The only sophomore to make today’s list, Maisano does a lot of things well at an early age for the Hillbillies. First off, Maisano probably played defensive line at one point because I immediately noticed him get hands on an oncoming blocker, peek to his assigned gap, and shed the block to make a play. No clip embodies this more than the 3:31 mark on his highlight tape. An impressive play we see Maisano read his keys, engage with the guard, fight the guard’s pressure – out leveraging him in the process – and makes a tackle for a minimal gain. Should he make it through the line untouched, Maisano possesses great closing speed on the ball carrier. A great tackler, I suspect he might recognize his gun reads slightly better than from under center. Maisano’s film will benefit from clips of him in coverage. Similarly, Maisano – again just a sophomore – would benefit from a great offseason in the weight room so he can jolt back oncoming linemen.

Maisano has been a frequent visitor to the weekly run-stuffers. In a tight and tough 14-7 loss against Hanover Park, the sophomore linebacker proved tough to get away from. In the contest Maisano made 22 tackles (13 solos) and 1 tackle for loss. With the conclusion of the regular season, Maisano was credited with 159 tackles.

Linthicum was only outdone by one player this week, a linebacker from Verona. In an utterly heartbreaking loss at Glen Ridge by a score of 8-7, Maisano led a tough Hillbilly defense that frustrated its opposition all game long. Maisano was a madman as he made 22 tackles in the game – 13 of which were solos. Additionally, Maisano made 4 tackles behind the line of scrimmage as well.

One Hillbilly had a throwback game this last week. With ample opportunity to stuff the run, Maisano showed out last week in a 35-14 loss against Mountain Lakes. Just a sophomore, Maisano was again atop the state leaderboard in terms of tackles with 21. He had about an even split of 10 solos to 11 assists.