     I had trouble properly previewing South Garner this offseason because, while I knew Taylor would be a massive part of the defense, I couldn't write about him until his transfer became official. He's a big, versatile defensive piece whose coverage skills were on display with one interception that counted and another that was taken off the board due to a defensive penalty. College coaches should stop overthinking this one. 6'3" defenders with coverage skills tend to work out at the next level.     The tackle number doesn't tell the story of how Cooper was all over the place. The sophomore was dialed in, making the correct reads from his middle linebacker position, allowing him to disrupt plays. I thought his zone coverage ability was impressive, and I liked the way he moved. To me, his performance reinforced his position as one of the top linebackers in the 2029 class.    <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Under-the-Radar Performers</h3>    Sykes looked great in all three phases of the game. In the second half, the South Garner coaching staff told him that he'd play less on offense the rest of the way, given his importance defensively. He lined up in a lot of man coverage reps in the slot and stayed with Hunt's faster receivers well. He's physical for his size, and he thrives as a kick returner, too.     Forbes was probably the most impressive player whom I didn't expect to pop going in. Just a sophomore, Forbes has great athletic numbers and made an immediate impact. The 6'2", 175-pounder was a willing run defender and made a great interception over the middle of the field.     I was highly impressed by Hunt's interior defensive line, and Blower has great size and play strength for a sophomore. After watching him on Friday, I went home and took a look at some of his film. In a 2029 class that doesn't have a large number of established defensive tackles, he's a guy with the potential to separate himself.     Dickerson's height could limit some of his potential college upside, but as a high school defender, he's excellent. He not only ate up double teams, but he also made plenty of plays himself in the running game. He has good get-off, and I liked his ability to both put pressure on the quarterback and make plays in the running game.     Brown is a rotational defensive end behind two of the better edge rushers in the 5A class, but he flashed in limited reps on Friday. He has a long frame and explosive get-off, leading to the first sack of his career against the Titans. I'm certainly intrigued by him as a pass rusher for the Warriors.     Egde rusher was one of the bigger question marks for the Titans heading into the 2026 season, and I came away impressed with both of the starters. Williams isn't the biggest guy, but he has good pass-rushing integrity and finished his rushes well. He's a strong run defender who has lived in the backfield this season.     On the other side, Goss was impressive, getting consistent push and pressuring Hunt. He picked up his second sack of the year and also had three tackles for loss. There hasn't been much of a drop-off for the Titans after losing a Power Four edge rusher last season, and that should help them in a tough conference.    Which games need to be on our radar in Week 5? Let me know on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>). Lock in with Prep Redzone for more weekly breakdowns.

For the first time this season, I got out and saw teams in person. Hunt staved off a potential South Garner upset with its second comeback win of the year, 34-33. Here, I'm looking at some impressive defensive performances from both squads.