Live look: Who stood out during Maine East at Highland Park
My second game from last weekend I attended saw the Maine East Blue Demons visiting the Highland Park Giants. Unfortunately for Maine East, this one was over early as special teams gave the Giants great field position and they cashed…
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Continue ReadingMy second game from last weekend I attended saw the Maine East Blue Demons visiting the Highland Park Giants. Unfortunately for Maine East, this one was over early as special teams gave the Giants great field position and they cashed in those opportunities for touchdowns. Not only that, Highland Park’s whole team seemed like they lived in the weight room during the extended offseason. Here were the players that stood out on both side during the Giants 58-7 victory. Reminder, make sure to click on the links for certain highlights from the game.
Maine East
2022 Offensive tackle #74 Yasir Alawadi (6’8” and 320lbs) @YasirAlawadi3
This was the first time I have gotten to see Alawadi in pads and he was just as impressive as I imagined. He was a pancake machine, Alawadi was cooking early. Unfortunately durning the first quarter he went down awkwardly, but tried to battle through and eventually his day was over early. It didn’t matter as I had seen enough, Alawadi is a monster on the line and that’s exactly why he’s already holding multiple P5 offers. He told me he’s good to go for this week, so expect Alawadi to continue eating this weekend.
2021 Safety #9 Graysong Gregorio (6’ and 180lbs)
Although Gregario plays linebacker for the Blue Demons, his playing future is at safety. He was very good at reading plays and showed that he could come up to the line and be run support. Gregorio has solid speed although his hips are a bit stiff, which is why he projects at the back end of a defense. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to speak with him so find out his current recruiting situation, but he’s got to skills to contribute to a team.
2021 Athlete #22 Ceasar Graham (5’9” and 185lbs) @CeasarCheech
Another Blue Demon that was most likely playing out of position was Graham. The starting quarterback obviously couldn’t get himself into a bad situation so playing defense was out of the question for the Maine East coaching staff. Graham is a safety like Gregario at the next level, and is extremely well build, but due to his size is close to maxing out his potential physically. I still think Graham could be an asset to a team after high school, he’s a guy worth monitoring.
2021 Defensive end #2 Emmanuel Belizaire (6’2” and 190lbs)
An injured ankle prevented Belizaire from really making an impact on the game, but he still showed enough for me to be intrigued. It’s just his second year playing football, so he is extremely raw. The frame is great, Belizaire has long arms and is fairly skinny, so there’s room to add good weight. You can tell he’s a basketball player due to that, but he’s got a skill set that translates over to the gridiron. I wish I got a chance to see Belizaire healthy, but I’ll be watching to see when he does.
Highland Park
2021 Linebacker #52 Erick De la Cruz
From the beginning of the game De la Cruz was all over the place making plays, and not just on defense. Another player I was unable to catch up with after the game, he’s got the speed, instincts and recognition to be a very good linebacker at the next level. Strong and active hands led to this fumble and since the Giants got out to such an early lead, De la Cruz didn’t get much run in the second half. It didn’t matter because I saw enough to be impressed.
2021 Quarterback #12 David Crane (6’1” and 200lbs) @davidcrane_
I was shocked to hear that Crane didn’t intend on playing football after he graduates, so I had to find out what his situation was. It has to do with the state not playing in the fall, as Crane didn’t have offers that fit where he wanted to head to at the next level. That shouldn’t stop any schools from reaching out to him, as he is more than talented enough to be a factor in someone’s quarterback room. A very good frame that enabled him to do a bit of everything, as he ran the ball extremely effective and was great at getting the ball to his playmakers. Get on this young man now, Crane needs to find a football home.
2021 Linebacker #53 Nate Cohen (6’ and 205lbs) @NateCohen53
The ‘backers for the Giants controlled much of the game, it’s because they’re well coached, play within the scheme, but most importantly are very good players. Cohen obviously falls into these categories, as his football IQ showed not just on on this play but on this one as well. With a late formation change on the offense, Cohen recognized he needed to shift over to the right side, shot the gap and made the tackle-for-loss. In one work impressive. Another ’21 that got less attention than he deserved due to a spring season.
2021 Athlete #26 Giovanni Volpentesta Giovanni Volpentesta 5'11" | 190 lbs | ATH Highland Park | 2021 IL (6’ and 195lbs) @gvolps3
I was Volpentesta a little over a month ago and I didn’t write about him due to other players who were in attendance that needed some extra exposure. The Grand Valley State signee has always impressed and this time was not different. He didn’t play much at all due to the significant lead the Giant had early, Volpentesta actually apologized for me not being able to see him play more. He had a few very good runs including this one before he was shut down. I didn’t need to see much of Volpentesta, GVSU got a really good one.
2022 Athlete #34 Evan Bloom @EvanBloom13
Upon reviewing my tape, it seemed like Bloom was making every single big play. I didn’t need to see it to know he was a big-time playmaker. Bloom shined on both sides of the ball, scoring on some very impressive runs and this pick in the second quarter.
@EvanBloom13 with another big play for a TD, HP 58 ME 0 4:55 3Q pic.twitter.com/7lRd2K1QM0
— "The" Mike F Chen (@MikeFChen) March 20, 2021
I’ve been thinking about where I would slot Bloom at the next level but I have yet to be able to come to a conclusion. One day its linebacker, the next running back. Whatever the next school he brings his talents to will just be happy Bloom’s on their team.
2022 Wide receiver #10 Anthony Nelson (6’1” and 190lbs) @Anthony15565231
The Giants didn’t really need to push the ball down the field, their run game was plenty for the Blue Demons to deal with. When they did throw, Nelson was the playmaker of the group. He turned this short pass, into a highlight reel score.
@Anthony15565231 with a great effort on this TD catch HP 44 ME 0 pic.twitter.com/lvqaVVD32v
— "The" Mike F Chen (@MikeFChen) March 20, 2021
It was an extremely impressive effort from Nelson. He’s a player to watch develop the rest of this year and into next fall.
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2022 Linebacker #55 Jason Gleyzer @GleyzerJason
Waves and waves of solid linebacker play from the Giants, Gleyzer was another one of them. When he got his chance with the second team, Gleyzer showed that the depth is impressive for the Giants. He made multiple plays, including this one. Another guy that I need to see more of, but I’m excited to see how he progresses.
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2022 Wide receiver / punt returner #9 Shameer Wilkie (5’11” and 160lbs) @shameer_wilkie
Again the Giant’s didn’t do much passing so Wilkie had to shine somewhere else. That place was on special teams, as this return was one of the many highlights of the afternoon for Highland Park. I still need to see more but Wilkie is now on my radar.