St. Paul’s vs. Concordia Prep: Top 5 offensive performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Concordia Prep defeated St. Paul's in a highly contested game on Thursday afternoon. Here are five of the top offensive players from the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["423015"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa35ae2d71bf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='423015' first='Justin' last='Dixon'] was the most effective offensive player on the field, despite throwing two interceptions. Ryan Brown intercepted the first-series rollout, and Jackson Voss capitalized on a 3rd-and-10 pass when Jeff King fell. Nevertheless, Dixon was responsible for every Concordia point. He connected with King for a 40-yard pass from his own 9-yard line and delivered a 38-yard contested throw to Tyler Mintz following a fumble recovery. Dixon also found King on a 28-yard slant to initiate the 10–0 drive and threw a slant to Mintz to extend the lead. He later completed a 50-yard pass to King at the 7-yard line and followed with a 5-yard slant to make it 17–10. While he faced pressure from sacks and grounding penalties, Dixon's decisive arm ultimately broke the tie with 45 seconds remaining.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought he did a nice job of getting the ball out quickly on the slant passes. Dixon hit them in stride, allowing them to get that YAC. He wasn't afraid to throw downfield and give his receivers a chance to make a play on the 50/50 balls. Concordia Prep's offense will be way more balanced than last year thanks to the return of Mr. Dixon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1349649"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa35ae2d7225"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1349649' first='Jeffrey' last='King'] performed consistently throughout the game. His 40-yard catch on 3rd-and-7 from the 9-yard line moved Concordia out of a difficult field position, preventing a potential setback in the first quarter. He followed with a 28-yard slant after St. Paul defensive lineman Julius Page's sack and added an 8-yard slant on the same drive. With the game tied at 10–10, Dixon found King in stride down the left sideline for a 50-yard gain, placing the ball at the 7-yard line. King then caught a slant from the 3 for the go-ahead touchdown. He made play after play for the Saints and will be one to watch going forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2147554"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa35ae2d726d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2147554' first='Tyler' last='Mints'] contributed to two scoring drives. After [player_tooltip player_id='2107908' first='Colin' last='Wilson'] forced a fumble from Doug Crum and Ryan Mills recovered, Dixon threw a contested pass downfield that Mintz secured for a 38-yard gain to St. Paul's 29-yard line. This drive concluded with Aiden Augustine's 22-yard field goal, giving Concordia a 3–0 lead. Later, on 2nd-and-16 from the 38, Dixon connected with Mintz on a slant for a touchdown, extending the lead to 10–0. Mints also caught a crossing route to the 5-yard line on 3rd-and-goal before the first field goal. As a sophomore who primarily played defense last year, Mints emerged as Dixon's second key finisher in this game. Another name to watch moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2222798"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa35ae2d72af"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2222798' first='Doug' last='Crumb']</strong> did not match Dixon's explosive plays, but he led St. Paul's comeback. Under constant pressure, he endured a strip-sack by Wilson and a grounding penalty by Butler, often forced to throw quickly. Despite these challenges, Crumb converted key downs to keep St. Paul's in contention. He scrambled past Wilson for a first down in the second quarter and gained 10 yards on 3rd-and-10 in the fourth. Crumb completed a sideline pass to Washington and found [player_tooltip player_id='2255391' first='Linden' last='Barganski'] for seven yards to the 1-yard line. On 4th-and-goal, he faked a handoff to [player_tooltip player_id='2387455' first='Kai' last='Shaw'] and threw a 1-yard touchdown to [player_tooltip player_id='2102606' first='Cahron' last='Wheeler']. Austin Daniel's 38-yard field goal also resulted from a drive Crumb managed after a fumbled snap. He didn't secure a win, but he tied the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2387455"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aa35ae2d72f1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387455' first='Kai' last='Shaw']</strong> began with a no-gain carry but ultimately became St. Paul's most reliable offensive contributor. His 12-yard screen on 3rd-and-10 marked the team's first conversion of the day. He followed with an 8-yard run and drew a personal foul, advancing to the Concordia 32-yard line. Shaw carried defenders to the 20 before a fumble, then cut back for 16 yards to the 34 at the end of the third quarter and opened the fourth with a 10-yard gain. At the 1-yard line, he was repeatedly stopped short of the end zone. Although the tying score came on a fake away from him, Shaw's efforts positioned the team for Wheeler's touchdown and Daniel's field goal. Definitely had the best day running the ball out of both teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->