Big Man Standouts: Week Three (DL)

The trenches are often overlooked and underappreciated at all levels of football but the big boys need their fair share of praise too! They are what make the entire operation possible and arguably the most important positions on the team. Here are 10 defensive linemen that looked good on film from week three of high school football in West Virginia.   [player_tooltip player_id='370330' first='Melique' last='Lewis'] - University '24 DL   University big man [player_tooltip player_id='370330' first='Melique' last='Lewis'] is always a fun one to watch play. The 6'2 275 senior is very athletic for his size and believe it or not he sees a lot of carries as a traditional running back on offense too. Lewis had a productive game in a narrow loss to Brooke making four tackles with three of them going for a loss. He even picked off a pass after the Brooke quarterback was hit while he was throwing and Lewis flashed his athleticism returning it from his own 15-yard line to the Brooke 45-yard line. He's a handful at defensive end and has that prototypical athleticism and power that you're looking for in a defensive lineman. Lewis could slide inside at the next level and be a high-level college player in the interior.   [player_tooltip player_id='891267' first='Jamie' last='Riedel'] - Linsly '24 DL   [player_tooltip player_id='891267' first='Jamie' last='Riedel'] appears to have taken his game to a new level for his senior season and the Linsly defensive lineman was a terror in their loss to a very talented St. Francis DeSales (OH). From watching his highlights it looked like he was simply dominant in the interior of the line. Riedel made 11 tackles in the game with three of them going for a loss and many of them for little to no gain. Riedel is very quick for an interior lineman and also has the strength to push opposing linemen around. Through the first three weeks of the season, it certainly looks like Riedel is worthy of some D1 looks.   [player_tooltip player_id='891254' first='Quintin' last='Goins'] - Jefferson '24 DL   Jefferson defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='891254' first='Quintin' last='Goins'] is really starting to come into his own at the defensive end position and the 6'3 250 big man has put three really quality games together this season. Goins was at it again against an always-physical Spring Valley team and he was dominant. Goins is so quick off the end and is starting to become an elite pass rusher at the high school level. He does a really nice job dipping his right shoulder and arm under opposing offensive tackles and his athleticism does the rest. Through the first three weeks, Goins has accumulated 21 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 6 sacks while adding an interception this week versus Spring Valley.   [player_tooltip player_id='940669' first='Hayden' last='Nester'] - Frankfort '24 OL/DL   Big [player_tooltip player_id='940669' first='Hayden' last='Nester'] was tough to move in Frankfort's win over Class AAA Washington. The 6'2 300 senior was often double-teamed and rightfully so as he's a handful in the interior of the line. Nester is more of a gap filler lineman which is all you need from an interior lineman most of the time to free up gaps for linebackers. He did a nice job holding his ground and controlling the line of scrimmage in the game. Nester made several tackles but most importantly allowed his teammates to make plays too. Nester and the Falcons have a big week 4 road trip to fellow undefeated Class AA foe Weir High this week.   [player_tooltip player_id='370305' first='Seth' last='Currence'] - Tygarts Valley '24 DL   Tygarts Valley is having a tough start to the 2023 season but senior defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='370305' first='Seth' last='Currence'] has been steady as always in the Bulldogs' trenches. The 6'0 250 big man performed admirably in a tough loss to Webster County and made several nice plays from his interior defensive line position. Currence lined up primarily as a 3-tech and was physical with Webster County's left guard all game. He was able to make a couple of TFLs and several tackles in the game while controlling the left side of the Webster County offensive line. Currence is a solid D3 college prospect with pretty good size and strength.   [player_tooltip player_id='1119729' first='Michael' last='Hopson'] - Man '24 OL/DL   The Man Hillbillies have one of if not the best linemen groups in Class A this season and another standout big man for them is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1119729' first='Michael' last='Hopson']. Hopson could play on either side of the line at the next level but had a nice game on the defensive line against Westside in week three. He's a big boy at 5'10 290 and moved well for his size on film with some quickness to him. Hopson is built well and very strong which aided him in the interior where he can line up anywhere between a zero through three tech. He was very physical and got consistent penetration into the Westside backfield. His hands and block shed were good and Hopson put some good things on film in week three.   [player_tooltip player_id='894276' first='Justin' last='Parker'] - East Hardy '24 DL   East Hardy senior defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='894276' first='Justin' last='Parker'] is always a fun one to watch and a rare athlete at the Class A level with his combo of size and athleticism. Parker was creating some havoc on the right side of the Tucker County offensive line and was able to put some good pass rush reps on film from their spread offense. I'd like to see him be a little more physical in run defense but Parker harassed the Tucker County quarterback a good bit in the game and had a couple sacks and a few TFLs in the game. He also showed the athleticism to run down players from behind and down the field which was nice to see hustle.   [player_tooltip player_id='891262' first='Caleb' last='Kuhl'] - Winfield '24 DL   [player_tooltip player_id='891262' first='Caleb' last='Kuhl'] is always a steady presence for the Winfield defensive line and the senior defensive lineman showed some nice things on film in their 28-0 win over Chapmanville. It looked like Winfield was playing him at some 4/4i tech so he had to be more physical shading inside which Kuhl is plenty capable of. He's more of a 5-tech body type right now but Kuhl always plays so hard and physically. He's giving 100% effort on every snap and always running to the ball no matter where he is on the field. Kuhl is really quick and athletic and that was apparent in his week three highlights.   Claude Phillips - Musselman '24 DL   A new name on our radar is Musselman defensive lineman Claude "Phil" Phillips who is an interior lineman for the Applemen. The 6'2 280 senior comes to Musselman by way of Middletown (OH) for his final year of high school and is making an immediate impact for the Applemen. The heavyweight wrestler is a physical nose guard who faired very well against a very tough Morgantown team in a narrow 10-6 loss. Phillips can play zero or one tech and was demanding some double teams in the game. Although he may not have stuffed the stat sheet, Phillips did what he was asked to do and helped his teammates hold the Mohigans' offense to just 10 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='863383' first='Chris' last='Cox'] - Parkersburg '25 DL   Another new name to our radar is Parkersburg defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='863383' first='Chris' last='Cox'] who had a nice game in a blowout win over South Charleston in week three. Cox played both left and right defensive end in the game and is a smaller but quicker defensive lineman. The junior Cox is in the 6'1 225 range and a nice edge rusher at 5-tech. Cox did a nice job setting the edge and keeping contain against South Charleston while also showing the ability to pass rush and be physical in run defense. His first two plays were impressive with a rollout sack and a tackle on a muffed snap that led to a fumble return by a teammate.

The trenches are often overlooked and underappreciated at all levels of football but the big boys need their fair share of praise too! They are what make the entire operation possible and arguably the most important positions on the team. Here are 10 defensive linemen that looked good on film from week three of high school football in West Virginia.