Bearden Vs Knox. West Defensive Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 1st week of the 2023 season is finally upon us, and the Bearden Bulldogs faced off against the Knox. West Rebels. The game turned out to be a huge defensive battle between the two teams. It was a low scoring affair with the Rebels squeaking out a 14-10 win after being down for a majority of the game. There was plenty of talent for both teams defensively that played big roles in this game. After watching this intense game, here are biggest standouts on the defensive side of the ball for both teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Knox. West</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["864980"],"_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":"One of the biggest performers in this game for the Rebels was [player_tooltip player_id='864980' first='Ryan' last='Scott'], who closed out this game with an interception to seal it. He flew around the field all day and was constantly involved versus the run. His motor runs very hot and is an extreme competitor. Other than the interception, Scott made quality plays in coverage disrupting passing lanes and dislodging balls at the point of attack. Scott made multiple big tackles and was one of the games most impactful player.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["465287"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='465287' first='Anderson' last='Smith'] proved why he is one of the better players in the state of Tennessee in this game. Throughout the entire game, he showed instincts and toughness to be involved in almost every run stop. He was diagnosing concepts and shooting gaps to make tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. Defensively, Smith looked like a man on a mission, being constantly in the backfield of the Bulldogs.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["301377"],"_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='301377' first='C.J.' last='Smith'] was a dominant force in the trenches versus a very good offensive line for Bearden High School. Good disruption, he made big plays and showed a constant force at the line of scrimmage. Smith displayed a high motor to be involved in many tackles and helped shutdown the Bulldogs offense in the second half. One of the best players in the state made his presence felt in this one.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64e164d858469"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Bearden</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["934077"],"_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='934077' first='Cody' last='Clough'] made the biggest plays in this game for the Bearden Bulldogs. In the first quarter, Clough blocked a punt and gave his team phenomenal field position. Shortly after he made a big-time tackle for loss on a 4th and short situation, showing off his football intelligence and physical toughness near the line of scrimmage. For the rest of the game, Clough was consistently making tackles at or near the LOS for his team.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["800752"],"_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 linebacker for the Bulldogs that was constantly causing trouble for the Rebels offense was [player_tooltip player_id='800752' first='Kai' last='Ironside']. He got involved on all the runs the Knox. West offense was trying to run up the middle. Ironside showed good mental processing of run concepts and had a very good understanding of his run fits.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64e164d858505"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Front 7:</strong> The rest of the Bearden Bulldogs front 7 deserves a shout out. They held the Rebels offense to zero points in the first half and stopped the run pretty much the whole game. Collectively the front seven flew around the football field and caused chaos and disruption the Rebels backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->