Week One Top Performers: Offense

High School football is back, and as the dust settled on week one it’s time to highlight the top performers on the offensive side of the ball.  In this article we are peeling the curtain back, analyzing much more than simple statistics.  We are looking for the players who jumped off the screen, who made a real impact in the game. This will be a weekly article highlighting both the defensive and offensive players that made an impression.  This article is not just for the top-ranked players, but for all players that stand out on film and are looking to raise their recruiting stock. This week was filled with players outside the top rankings looking to make some noise.  So enough with the introduction, let’s get into the top offensive performers of the week. <strong>Keyshawn Breedlove, 5’11" 175, RB, Central Davidson High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 30 carries, 309 yards, 7 touchdowns. Breedlove had as good of a start to his junior season that one could ask for. He ran for 309 yards on 30 carries and hit the endzone 7 times against Lexington High School.  That kind of stat line immediately jumped off the page.  Beyond his stat line, his shiftiness and ability to follow his lead blocker were very impressive for the junior back.  Breedlove possesses good vision and can turn on the jets at any moment. Coming into this year Breedlove is not ranked, but if he continues to build on this week one performance he will certainly start to turn heads. <strong>Marqies Mccombs, 5’10" 170, RB, Chase High School</strong> <strong>Stats: </strong>20 carries, 300 yards, 5 touchdowns. Mccombs, another junior running back that was able to break the 300-yard mark during week one of the high school season. Mccombs and Breedlove have a lot in common as they both enter their junior season outside the top rankings for their class, but this didn’t stop either of them from having quite a day. Mccombs is a very shifty back, he knows how to use his body to twist and turn before turning up the speed.  In two of his touchdowns, he used the entire field, cutting from side to side before eventually finding the endzone.  Watch out for Mccombs to continue off his stellar week one performance. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="149773" first="Alonza" last="Barnett"], 6’0" 196, Grimsley High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 17-23, 359 yards, 7 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id="149773" first="Alonza" last="Barnett"] kicked off his senior year in style, tossing more touchdowns than incompletions.  Barnett showed off his robust skills set, throwing from inside the pocket and on the run many times.  He was able to create time when the pocket was collapsing, and always kept his eyes upfield and found the open man.  The senior quarterback put on a clinic picking apart the defense from short intermediate crossing routes to long 40 yard outrights.  Barnett looks to build on this performance and climb up the rankings throughout his senior year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135012" first="Dylan" last="Bisson"], 5’11" 170, Mount Island Charter</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 15-20, 277 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception. [player_tooltip player_id="135012" first="Dylan" last="Bisson"], the 8th ranked QB in the 2022 class came out of the gates looking like he has something to prove in his final season.  Bisson was spreading the ball all over the field, connecting with 5 different receivers on Friday night.  The best part of Bisson’s performance was his ability to pick and choose his spots.  Only 5 incompletions in the game shows that he was very careful with the football for the majority of the game.  Bisson also added a touchdown with his legs, creating a combined 5 touchdowns by the end of the game. <strong>Daylin Lee, 6’2" 175, Shelby High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 21-34, 348 yards, 2 touchdowns. Daylin Lee was putting his receivers in a great position all night long.  A majority of Daylin’s 348 yards in the air came from his receivers being able to run after the catch.  That is a credit to Daylin’s ability to put the ball in a spot where he was throwing his receivers into an open area.  Daylin also used his legs to escape pressure, which led to a 75 yard touchdown pass to extend Shelby’s lead.  I was very impressed with his pose and willingness to take what the defense was giving him.  I’ll be locked into Daylin Lee throughout this season to see how his builds off this week one performance. <strong>AJ Colombo, 5’9" 160, Cuthbertson High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 7 catches, 117 yards, 3 touchdowns. AJ Colombo has always been an excellent route runner, and he showed that Friday night.  Hauling in 7 catches for 117 yards and finding the endzone 3 different times.  What impresses me about AJ’s game is his ability to get open no matter where he lines up on the field.  He is a very versatile receiver that can dice a defense open with hard cuts to the outside.  He can go full speed ahead and then immediately put his foot in the ground and halt, which usually leaves the cornerback very far behind. <strong>Terrell Anderson, 6’3" 185, Grimsley High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 9 catches, 160 yards, 1 touchdown. Terrell Anderson is your prototypical wide receiver that coaches and scouts love.  At 6’3" 185, he has a big frame with strong hands, and boy did he show that on Friday night.  There were numerous times throughout the game where it took 3 to 4 different defenders just to bring Anderson down.  Including his highlight play of the night, where Anderson took a simple curl route 65 yards to the house after shaking off his defender.  Anderson has the speed, size, and quickness to take on any defender thrown at him and he showed that Friday night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141270" first="Camarion" last="Thornton"], 6’1" 185, Myers Park High School</strong> <strong>Stats:</strong> 6 catches, 166 yards, 1 touchdown. [player_tooltip player_id="141270" first="Camarion" last="Thornton"] showed out for Myers Park on Thursday night. Averaging 28 yards per catch, while doing it in a myriad of ways.  At one point Thornton was able to take a slant pass to the house for a 78-yard touchdown. Simply out-running 5 different Hough defenders like it was nothing.  That’s what is special about Thornton, he can turn the gas on at any minute. Strong hands and a great route runner, look for Thornton to impress his senior year. <strong>Other Big Performances</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28637" first="Michael" last="Allen"], RB/WR, J.H. Rose High School</strong> - 10 catches, 207 yards <strong>Zimere Winston, WR, South Garner High School</strong> - 9 catches, 170 yards, 3 touchdowns <strong>Owen Finley, WR, Ledford High School</strong> - 8 catches, 116 yards, 1 touchdown <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="141273" first="Isaiah" last="Jacobs"], WR, Enloe High School</strong> - 8 catches, 114 yards, 1 touchdown <strong>Reginald Taylor, WR, Mount Island Charter</strong> - 6 catches, 107 yards, 2 touchdowns <strong>Parker Burke, QB, Cuthbertson High School</strong> - 12-17, 220 yards, 6 touchdowns <strong>Braden Hartsell, RB, West Stanly High School</strong> - 10 carries, 176 yards, 3 touchdowns <strong>Isaiah Mcneely, RB, Smoky Mountain High School</strong> - 22 carries, 154 yards, 3 touchdowns <strong>Derek Matthews, RB, Forbush High School</strong> - 24 carries, 159 yards, 4 touchdowns <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="28635" first="Omarion" last="Hampton"], RB, Cleveland High School</strong> - 9 carries, 158 yards, 4 touchdowns