The 10 Top Tacklers in the LA City Section (Part 2)
The LA City Section has a complicated reputation because it features a generally small amount of schools in a large region. For example, the City Section only has four divisions. The Southern Section, which consists of LA, Riverside and Orange…
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Continue ReadingThe LA City Section has a complicated reputation because it features a generally small amount of schools in a large region.
For example, the City Section only has four divisions. The Southern Section, which consists of LA, Riverside and Orange Counties, has 14 divisions (which for the record, I think is too many).
City Section teams sometimes don’t fare well against Southern Section teams in State Regional playoffs, but some of them can hang. Last season, Reseda, which won the CIF City Section Division 1 championship, dominated Esperanza, who was a lower level champion in the Southern Section.
Former City Section powerhouse Narbonne has been known to beat some good teams from the Southern and San Diego Sections in Regional playoffs before.
Although there isn’t the depth in the City Section that the Southern Section has, there are very talented players in the City Section.
In September, I highlighted the top 10 running backs in the City Section.
Here is a link to part one of this story.
This month, I am highlighting the top returning tacklers in the City Section. This time, I am not ranking the players. They will be listed alphabetically by last name.
Saleem Marshall, Reseda, Linebacker, 2022
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 215 pounds
Analysis: The Reseda coaching staff clearly prepares well and puts a lot fo trust in Marshall up the middle. In the Regent’s Regional playoff game against Esperanza, they wouldn’t line up until Esperanza showed their formation and they often relied on Marshall to be the outside contain guy as a middle linebacker. He doesn’t have elite speed but he is aggressive and is often in the backfield before the play even finishes developing. He is a sure tackler who will bring down anybody he gets his hands on. Marshall had 93 tackles, 8 for a loss, a sack and 2 interceptions last season and earned First Team All-City Section Division 1 honors.
https://twitter.com/saleem_marshall/status/1269094498061021185?s=20
Tyron McDaniel, Gardena, Defensive End, 2021
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 225 pounds
Analysis: McDaniel had three sacks and seven tackles in Gardena’s CIF-City Section Division III championship win over Marquez of Huntington Park. There is very little film of McDaniel, who does not have a Hudl account or any social media, but multiple reporters attended that game and reported that he was the best player on the field and a major reason that Gardena won that game. He finished the season with 78 tackles, 24 for a loss, 10 sacks and 13 hurries. McDaniel’s teammate Daniel Wallace is also a fantastic tackler and Gardena’s defense is in really good shape heading into the season.
With 2:04 left, Tyrone McDaniel of Gardena gets his third sack. Marquez down 14-6. pic.twitter.com/rrNN1NCdhT
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) November 30, 2019
Iotamo Puni Jr., Carson, Linebacker, 2022
Analysis: If you thought McDaniel was hard to find information on, good luck finding a ton on Puni. His height and weight are unknown but you can tell he isn’t a very big guy, but he plays big against big competition. Carson only won one game on the field last season and played top teams in the Southern Section (Los Alamitos, Edison, Cathedral) and in the City Section (Narbonne, San Pedro, Banning) and Puni played well in those games. He is very aggressive, lays hits on guys in pass coverage and does not miss tackles. Puni received Second Team All-City Section Open Division honors.
These guys right here, two sophomores and a junior – Anakin “AK” Aupiu, Lotano “Juju” Puni, Damian Matagi. Trust me when I say they will live up to all the other great Linebackers that Carson has put out by the end of their high school careers! pic.twitter.com/oBpNmzMSg1
— Lauaki Manumaleuna (@ColtLove44) November 19, 2019
Miguel Sanchez, Eagle Rock, Linebacker, 2022
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 215 pounds
Analysis: Sanchez can play middle backer in a 3-4 scheme or outside backer in a 4-3 and he is equally as good of a tackler as he is in pass coverage. He had 104 tackles as a sophomore for Eagle Rock last season, which is the most of any returning player on the Eagles. He had 13 tackles for a loss, two sacks and an interception. His best game by far was in the CIF City Section Division 1 playoffs against Sylmar when he had 17 tackles and two sacks in Eagle Rock’s 26-13 win. Sanchez was named Second Team All-Northern League.
Alexander Vekic, Granada Hills, Defensive End, 2021
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 245 pounds
Analysis: Vekic is a big body defensive end who quite frankly is too big for some City Section tackles to block. He has the strength to stay at the line of scrimmage on double teams in the run game and the athleticism to get into the backfield. If he gets a hand on a running back or quarterback, they are not getting away. Vekic had 58 tackles, 11 for a loss, 14 hurries, 2 batted passes, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal as a junior for the Highlanders last season. He earned First Team All-City Section Division 1 honors and will put up big numbers during his senior season. He should garner some Division II and Division III college recruiting attention too.
Congrats to @GHCHS_UPDATES DL Alexander “Sasha” Vekic (1st Team) and OL Sal Ochoa (2nd Team) for being selected to the @CIFLACS D1 All-City Section teams. Well-deserved honors for a couple of hard-working kids. #WeAreGranada #Unstoppable #Unbreakable #OKGs 💚🏈 pic.twitter.com/KrPWWCXYxu
— Bucky Brooks (@BuckyBrooks) December 21, 2019