Monday, October 25, 2010

Dillon-Loris Game/Prospect Thoughts

I was on hand to watch the Wildcats defeat region foe Loris (6-2 entering the game) 35-6. Despite winning the last two AA state championships, Dillon came into this game with an 8-0 start for the first time since the 2004 season, which saw the Wildcats rip off a 14-0 start, only to fall to Belton Honea-Path in the AAA state final. Since 2004, Dillon has moved down in classification, but has struggled against Pee Dee powers Cheraw, Marlboro County, and Myrtle Beach. The Wildcats were 56-13 from 2005-2009, with 11 of those 13 losses shared between the aforementioned three teams. The 2010 season has seen Dillon exorcise those demons; the Wildcats have soundly beaten Cheraw and Marlboro County and removed Myrtle Beach from their schedule after the Seahawks scored the most points for a team visiting Dillon in memory.

This year's team might not be Dillon's deepest, but has the most high-end talent in years. It's been a while since Dillon has had a sure-fire FBS player (to my knowledge, Derrick Hamilton (Clemson) was the last).

Kwinton Smith, WR, (2012)- Despite only catching 3 or 4 balls, I was very impressed with what I saw from Smith. For starters, Smith passes the eye test. He's in the 6'4 range, has long arms, and is a bouncy athlete. Smith displayed great concentration, hands, and speed on a slant pattern, extending to catch the ball and finishing the play with an impressive spin move. He also showed willingness to block and even recorded a pancake on one occasion. I've seen some early film on Smith from this season, and I was surprised by his speed. There's no doubt in my mind that Smith is positioning himself along Gaffney's Quinshad Davis as the early favorites for the top receiver in South Carolina for the 2012 cycle.

DJ Park, OL, (2013)- Park, like Smith, passes the eyeball test. He has very little fat on his body, is solidly built, and moves very well. Park lined up at left tackle for the Wildcats, and played well for the most part, but is understandably raw from a technique standpoint. He has a tendency to block with his forearms, and like almost all young linemen, he doesn't yet realize how much more powerful he than his competition. Park is the early favorite for the top offensive lineman in South Carolina for the 2013 cycle.

Others from Dillon to watch:
Jabo Lee, RB, (2012)
Bryce King, OL, (2013)
Breden Alford, OL, (2013)
Tyquan Hayes, ATH/QB, (2011)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Big Junior Season for Solomon

Hemingway, SC 2012 athlete Jabril Solomon is in the midst of a great junior campaign.  The Tigers find themselves 8-0 thanks in large part to Solomon's play on both sides of the ball. Up to this point, Solomon has 30 catches (team has only completed 68 passes total) for 644 yards (21.46 avg), 10 receiving touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

Solomon had his best game to date last week versus cross-town rival Johnsonville. Check this stat line... 3 receiving touchdowns and 3 interceptions, with one returned for another touchdown.

Solomon gets credits for style points, too, with acrobatic catches becoming the norm on a weekly basis. This Hemingway team is very fun to watch and has one of the best defenses in the state, having only given up 20 points the entire season (five shutouts).

As a prospect, Solomon is obviously versatile, but at this point I like him a little more as a safety. He's long, has excellent ball skills, and isn't afraid of contact.

You can watch game highlights of Solomon and Hemingway here.

Monday, October 18, 2010

South Pointe-Fairfield Central Game/Prospect Thoughts

Last Friday, I made the trip to Winnsboro, SC to take in a big region match-up featuring two of AAA's top three teams. Fairfield Central came into the week undefeated, making this their biggest home game in recent memory. Having the consensus number one player in the nation for the class of 2011 coming into town certainly doesn't hurt, either.

The game, as a whole, was a very sloppy affair. I didn't keep count, but I'd say there were anywhere between 6-8 fumbles between both teams, with the majority being recovered by the defense. Both teams are going to have to improve throughout the rest of the season if they want to win a state championship.

South Pointe


Jadeveon Clowney, DE (2011)- Clowney didn't have one of his better games, by any stretch, but still made a huge impact, on both sides of the ball. Fairfield Central ran away from him on nearly every play and in passing situations would chip him with left guard and running back if he were to beat the left tackle. This wasn't a game where Clowney had a ton of sacks, in fact I don't recall him having one. Despite that, he still had some of his patented plays in pursuit. Clowney's biggest impact came as a situational B-Back in South Pointe's flexbone offense, finishing with 61 yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. It was boom or bust with Clowney carrying the ball, which is to be expected, considering he hasn't played a lot of running back. Apart from three 15+ yard runs (including the touchdown and another impressive run where he trucked two defenders) Clowney was stopped for short gains and had a fumble in the red zone. But hey, it's not every day you see a 6'6', 250 lb running back, especially at the high school level.

Gerald Dixon, DL (2011)- Dixon like Clowney didn't have his best game. With Fairfield Central running away from Clowney on nearly every play, Dixon saw a lot of action on his side of the field. Fairfield Central did have some success running right at Dixon and most of their 155 rushing yards were to Dixon's side. Dixon did step up when needed, though, and made a big stop on a pivotal 4th and 5 and had a sack that iced the game.

Montay Crockett, ATH (2012)- In a game that didn't have many explosive plays, at least offensively, Crockett provided two huge catches for South Pointe, including pivotal 25 yard touchdown where he beat man coverage on a post route. Crockett might not be as explosive as Neely or Hicklin, but he's consistent and continues to get better every time I see him.

Corey Neely, DB (2012)- Neely wasn't tested a bunch at safety, considering Fairfield Central's receivers only ran go routes and comebacks the entire game. Neely did affect the game with several nice kickoff and punt returns in addition to a big 11 yard run on 4th down on a drive that would result in South Pointe's first of two touchdowns.

Tay Hicklin, ATH (2012)- Hicklin had a rough night from his QB spot, only running for 9 yards on 7 carries and getting ejected in the second quarter for an altercation on the sidelines after a late hit. Under SCHSL rules, if a player is ejected, they must sit out the following game. South Pointe could appeal the suspension, but it would take pretty strong video evidence for that to happen.

Landon Ard, K/P (2011)- Ard showed a strong leg kickoffs, putting them in the endzone with relative ease. He also had nice hangtime on most of his punts, but did shank both a punt and a field goal attempt.

Fairfield Central


Ralph Cooper, LB (2011)- Apart from a fumble recovery and a few tackles, I didn't hear Cooper's name called much at all. Despite already knowing that he straddles the 5'11-6'0 mark, I still thought he looked short for a linebacker from where I was sitting.