Ironwood @ Desert Mountain: Defensive Standouts
In a 35-30 offensive sided game and an Ironwood win, there were some players that were able to make a notable impact on defense. The first half was a huge struggle for Ironwood, as they couldn’t stop the ground and…
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Continue ReadingIn a 35-30 offensive sided game and an Ironwood win, there were some players that were able to make a notable impact on defense. The first half was a huge struggle for Ironwood, as they couldn’t stop the ground and pound of Desert Mountain’s Zack Kilburg. Then after the half, Desert Mountain had no answer for Ironwood’s Will Haskell Will Haskell 6'4" | 200 lbs | QB Ironwood | 2021 State AZ . In the end, there were a handful of guys that were able to come up with big stops and showed solid flashes of talent. Take a look at 5 defensive standouts from Friday night:
Defensive MVP: Caleb Taylor, LB, Desert Mountain HS (C/O 2021)
Taylor was everywhere Friday night and involved himself on what seemed like every play. He was consistently forcing Haskell out of the pocket and was in his face all night. Taylor showed good instincts and has excellent range at the LB position. He was able to stop screens and outside runs at the opposite side of the field. Taylor even racked up an INT that set up Desert Mountain on Ironwood’s 34 yard line. He has a good football IQ and showed excellent play recognition. Taylor did a great job of shedding blocks to make plays, and was too fast for the Ironwood linemen to get any leverage on him while blitzing. Taylor was a fly around player and an excellent leader for Desert Mountain, and should see his recruiting spike up soon with NAIA-D2 schools.
Sebastian Fiery-Hardimon, DB/WR, Ironwood HS (C/O 2021)
Fiery-Hardimon was the most clutch defensive player of the night. He stepped up huge in the second half, as he was able to aid in run support and help put a stop to the Desert Mountain run scheme. In coverage, he faced a stud Desert Mountain WR in Rogan Freeburg Rogan Freeburg 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Desert Mountain | 2021 State AZ , and was able to lock him up completely in the second half to prevent any big plays. He had multiple PBU’s in which he saved from being first downs. He was even able to rack up a couple TFL’s, one coming inside the the 6 yard line. With around 10 seconds left while up 35-30, he was able to sack Desert Mountain QB Aiden Cerullo to seal the comeback win for Ironwood. Fiery-Hardimon has been getting solid attention from D3-D2 programs, and should definitely rack up more offers after his performance in a big time game on Friday night.
Eli Mackowski, LB/P, Desert Mountain HS (C/O 2021)
Mackowski was a tackle machine all night as he was able to bring down Ironwood’s ball carriers. He did a great job of limiting Ironwood’s speedy athlete Elijah Sanders Elijah Sanders 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Ironwood | 2021 State AZ on the ground, as he showed good reaction and pursuit. He is a gritty kid and was flying to the ball well. He showed good play recognition and was able to constantly pressure Haskell to force him out of the pocket along with Caleb Taylor. Mackowski has been a D3-NAIA prospect and will continue to grow his offer list in the off season. He is a high motor kid with big potential and should definitely be a defensive target for any D3-NAIA coach.
Anthony Pescatore, LB, Desert Mountain HS (C/O 2021)
Pescatore was another LB standout for Desert Mountain as he proved to be very hard nosed player. He showed excellent speed and quickness as a pass rusher and was able to get around the Ironwood tackles to pressure Haskell. He had a big sack on 3rd and goal which pushed Ironwood back out of field goal range to prevent a score in that drive in the first half. Pescatore showed a good POA on ball carriers and was an excellent at recognizing and filling the gaps on runs. He could definitely see some D3-NAIA offers rolling in, as he can transition nicely to an outside linebacker at those levels.
Hunter Forsberg, LB, Ironwood HS (C/O 2022)
Forsberg was able to step up in the second half and finally put a stop to the Desert Mountain ground and pound. He had a tough time in the first half with a couple mental mistakes and missed tackles, but responded to adversity very well to help plug up the holes. He recorded a TFL in the 4th quarter which helped Ironwood get the ball back, and that served as a clutch play from that point forward. At 6’0″ 200lbs, Forsberg was able to use his size to overpower the smaller jittery Desert Mountain RB Zack Kilburg. He will have to step up big next week to contain an explosive Notre Dame Prep offense.