2023 St. Charles County Players to Watch: ATH

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head into the middle of June, the 2023 high school football season is quickly approaching. With that in mind, it is time to start previewing what lies ahead in the upcoming season. While there is a lot of talent spread throughout the state of Missouri, an area that I believe gets overlooked at times from a football standpoint is St. Charles County. This area isn't in the headlines as much as schools in cities like St. Louis or Kansas City but there is still a ton of talent to be seen. With that being said, I have started a “St. Charles County Players to Watch” series. After covering the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, I will wrap up this series with some of the top players in the area that play multiple roles for their teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["188583"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='188583' first='Jude' last='James'] is one of the best athletes that I've evaluated in the entire state of Missouri. He plays a key role on both sides of the ball for Francis Howell. On offense, James is a very dangerous deep threat on the outside. Last season, he caught 27 passes for 584 yards and six touchdowns. James has the athleticism to go up and catch passes at their highest point and the speed to make big plays after the catch. He also scored one rushing touchdown last season. James is also a very skilled safety on defense, finishing his junior year with 119 tackles, one fumble recovery, and four interceptions. He is a ballhawk in the secondary, showing the ability to read the quarterback and break on the ball with perfect timing to come away with an interception. Jude holds several Division I offers and I expect more to come his way as he is a truly special talent.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["126277"],"_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":"Another incoming senior from Francis Howell that is high on my radar is [player_tooltip player_id='126277' first='Kendall' last='Gurley']. Gurley plays a huge role on both sides of the ball. He is a dangerous weapon on offense, doing most of his damage out of the slot. Gurley is able to uses his speed to create separation in the deep passing game and to run away from the defense after the catch. Last season, Gurley caught 16 passes for 228 yards and five touchdowns. He also showed that he can be a reliable ball carrier, finishing his junior year with seven carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Gurley is also a dangerous returner on special teams, returning multiple punts for touchdowns last season. On defense, Gurley is a very reliable corner that thrives in zone coverage. As a junior, Gurley finished with 21 tackles and four interceptions. Kendall doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["130183"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='130183' first='Mason' last='Burke'] is another talented incoming senior that plays on both sides of the ball. Burke does most of his damage at defensive end, finishing this past season with 54 tackles,  three sacks, and four fumble recoveries. He is very impressive against the run, showing the ability to fight through blocks and get to the football with a sense of urgency. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Burke is a very reliable tackler in the open field. On offense, Burke is a physical, downhill runner out of the backfield, showing the ability to break tackles without losing stride. He finished his junior year with 32 carries for 156 yards and a touchdown. Burke currently holds offers from Murray St and Western Illinois, and I expect more to come his way as he is a Division I caliber prospect.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["226154"],"_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='226154' first='Amir' last='Purdy'] is a player that recently jumped onto my radar. He is a very dangerous weapon on the offensive side of the ball. Purdy does a lot of his damage out of the slot, finishing this past season with 31 receptions for 277 yards and two touchdowns. He has shown the ability to use his speed to blow by opposing defensive backs in the deep passing game. Purdy also has very reliable hands and is able to use his speed and elusiveness to turn short passes into big plays. He also has shown the ability to serve as a ball carrier, finishing this past season with 26 carries for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Amir is also a reliable safety on defense, finishing his junior year with 59 tackles, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions. He does a great job of defending the pass but he is also very impressive against the run, showing the ability to fill the lane and finish his tackles with a ton of physicality. While Amir doesn't currently hold any offers, he definitely deserves some attention from college coaches as he has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Xavier Goodall","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Fort Zumwalt East","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Xavier Goodall is another intriguing athlete that has jumped onto my radar recently. He does most of his damage on offense as a ball carrier, running the ball 99 times for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. Goodall was lined up at quarterback a lot of times to just take direct snaps and use his speed and elusiveness to make big plays on the ground. He also showed some ability as a target in the passing game, catching 17 passes for 144 yards last season. On defense, Goodall lines up at defensive back and finished this past season with 39 tackles and one interception. He has the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing against the pass to make plays and also has the ability to come downhill to make tackles against the run. Goodall also has proven to be a very dangerous threat on special teams as a returner. Xavier doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player to keep an eye on this season.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["171963"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='171963' first='Kaleb' last='Mays'] is an impressive two-way player that caught my attention this past season. On offense, Mays is a very dangerous receiver, finishing his junior year with 33 receptions for 575 yards and eight touchdowns. He is able to use his speed to blow by opposing defensive backs on the outside in the deep passing game and to run away from the defense after the catch. Mays is also very impressive on defense. He is a lockdown corner on the outside, showing the ability to mirror receivers in man coverage and break on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Mays also is a very reliable tackler in the open field, finishing his junior year with 36 tackles. He has also proven to have value on special teams as a returner, returning one kick for a touchdown last season. Kaleb doesn't currently hold any offers but he has received some college interest and definitely has the talent to play somewhere at the next level.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Jackson Carruthers","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Orchard Farm","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Jackson Carruthers is a two-way player that has caught my attention recently. On offense, he does most of his damage out of the slot, finishing his junior year with 43 receptions for 537 yards and two touchdowns. He has very reliable hands and has shown the ability to make tough catches through contact. Carruthers also has shown the ability to use his speed and elusiveness to pick up yards after the catch. On the defensive side of the ball, Carruthers plays a key role at outside linebacker, finishing this past season with 112 tackles and one fumble recovery. He does a great job against the run, reading the play and getting to the ball in a hurry. Once he gets to the ball carrier, Jackson has proven to be a very reliable tackler in the open field. Carruthers doesn't currently hold any offers but will definitely be a player to keep an eye on during his senior year.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1124958' first='Jorden' last='Matlock']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Orchard Farm","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Another athlete from Orchard Farm that has caught my attention is incoming junior [player_tooltip player_id='1124958' first='Jorden' last='Matlock']. Jorden played a key role on both sides of the ball as a sophomore. On offense, he lined up in the slot as a receiver and caught 32 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. He is a big target with the ability to make tough catches and traffic and pick up yards after the catch. Matlock also proved to be a reliable ball carrier, running the ball 41 times for 173 yards and a touchdown this past season. On defense, Matlock is a very impressive safety, finishing this past season with 36 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and six interceptions. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to come away with an interception. Jorden doesn't currently hold any offers but he will definitely be an intriguing player to watch over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-648b8fcab3f51"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->