3 Northern Indiana Gems In The 2025 Class

Sam Erman August 14, 2023 @ 11:37 AM

<p>We've got 3 players in Northern Indiana who are completely unpinned on the radar as of now, but that should change very soon!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='949698' first='Marco' last='Castro'] - Kankakee Valley - RB - 6'1" 200lbs</h2>   <p>Castro is coming off of an impressive sophomore season where he proved that he can handle a big workload, and then do quite a bit with the opportunities he's given. He's a downhill runner who does a good job finding his lane. He's able to stick his foot in the ground and get vertical. He's deceptively fast as well. He's a thicker back and can run through defenders, but they underestimate his speed and he gets the corner repeatedly. He's hard to bring down in a 1 on 1 situation and does a good job keeping his legs churning to pick up some extra yardage. 809 rushing yards and 11 TDs were fairly impressive number-wise, but it was the confidence he was playing with later in the season that makes him so dangerous. The light clicked during the game against North Newton and he never looked back. In the first handful of games, he put up 32 yards a game. Afterward, 119 yards per game and 1+ TDs a game. Castro heads into his junior year with all eyes on him to see if he can duplicate that level of play, or build upon it.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@Marco_Castro22</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='949699' first='Levi' last='Chaney'] - Garrett - TE/LB - 6'1" 225lbs</h2>   <p>Chaney is my favorite type of football player. The guy who shows up, is grimy as they come, doesn't care about glory, and is a good teammate. You can tell how much guys like him based on their reactions to him doing anything. He's physical, sets the tone for their defense, and then offensively brings that same edge. He's hard to bring down and will fight tooth and nail for every blade of grass on the field. He's a solid athlete and does a good job at TE using his size and strength. He's much more dynamic than you'd think at his size and does a great job accelerating after the catch. This past week during a scrimmage he had one of the most impressive catch and runs I've seen in a bit. He caught the ball, got to the sideline, stiff-armed a defender, missed another, stayed in bounds, and got into the endzone. I'd like to see him keep the ball high and tight, but that's my biggest critique of him right now. Last season he put up 14 receptions, 202 yards, and 2 TDs at TE. A solid season, and something he should easily build upon this year. On defense, he had 37 tackles, 2.5 TFLS, and 6 hurries. Chaney is versatile, dynamic, and just plain fun to watch and I'm now a big fan.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@LeviChaneyy</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='949700' first='Kail' last='Swager'] - Homestead - WR - 6'0" 175lbs</h2>   <p>Swager has done a good job developing and making plays as his number has been called. He's versatile which also really helps him get reps. He's returned kicks along with getting offensive work and he's never shrunk when called on. He's a shifty player who is really good in open space and can create some room of his own, likely why he's returned kicks and had success. Whether it be a 40-yard return or something short in the screen game, having the ball in his hands with space has been super effective for him. However, in a recent scrimmage, he was getting some work down the field and showing his range. He had a catch downfield where he got upfield and had to use his physical strength to fight through a tackle and get home for 6. Last year as a sophomore, he put up 13 receptions, 214 yards, and 2 TDs, but if the recent scrimmage is a thing of signs to come, Swager could be in store for a huge year.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@KailSwager</strong></p>

We've got 3 players in Northern Indiana who are completely unpinned on the radar as of now, but that should change very soon!