Stars Of The State Week 7 – Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1199249' first='Jordan' last='Young'] – Monroe – TD Catch, 2 Interceptions In Victory - The talented 2025 prospect continues to dominate on Friday Nights, plain and simple. Jordan has announced that he will make his college choice on November 2nd, and he is going to play safety on the next level. His choice will be between Michigan, NC State, Florida State, and Clemson. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB Hunter Eichelberger – Cuthbertson – 15 Tackles, Forced Fumble, Sack vs. Sun Valley - The Class of 2025 prospect is a big reason why Cuthbertson has shown to be a tough, defensive-centered team so far this season. At 5'11 and 210 pounds, Hunter lists a 3.9 GPA on his Twitter profile, reflective of his football intelligence as well. At middle linebacker, Hunter shows to play sideline to sideline and tackles well in space. Hunter also shows good pass coverage ability in zone and man concepts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1303827' first='Gene' last='Neely'] – Hunter Huss – Touchdown, Interception, Forced Fumble &amp; 6 Tackles In Victory - Gene continues to impress as a defensive back - he has really improved his coverage skills this season and is a ball-hawking defensive back who can also excel in coming up in run support and making tackles in the open field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1303769' first='Johntay' last='Gaither'] – Pine Lake – 4 Pass Breakups &amp; 100 Yard Pick 6 vs. Christ The King - Johntay has really impressed this season, with a 3.8 GPA the 2025 prospect is finding ways to make plays both as a wide receiver and defensive back. Johntay has some excellent speed being a track athlete, and at 6'0 and 165 pounds, he could be a valuable player to a college at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DL Jason Hubbard – Metrolina Christian – 6 Tackles, 4 Tackles For Loss, 3.5 Sacks In Victory - Playing defensive end primarily, Jason has a relentless motor to get to the quarterback in passing situations. He is very quick off of the football and pairs a rip move and swim move to beat offensive tackles around the edge. In the run game, Jason does a good job of shedding blocks and keeping outside leverage well. At 6'0 and 205 pounds, The Class of 2025 prospect is making a name for himself. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1543788' first='Aden' last='Allsbrook'] – North Stanly – 17 Tackles &amp; 4 Sacks In Victory - The 6'0 225 pound Class of 2025 prospect reports offers from Appalachian State and Gardner Webb universities. In this game, Aden did an excellent job of keeping his eyes focused on the quarterback, and then making sacks when the quarterback attempted to escape the pocket with excellent closing speed and open-field tackling ability. Aden also showed some good technique making open-field tackles in the running game against backs and receivers. <br><br>LB [player_tooltip player_id='951250' first='Caleb' last='Foley'] – West Stanly – Freshman Varsity LB Had 2 INT's Including Pick 6 In Victory - Caleb is 6'2 and 185 pounds, and making an impact as a starting linebacker as a freshman. In this game, Caleb does a good job in man coverage, undercutting a route to a running back and making a nice catch &amp; return on the pick 6 touchdown. As Caleb develops, I am excited to see him round out his full game at the linebacker spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1149032' first='Marcus' last='Sales'] – Cox Mill – 102 Rec. Yards, TD, 2 Forced Fumbles&nbsp; &amp; 4 Tackles vs. AL Brown - Marcus stands at 6'0 and 160 pounds as a 2026 prospect, and in this game Marcus starred on both sides of the ball, making a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch for his receiving touchdown, along with a couple other nice catches against man coverage, winning 1 on 1 battles consistently. As a defender, at safety he made a couple of impact plays with forced fumbles that showcase his skills as an all-around impact player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1333099' first='Askia' last='Mustafa'] – Mallard Creek – 2 Interceptions In Victory - I have liked Askia since studying his highlight film last offseason. Askia is a Class of 2026 6'0 205-pound prospect who is a part of a very fast and physical Mallard Creek defense. Askia does a good job in making tackles in open space - in this game, Askia showed excellent discipline in zone coverage in the middle of the field, read the quarterback's eyes, and showed soft hands in making both of his interceptions. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->