Salpointe Catholic @ Hamilton: Defensive Standouts

In a 58-14 Hamilton victory, nearly everyone on the Hamilton defense balled out to stun a usual high scoring Salpointe Catholic offense. The Hamilton linebacker crew was nasty all night, as they held Salpointe to under 50 yards rushing and were able to generate huge pressure on [player_tooltip player_id="42798" first="Treyson" last="Bourguet"]. After a strong performances in the semifinals, take a look at 5 defensive standouts from the game:<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24526" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/06/Generic-Featured-Image-3-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /> <strong>Defensive MVP: Mo Sarnowski, LB, Hamilton (C/O 2021)</strong> Sarnowski racked up numerous tackles and was able to snag an INT and return it to the Salpointe Catholic 10 yard line to set up a Hamilton score. Salpointe didn’t have an answer for him, as he was frequently in the backfield throughout the night. Sarnowski showed excellent physicality and power and was able to record multiple sacks on [player_tooltip player_id="42798" first="Treyson" last="Bourguet"]. He was able to get heavy pressure on Bourguet, constantly forcing him out of the pocket. He recorded a number of QB hurries, and forced an intentional grounding call which would’ve been another huge sack. Sarnowski is a solid 6’2" 225lbs and with a good football IQ, and did a very good job at generating pressure through the gaps and outside the tackles. He did a good job of shedding blocks quickly to help with run support as well. He is an extremely tough and gritty kid, as he had bounced back from a number of injuries and continues to make plays on defense. He is a definite FCS level talent and will have another shot to rise his stock vs Chandler next week in the championship.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-64681" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4646-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="42605" first="Zachary" last="Lewis"], CB/WR, Hamilton (C/O 2021) Lewis was lockdown at CB and was able to record a pick six to completely stun the Salpointe Catholic offense. The Nevada commit was able to undercut an intermediate crossing route and return it 45 yards to the house in which he cut toward the sideline, stiff armed a defender, and showed a relentless effort to stay on his feet into the endzone. Lewis has very good technique with the ability to give cushion or be physical without drawing a PI. Lewis showed good ball skills and did a great job of reading Bourguet, which nobody has been able to do this season. He has good speed as he was able to run and stay on the hip of receivers and broke on the ball very well. Lewis is a scrappy CB, and will have a big matchup next week as he’ll get a chance to go up against a very talented Chandler receiving core. <strong>Austen Ruddle, LB, Hamilton (C/O 2021)</strong> Ruddle was another fly around player who was in the middle of everything. He recorded multiple sacks and hurries and was able to consistently generate pressure on Bourguet and get into the Salpoint Catholic backfield. He did a very good job of recognizing plays and meeting ball carriers at the LOS, in which he was a major part in holding Salpointe to under 50 yards rushing. One of his sacks pinned Salpointe Catholic by their own endzone, which forced a safety on a punt on the next play. Ruddle shows good instincts and reaction and took a solid track toward ball carriers and Bourguet all night to record numerous tackles. Along with Sarnowski, he also showed excellent strength and athleticism to bully around the Salpointe O-linemen. [player_tooltip player_id="42700" first="Victor" last="Zayas"], LB, Hamilton (C/O 2021)<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-74324" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/11/IMG_4412-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> Zayas was another regular face in the Salpointe Catholic backfield all night as he involved himself on sack with Ruddle and was able to generate solid pressure on Bourguet. Zayas had a huge hit on a shallow crossing receiver coming into his zone which was a big tone setter. Zayas played very complete, as he was able to show excellent play recognition and pursuit to make tackles, as well as the ability to drop in coverage. He did a good job reading Bourguet when dropping in coverage and reacted to the ball very quick to initiate immediate contact. He did an excellent job of putting pressure on Bourguet and disrupting the Salpointe offense, and will have to bring his best game next week against Chandler. <strong>Antonio Martinez, DB, Salpointe Catholic (C/O 2022)</strong> Martinez was able to snag an INT on the Hamilton 27 yard line to set up a Salpointe score. He did an excellent job of tracking the ball and tip-toeing in bounds with great body control. Although there wasn’t much success on the Salpointe defense, Martinez provided the only spark with his INT. He did a good job of running with the Hamilton receivers, as he didn’t allow a big gain on any passes. Martinez is a solid athlete for Salpointe, and shows good potential to be a ball hawk next season.