2022 2A Regular Season All-State Team: Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 high school football season was an exciting one. There have been a lot of players that have stood out and jumped onto our radar this season in the state of Kentucky. Now that the playoffs are underway, I wanted to take a look back at some of the top players from the regular season in each class. With that in mind, I have decided to put together my All-State teams for each individual class. After covering 1A, I have turned my attention to the top players in 2A. As I have already covered the offensive side of the ball, here are my top defensive players in 2A from the 2022 regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["423621"],"_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_0_evaluation":"Starting off my 2A All-State defense, I have junior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='423621' first='Xavier' last='Campbell'] from Beechwood. Campbell stood out to me in my off-season evaluations this past summer and has continued to impress this year, accounting for 9.5 sacks in the regular season. Xavier plays with a very high motor, showing an explosive first step off the line of scrimmage and using his speed to blow right by offensive tackles. He also shows the pass rush moves to defeat blocks and strength to run right through them. Campbell keeps working until he gets to the quarterback and runs his feet through contact once he gets there to secure the sack. Against the run, Campbell shows the ability to get to the ball all over the field to make tackles in the open field. While Xavier doesn't currently hold any offers, I expect some to come for him going into his senior year as he has received a solid amount of college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["505842"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The next defensive lineman on this team is senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='505842' first='Gavin' last='Stephens'] from Prestonsburg. Stephens had a very impressive final regular season, finishing with 50 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles. He is a bit undersized in some cases at defensive end but does a great job of using his speed to his advantage to run right by opposing offensive tackles as a pass rusher. Once he gets to the quarterback, Stephens does a very good job of running his feet through contact to secure the sack. Against the run, Stephens does a great job of reading the play and getting to the ball. On his way to the ball carrier, he does a good job of shedding blocks and is a very reliable open field tackler once he gets there. Gavin doesn't currently hold any offers but should be on college radars as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["505843"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Another senior that impressed me on the defensive side of the ball this year was [player_tooltip player_id='505843' first='Blake' last='Houchens'] from Green County. Houchens lines up mainly in a stand up defensive end/outside linebacker role and is very dangerous as a pass rusher, finishing the year with eight sacks in the regular season. He also accounted for 54 tackles and 15 tackles for loss in the regular season. Houchins does a great job of timing the snap when rushing off the edge and taking off before the opposing offensive tackle has a chance to react. Once he gets to the quarterback, he finishes with a ton of physicality, running his feet through contact to make sure his presence is felt. He also has played as an off-ball linebacker and does a great job of filling his gap against the run. Houchins was also the team's leading rusher this season but I really liked what he was able to do on defense. Blake doesn't currently hold any offers but I believe that he deserves some attention from college coaches as he is a player that could make an impact at multiple positions at the next level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["490004"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='490004' first='Aveion' last='McAtee'] is a player that jumped onto my radar this season. He finished the regular season as the statewide leader in tackles with 177 (118 solo, 59 assists). He lines up at inside linebacker and does a great job of reading his keys and coming downhill quickly against the run. Once he gets to the ball carrier, he is a very physical tackler, running his feet through contact and making his presence felt on every tackle. When the play is away from him, McAtee does a good job of taking the right angles to the ball and is a very reliable open field tackler. Aveion doesn't currently hold any offers but should be on the radars of college coaches as he has the skill set to be a productive inside linebacker at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["490002"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Another senior linebacker that stood out to me this season is [player_tooltip player_id='490002' first='Bryce' last='Pugh'] from Leslie County. Pugh had a very impressive final regular season, finishing with 129 total tackles, 30 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Pugh played the middle linebacker spot for Leslie County and did a great job of reading his keys and filling his gap against the run with a sense of urgency. He does a great job of running his feet through contact to secure the tackle once he gets to the ball carrier. Pugh also does a good job of timing his blitzes against the pass to get into the backfield before opposing offensive linemen have a chance to react. Bryce doesn't currently hold any offers but definitely deserves attention from college coaches as he has the skill set to be a very good inside linebacker at the college level.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["373781"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"The final linebacker on my 2A All-State team is sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='373781' first='Vincent' last='Carrico'] from Owensboro Catholic. Carrico had an outstanding sophomore regular season, finishing with 139 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He plays inside linebacker and does a great job of reading his keys and getting to the ball. Once he finds the running lane, Carrico explodes through it and meets the running back in the gap, running his feet through contact and not allowing for any extra yards to be gained. He also is able to use his speed to fly all over the field to make tackles. Carrico doesn't currently hold any offers but he will definitely be a player to watch over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["386917"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='386917' first='Antonio' last='Robinson'] came to Beechwood as a transfer from Florida and made an immediate impact. He had a great season at corner, showing the ability to shut down his side of the field. Robinson showed outstanding man coverage skills with the ability to use his speed and athleticism to mirror the opposing receiver's route and stay in their hip pocket. When the ball is thrown his way, Robinson has shown the ability to fight across the intended receiver's body to break up the pass. He also has shown great ball skills with the ability to go up and catch passes at their highest point to come away with interceptions. Robinson has also shown the ability to come downhill and provide support against the run as he is a very reliable open field tackler. He also made a huge impact on offense as a wide receiver and as a returner on special teams but I like what I saw from him on defense the most. Antonio is committed to Wake Forest and I expect him to turn into a key player for them once he gets there.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["505844"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Another senior defensive back that stood out to me this season was [player_tooltip player_id='505844' first='Brody' last='Hunt'] from Butler County. Brody had a very impressive senior year, finishing the regular season with 38 total tackles and seven interceptions. Hunt plays corner and is very impressive in coverage with the ability to read his man and break on the ball with great timing. When the ball is in the air in his direction, he shows the ball skills to come away with the interception and the speed to take the interception the other way for a touchdown, returning one for a score this season. He also did a great job of coming downhill and getting off blocks to provide support against the run. Hunt also made an impact on offense as both a receiver and running back but I liked what I saw from him on defense the most. Brody doesn't currently hold any reported offers but he has received some college interest and has the skill set to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["505845"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"The next defensive back on this team is senior [player_tooltip player_id='505845' first='Austin' last='Volocko'] from Hancock County. Volocko had a very impressive final season at safety, finishing with 54 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and six interceptions. He showed great ability to sit back in coverage and read route combinations to put himself in a good position to make a play. Once the ball is in the air, Volocko does a great job of covering ground to break on the ball and catch interceptions in stride. After the catch, Volocko showed the ability to use his speed to return interceptions for touchdowns, taking two back for scores this season. He also does a good job of filling the lane to provide support against the run. He also made a big impact on offense as a receiver but I liked what I saw from him on defense the most. Austin doesn't currently hold any reported offers but definitely has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["505841"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Wrapping up my 2A All-State team is senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='505841' first='Quincy' last='Barber'] from Newport. Quincy had a very good final season at free safety, finishing the regular season with five interceptions. He has  the ability to read the quarterback's eyes to put himself in position to make plays. Barber has shown the ability to cover ground quickly when the ball was in the air to put himself in position to cut off passes. He has shown the ball skills to go up and catch interceptions at their highest point. Barber has also shown the ability to return interceptions for big plays, returning one for a touchdown this season. Barber was also the team's leading receiver but looked his best on defense in my eyes. Quincy is another senior without an offer that should be on the radar of college coaches as he has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit"} /-->