West Mecklenburg at Berry - Defensive Standouts

<p>In a battle between two Westside Charlotte high schools, the Berry Cardinals picked up their first victory of the season over the West Meck Hawks, 19-13. This was a big win for the Berry program after going 0-10 last season, and it shows progress is being made by the players and coaching staff, led by Head Coach Darius Robinson. There were some standout defensive players on both teams; let's take a look at them now.</p>    <p class="text-gray-700">KJ had a strong game for the Cardinals overall. He had a fumble recovery of a botched punt snap catch for a touchdown, which opened the scoring for the Cardinals. KJ also did a really good job in slowing the running game of the Hawks, forcing them to throw more in their offensive gameplan. Finally, KJ had an interception toward the end of the game that gave the Cardinals momentum to hang on for the victory. </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/pepman704/status/2090647510767300654 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Zaddik played both offensive line and defensive line for the Cardinals. I thought he did a good job on offense in the running game with his run blocking against the West Meck front. But on defense, his run stopping ability was strong. And to add on top of that, Zaddik had two big sacks to help end West Meck drives and force a punt. What's even more impressive is this is Zaddik's first year playing football. </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/pepman704/status/2090648513742778766 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Kaleb played a number of positions on the field for the Cardinals on Thursday Night, but his most important was playing the EDGE on the defensive line, where he showed some good pass rush ability and applied consistent pressure on the quarterback. Kayleb ended up with a sack in the game. He also did a good job in setting the edge in the running game, keeping the Hawks running attack in check. </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/pepman704/status/2090649278041444803 </div></figure>     <p class="text-gray-700">Amaree was full of big plays in this game for the Hawks in some critical situations. The senior made two impressive interceptions. The first one was down near the red zone for the Cardinals in the first quarter and helped swing momentum over the Hawks. Amaree showed an impressive vertical, high pointing the ball well. The second interception was in the end zone, and it would have been a 100-yard Pick 6 if not for a penalty on the play. In the 4th quarter, Amaree caught a deep ball against double coverage that setup a game-tying touchdown. He was a big reason why West Meck stayed in this game overall. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Martiques brought some juice and energy to the Hawks defense, and he did a good job in getting to ball carriers in the running game for the Hawks. I liked his speed and how he read and reacts quickly, trusting his eyes. Martiques also forced a fumble that was recovered by his defense in the 2nd half, ending a Cardinals drive that had entered West Meck territory. He will be an emotional leader for the Hawks all season long. </p>    <p></p>

In a battle between two Westside Charlotte high schools, the Berry Cardinals picked up their first victory of the season over the West Meck Hawks, 19-13. This was a big win for the Berry program after going 0-10 last season, and it shows progress is being made by the players and coaching staff, led by Head Coach Darius Robinson. There were some standout defensive players on both teams; let's take a look at them now.