North Coast Section: Standout Sophomores To Watch
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There are some young kids making a name for themselves in the North Coast Section. As freshman last season, these kids were able to step up and produce at the varsity level, two of which coming from the same school.…
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Continue ReadingThere are some young kids making a name for themselves in the North Coast Section. As freshman last season, these kids were able to step up and produce at the varsity level, two of which coming from the same school. There’s no doubt these kids are developing nicely, so take a look at 5 sophomores to watch:
Rashid Williams Rashid Williams 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Pittsburg | 2023 State CA , ATH, Pittsburg HS
Williams flashed serious talent as a Freshman last season. He shows a good twitch with quick hands to get a clean release of pressed CB’s and transitions into his route well. Williams has shown excellent body control, adjusting his body in different ways to haul in athletic catches and keep a foot in bounds. He did a good job catching balls in traffic and proved to have reliable hands. For a kid that’s 6’2″ 180lbs, he shows a large catch radius and wins contested balls. He does a great job as a blocker, utilizing his length to stay on blocks to create clear paths for ball carriers. He already holds 6 D1 offers from Arkansas, Utah, Arizona State, Oregon State, Cal, and San Jose State.
Kai Hall Kai Hall 5'8" | 175 lbs | RB Saint Vincent de Paul | 2023 State CA , RB, St. Vincent de Paul HS
Hall was electric as a freshman, dominating on the ground showcasing serious big play ability. He shows excellent lateral agility and vision, frequently utilizing a cutback to take them for long TD’s or big plays. He has a good initial burst then accelerates through holes nicely. He showed solid second level speed as a freshman and the ability to be shifty in open space, oftentimes making opponents miss. Hall holds massive potential and is a 2023 kid that could have a breakout season.
Nathan Rooks, LB/DB, St. Vincent de Paul HS
Rooks is another young standout from st. Vincent de Paul. He has an athletic frame at 6’0″ 205lbs, and is a fly around player. He has solid ply recognition and and did a good job shedding blocks overall to make plays. HE has good short area quickness to cover ground in the run game, and started to show solid lashes of a strong POA. HE has a good striking ability, as he is developing into a legit tone setter. Rooks has the potential to develop into a threat at the LB position this season.
Santino Acevedo, LB, Cardinal Newman HS
Acevedo stepped up big for Cardinal Newman as a freshman. He showed good pursuit and closing speed to make plays on ball carriers. He did his best work as an edge rusher, as he showed a solid initial get off with quick, athletic hands to swipe off OT’s to involve himself in the backfield. He was very effective in blitz packages for Cardinal Newman as well. Acevedo is developing nicely into a slid LB, and should see a bigger role going forward.
RJ Loftin, RB/LB, Del Norte HS
Loftin could be a sneaky sophomore to watch. In a Wing T offense, he played wing and showed to be effective on the ground or through the air. He has efficient speed to break into the second level, and showed the ability to be shifty in open space and make opponents miss. He stretched the field well in the pass game and usually got a clean release from the wing. He did a great job blocking in the second level to help ball carriers spring loose for big plays. He played LB as well, but definitely did his best work as a wing back.