Scouting the Standouts: Milton rolls past BGA

<p>In a top high school football matchup that crossed state lines, Milton (Ga.) travelled to face Battle Ground Academy (Tenn.) for a game that was filled with talented prospects.</p>   <p>The visiting Eagles raced out to a commanding lead after each team opened with a touchdown, never looking back to earn a dominating 42-21 road victory.</p>   <p>Several recruits stood out in this game for both programs in a matchup that provided evaluators with some exciting matchups.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Milton Backfield + [player_tooltip player_id='662267' first='Jordan' last='Carrasquillo']</h2>   <p>The Milton backfield was a machine throughout the entire game and helped pave the way to the victory on Friday night. At quarterback, Tennessee commit [player_tooltip player_id='409921' first='Derrick' last='Baker'] is a true dual-threat that can beat defenses in a variety of ways. His first priority is as a passer and he was able to have success pushing the ball down the field in the game. He had an underthrow late in the game, but aside from that exception, he showed good touch and velocity to allow for his receivers to make plays downfield. This was also apparent in the red zone, where he targeted the back of the end zone several times, forcing the BGA defense to cover every blade of grass. He can extend plays, but his usage as a runner primarily comes from designed runs. Standing around 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, he runs with great leverage behind his pads, making him impossible for defenders to bring down and carrying defenders along for the ride.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2098601934059937805?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>Senior tailback Sheldon Atchison had a very productive outing running behind the Milton front six. He is a tad undersized at 5-foot-10, but has a strong frame that helps him earn tough yards between the tackles. He shows an effective ability in start-stop and that gives him some cutback lanes. While he is a bigger tailback and does not hold excellent long speed, he has good burst when he initially attacks downhill, giving him a well-rounded skillset that can have success at the college level.</p>   <p>Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id='2055430' first='Brayden' last='Henderson'] provided a nice change of pace and hit a handful of runs for seven-plus yards. He is slippery working between the tackles and worked out into the open field to keep the offense ahead of the sticks.</p>   <p>Indiana receiver commit [player_tooltip player_id='662267' first='Jordan' last='Carrasquillo'] was the biggest star of the night, winning from a variety of methods. He operated primarily as a power slot and could not be contained. He had a pair of touchdowns and could have had two more. On his first touchdown, he was not even involved in the play, but crossed the entire width of the field to successfully complete the scramble drill. He showed some YAC ability by taking a slant and running through the teeth of the BGA defense. He was a toenail away from being in bounds for another touchdown reception and was tackled in the end zone for a defensive pass interference call.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2098581472835719305?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">BGA Skill Players</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='905296' first='Fletcher' last='Fields'] made the full-time move from slot receiver to running back this offseason and it has paid off for him this year. He opened the scoring for the Wildcats with a catch out of the backfield and that was just the beginning of his night. He hit several strong rushes to keep the BGA offense moving forward when the passing attack was not consistent. After changing positions, he delivered arguably the best pound-for-pound performance of his high school career against the biggest opponent of his high school career.</p>   <p>With a bigger frame now, [player_tooltip player_id='1030085' first='Max' last='Curry'] has become even more versatile and it helped him find different ways to earn touches against a strong secondary on Friday night. He led the BGA passing attack and showed off his strong YAC ability to record the only receiving touchdown on the night for the Wildcats. He produced more and more as the game progressed, showing his potential against a top opponent.</p>   <p>This was the first game of his high school career that [player_tooltip player_id='1537396' first='Maddox' last='Porter'] was not able to consistently get the ball, so the biggest thing that I ultimately looked at was how he would respond. He responded with active and physical blocking on the perimeter, something that he took great pride in. Porter will get his touches, so it was nice from an evaluation standpoint to see him get challenged and respond. He worked open for a touchdown in the red zone, but was tackled to prevent the score, earning a blatant pass interference call.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2098584871492825350?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Milton Trenches</h2>   <p>The Milton offensive line holds a lot of talent and the talent continued to translate to production on Friday night. Standout left tackle [player_tooltip player_id='450408' first='Landon' last='Ghea'] used his impressive length to lock defensive ends out from the pocket for the entirety of the game. Despite being just a sophomore, he already has the frame and athleticism of a top recruit and that has several top college programs already recruiting him. There was not much to complain about when it comes to Ghea's performance.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1197755' first='Joshua' last='Evans'] was at right tackle last year, but moved inside to guard this year, and that move has paid dividends for him. He is still developing, but he showed that he has the natural ability to be a sturdy guard at the next level. He showed that he can maintain leverage from the inside while working from stationary and moving settings. As he establishes a more consistent base, he could be a strong rankings riser on the national level over the next two years.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1620592' first='Michael' last='Pickard'] replaced Evans at right tackle after transferring in and he had a solid outing, showing good athleticism and leg drive.</p>   <p>Vanderbilt tight end commit [player_tooltip player_id='416494' first='Grant' last='Haviland'] was a productive blocker and that should become more prevalent as he continues to add mass to his frame. He moves very well and could be the next versatile chess piece in the Tim Beck offense.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">BGA Linebackers</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2054772' first='Evan' last='Kellum'] made the move down to linebacker from safety this season and it has led to a strong amount of production for the junior. The game against Milton was no different as Kellum was one of the best players on the entire field.</p>   <p>He had a difficult task of covering a Vanderbilt tight end commit that is an excellent mover, and he held him to two receptions for a couple of yards. He started the game in a loud way — literally — landing huge hits on the quarterback and tight end each immediately to open the game. He has been very productive this season and this could prove to be a huge stepping stone game for his recruitment.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2124388' first='Mannie' last='Fentress'] made a handful of tackles, but his most impressive play was an acrobatic interception after dropping back into coverage and creating a timely turnover in his own territory.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2098585863542202536?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Milton defense</h2>   <p>Roman Tumminia was dynamic in a hybrid EDGE/OLB role for Milton, constantly applying pressure in the backfield when given a crease to work with. He made several tackles for loss and was the biggest headache for the BGA offensive front.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='308502' first='Blaize' last='Battaglia'] was all over the field from his inside linebacker position, chasing down ball carriers in front of him and racking up tackles. He showed a good amount of range to track down skill players in pursuit and effectively ended plays.</p>   <p>Jarrison de Jesus had a productive night at cornerback. His length, physicality and movement skills presented a problem for the BGA receivers, both inside and out. This was especially true in run support, where he closed down secondary rushing lanes that could have been open.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JarrisondeJesus/status/2099180327243595821?s=20 </div></figure>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='950814' first='Keelan' last='Wonsley'] came up clutch when it mattered the most to intercept a pass in the end zone on fourth and goal to seal the win. Milton has a secondary filled with versatile defensive backs that allows them to mix coverages and not get picked apart from different alignments from the offense.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2118779' first='Malik' last='Rolle'] is an exciting sophomore box safety prospect to know moving forward. He has an elite frame with excellent length at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. He is a reliable tackler in run support and practically provided another linebacker at times for the Eagles. He has the range and ball skills to play some high safety and as that comes along more with his development, he could quickly rise up the national rankings as well.</p>

In a top high school football matchup that crossed state lines, Milton (Ga.) travelled to face Battle Ground Academy (Tenn.) for a game that was filled with talented prospects.

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Scouting the Standouts: Milton rolls past BGA

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