Event Recap: Iron Peak Combine Series, Skills Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, April 13 Iron Peak hosted their first annual Combine Series. Organized, ran, and masterminded by one of scholastic football industry's best,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/garrettshea1">Garrett Shea</a>, the first-year event went off without a hitch. Moreover, the event was flush with talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are a few quick-hitters on the event's top prospects that stood out amongst the rest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Skills</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers from Bridgewater-Raritan continued to be well represented at Iron Peak. Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1196871' first='Dylan' last='Tierney'] was one-of-two most outstanding performers on the second level of the defense. His ability to key the running back translated to camp production, shadowing their every move. Tierney was able to run with just about each of the running backs he was matched up against, but did an excellent job playing the ball upon its arrival. During indy he did a great job tracking the nearside hip of the ball carrier, thus eliminating cutback opportunities, and taking solid pursuit angles...... If Tierney was the 1a in terms of productive camp linebackers on the day, [player_tooltip player_id='1259045' first='Zion' last='Grant'] was 1b. Grant, a local from Hillsborough High School, impressed as he looks to crack the varsity lineup in 2024. A bit of what I noticed from grant is that he is well coached and allows nothing cheap-and-easy. Although he made sure to never grab, was a handsy in terms of bumping 'backs off of their route and making it difficult for them to get releases. He was not one to get juked by ball carriers who thought they could evade him that way. Grant typically played trail technique and looked to play the ball from underneath when covering..... The lone defensive back that stood out amongst the back was an out-of-state prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1259061' first='Braydon' last='Perone'] from Perkiomen Valley. What I would describe as a scrappy defensive back who accelerates downhill well. Similarly, Perone gets tremendous breaks on the ball as he is able to read the quarterbacks release from his safety position. When downfield we see Perone do nice work playing the ball or the hands, depending on the situation. His hips were pleasantly loose and he possessed a very good back pedal and subsequent transition when opening up and running.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Offensive Skills</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our first standout receiver on the day was Manchester Township's [player_tooltip player_id='1259091' first='Marquis' last='Goins, Jr.'] Goins did a lot of things that I, personally, like from receivers and do not typically see at camps. Goins demonstrated his speed and separation many times with crossing routes. In doing so, he not only showed the jets but also that he knows how to catch with his hands, extend, and keep the ball away from prying defenders. On deep routes Goins applied the same principles, but this time to high pointing the ball. Lastly, it seemed as if the rising junior was able to out-jump everyone in the complex...... Another Panther was on the prowl - [player_tooltip player_id='1259092' first='Jordan' last='Johnson'] from Bridgewater-Raritan, that is. In terms of making opportunities for himself, Johnson was very creative with the ball in his hands. He used back-cuts, up-and-over, and spins to evade contact and keep the simulated play alive. He had a big body and frame, which may lead to a positional change down the line if it suits the team. He used that big body to shield off smaller defenders' path from the ball. He would be better served focusing on exclusively using his hands to catch the ball...... I am kind of at a loss for words to describe how Keyport's [player_tooltip player_id='1259093' first='Andrei' last='Matthews'] was so effective. No doubt that he was, it was just somewhat uncanny the way he went about his business. Starting with how he runs, Matthews had natural forward lean when he was carrying the ball. It was clear that he was a very hard runner with the ball, too. The ball was a bit too far away from his body at times for my liking, but he would stop-and-go, cut back, and even duck to avoid the man covering him...... Continuing the trend of prospects from Perkiomen Valley, our last receiver [player_tooltip player_id='854390' first='Juliun' last='Corropolese'], also put in great work at the camp. It was as clear as the sky is blue that Corropolese is a versatile piece that brings athleticism to wherever he lines up. Prior to making the catch, although there is room to improve his route running, Corropolese used head fakes and quick feet to win at the line and create separation later in his route. Similarly, his hips have enough wiggle to get him both open and out of trouble as danger nears. Corropolese also used his hands the majority of time to receive the ball and was unabashed to go up and get it when need be...... A savvy camp hack tested since time immemorial, Corropolese was joined by his quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='672621' first='Patrick' last='MacDonald']. MacDonald delivering no happy meals to defenses, MacDonald showed that he can deliver a whopper of a ball, especially given his value meal size. MacDonald was able to push the ball further upfield than I initially expected. He was especially apt at delivering the ball on the run, often simulating run action to develop a flow for his throws. When on the run, he placed the ball in great locations where his receivers would, in a game scenario, catch the ball near the sideline and get out of bounds safely. He was able to lead his receivers downfield just enough to make the catch. I think by cleaning up his footwork that MacDonald could add some more Big Mac sauce on his throws, delivering the ball a bit faster to his receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->