Del Oro Vs. Granite Bay Preview: Players To Watch

The SFL is one of the most competitive leagues in all of Northern California and across the state with teams battling it out every Friday night. High school players all across the state have been patiently waiting to enter their respective seasons and are eager to put the pads on and compete in the coming weeks. Here, we will break down some of the top players from Granite Bay and Del Oro High School that are clashing in week 1 of the California high school football season next month.   LB Jacob Birch-Del Oro A tough and physical linebacker, Birch is a tackling machine that displays good closing speed and is a strong tackler in the box and while in space. Taking good angles to ball carriers and able to blitz from various different spots on the defense, Birch will continue upon his good Junior campaign for the always tough Del Oro team.   RB/LB Logan Foster-Del Oro A physical downhill runner, Foster plays with a good initial burst and low pad level through traffic, while being able to break arm/ankle tackles while showing good balance and vision. A compact and well built prospect that is a lot faster than he looks, Foster is a tough and versatile player that will cause defenses problems through out his Senior season.   QB Ryan Lewis-Del Oro Only a Junior, Lewis is poised for a big season and will look to lead the Del Oro squad through the six game season. During his Junior season, Lewis played with a strong pocket presence and the ability to throw his receivers open downfield and working through his progressions. Very athletic, he also showed the ability to throw on the run and across his body with good zip and velocity while also being a threat while using his legs.   OL/DL Akio Martinson-Del Oro Martinson is only a rising Sophomore but has a dominating interior presence across both sides of offensive and defensive lines. Having an extremely strong build, Martinson is very athletic for his size and wins with leg drive, power and the ability to finish blocks with violence. Displaying first step quickness and pass rush ability due to heavy use of hands and pad level, Martinson will be one of the most dominating lineman in the entire Sacramento area ver the next three years.   WR/DB TJ Wilson-Del Oro A very active and rangy player, Wilson is a natural third level defender with good length and natural instincts at the position. Displaying good ball skills and breaking well to ball carriers and bringing good thump upon contact, he is also fluid in space and and athletic enough to cover the deep third and out-breaking routes.   QB Kyle McCormick-Del Oro One of three very strong quarterbacks for Del Oro, McCormick is a well rounded pocket passer that can throw into tight windows and stands tall in the pocket while under pressure. Possessing a quick release and the ability to throw across his body, he will compete for the starting job with Ryan Lewis and Logan Stough during the 2020-2021 season.   OL/DL Malachi Scott-Del Oro A stout and physical 3-tech and fullback, Scott is a jumbo athlete that has quick first quickness and sets his hands in a hurry while playing with low pad level and a strong initial strike. Also displaying surprisingly good closing speed and playing with great physicality and toughness, Scott will help anchor the defensive line for a tough Del Oro squad.   WR/DB Maclain Stoneking-Del Oro A long and rangy player, Stoneking can impact a game in all three phases as he possesses good open field speed, short area quickness and vision in traffic with the ball in his hands. While also having a big catch radius, he can win on 50/50 balls and is a true vertical threat due to his top end speed and tracking ability.   ATH Logan Stough-Del Oro A veteran leader at quarterback, Stough can efficiently push the ball vertically and has great speed and agility for the quarterback position while also posing as a running threat. Able to throw into tight windows from 25+ yards downfield, and having a strong understanding of pocket pressure, Stough is looking to build off a solid Junior season.   OL/DL Brian West-Del Oro Helping anchor the offensive line for his Senior season, West is a versatile player that can play anywhere along the offensive line and is a powerful and compact player that can sustain blocks at the first level and is smart and instinctual in pass pro while athletic enough to pull and block in space and at the second level.   OL/DL Vincent Carter-Granite Bay One of the most dominating lineman in the entire Sacramento area, Carter has an ideal frame for the next level and is very athletic for the position. During his Junior season, he showed good first step quickness and was patient in pass pro with a strong punch and finished blocks with good physicality while being able to reach and block in space while keeping a good base and overall pad level.   ATH Bo Hannum-Granite Bay One of the most explosive and versatile returning playmakers in the SFL, Hannum is a physical runner that gets North and South in a hurry while running behind his pads and has a natural forward lean. On defense, Hannum can play anywhere on the back two levels and is comfortable in space, while able to drop into the box and fill with strong tackling ability and bringing a good thump upon contact.   OL/DL Ben Newman-Granite Bay The 2019 First Team All league player is a dominant force along the defensive line and is poised for another big year this Spring. Projected as a possible 3-4 DE or a 3-tech at the next level, Newman is a high motor player that has good first step explosion and sets his hands in a hurry while getting inside hand placement and winning with use of hands/power to get off blocks and fight double teams/reaches. A very balanced and sound defensive lineman, Newman will anchor both sides of the ball for the Grizzlies this season.   RB/LB Cole Roth-Granite Bay A very active and athletic linebacker, Roth has good overall speed and closes in a hurry while taking good angles to ball carriers in space and can apply pressure from any angle of the defense. Another tough and physical Granite Bay player, Roth has great natural instincts and is a high IQ player that plays with a good motor.   WR/DB Christian Perry-Granite Bay One of the top returning receivers for Granite Bay this season, Perry is a longer athlete with tremendous ball skills and is a true vertical threat with good long speed and high point ability in traffic. A naturally instinctual player, he is fluid in his pack pedal and can flip his hips and recover well while breaking well to the ball and tackling in space.