6A State Championship Stock Up: Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The championship showdown between the Skyridge Falcons and Corner Canyon Chargers featured some of the state's top defenders. These four players made their presence felt on the biggest stage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dalton Young || DB || 6'0 || 175 || Skyridge High School || 2023 </strong><br>The Falcon's defense held the Chargers to seven points, and Young was instrumental in slowing down Corner Canyon's offense. He led Skyridge in tackles with 11 and had 1.5 tackles for loss. Young has excellent instincts and uses them to recognize plays and stop them for a minimal game. He was the last line on defense on some of the Charger's biggest runs, and he came up clutch on every stop. Young hits like a missile and excels at making tackles in open space. He plays the run like a linebacker and is an elite safety on the back end. Young's timely plays have helped his team reach the tile game, and his performance last Friday is one of the biggest reasons they emerged victorious.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deshawn Toilolo || DL || 6'1 || 225 || Skyridge High School || 2025 </strong><br>Toilolo is one of the best sophomores in the state and helped the Falcon's defensive line win the line of scrimmage. The defensive linemen has a great motor and fight through every block to get to the ball. Toilolo does an exceptional job spinning out of blocks and has the sideline-to-sideline speed to chase down plays from behind. He's an elite pass rusher who can win on the inside or outside. Toilolo is a surefire tackler who contained some of the Charger's most explosive players last Friday. Offensive linemen will often be forced to hold Toilolo from trying to prevent him from making plays, but more times than not, he's still able to get the tackle. His quickness off the snap is extremely impressive, and the 2025 defensive end is just getting started wrecking game plans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406974' first='Ian' last='Mariner'] || DL || 6'2 || 268 || Skyridge High School || 2024 </strong><br>Mariner has been the main man in the middle of the Falcon's defense all season. He's excelled at shutting down offenses, and that didn't change in last Friday's championship game. Mariner had two tackles in the Falcon's win, but that doesn't even begin to show his impact on the game. Mariner did a great job holding his gaps and standing up the Charger's offensive lineman to slow down their potent rushing attack. He explodes off the snap, tossing blockers out of the way before making plays in the backfield. His combination of strength and power gives him one of the state's best bull rushes, allowing him to collapse the pockets all game long. In addition, Mariner has active hands and uses them to gain leverage on offensive linemen and bat passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406868' first='Owen' last='Borg'] || LB || 6'2 || 190 || Corner Canyon Chargers || 2023 </strong><br>Skyridge has one of the state's best offensive lines and runs the ball as well as any team in the state because of it. But that was a difficult task against [player_tooltip player_id='406868' first='Owen' last='Borg'] last Friday. The future BYU Cougar led the Charger's defense in tackles with 14 and made his presence felt all game long. Borg helped hold the Falcons to just three combined points in the second and third quarters. He's tough between the tackles and fearlessly takes on blockers and fills holes. His speed is next level and allows him to beat backs to the edge on stretch runs. In coverage, he is complete command of the middle of the field, and if any quarterback tries to scramble, he makes sure they will regret that decision.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->