If you’re attending Friday’s game (6PM kickoff at SLUH), these are the 11 players you need to watch for.
SLUH
Senior Quarterback Pat Stein is doing a good job as the next man up, filling in for starter and sophomore Patrick Ramella, who sustained an injury in Week 2.
Stein is a dual-threat who’s thrown for nearly 500 yards with 4TD and1INT, but he really shines as a runner. He’s racked up 432 yards for nearly 5 yards per carry and 4 rushing touchdowns, most of which came running between the tackles.
Stein is able to operate thanks to his offensive line, led and anchored by Senior Kaiden Eleby, who Head Coach Adam Cruz has confirmed as his most consistent and meanest offensive lineman he has. Eleby also contributes on defense, adding 4 TFLs (tackles-for-loss) to his stat sheet.
Sophomore Receiver Tristen Johnson is a top target when the Jr. Bills go through the air. He leads the team with 18 catches for 287 yards and 2 TDs.
Senior Anthony Busby is the starting linebacker and wears the No. 8 uniform, bestowed to the heart and soul of the defense, voted on by his peers. Through 5 games he has 47 tackles, 7 TFLs, and 6 sacks.
Senior Linebacker Sam Yust lines up next to Busby, and is another formidable tackler in the second level. Yust has 42 tackles with 5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
And behind both of them is Senior Strong Safety Ben Yust, a guy with 42 tackles and 1 interception.
DE SMET
Junior Quarterback Chase Cooper is the man under center and he’s been having a great year so far: 1,335 yards through the air with 10TDs (3INTs). He threw for 487 yards and 3 TDs against CBC in a loss, and threw it 51 times in De Smet’s Air Raid offense. He’s thrown for at least 250 yards in 3-of-5 games so far, and threw at least 2 touchdown passes in each of his last four games.
De Smet’s also not afraid to deploy Junior Quarterback Ivory Brown for select plays as a passer or runner. In my opinion, it’s similar to the same way Florida used Tim Tebow on select plays (to replace starter Chris Leak) during the 2006 National Championship run.
Sophomore Running Back Malik Waters and Junior Running Back Cam Sharp are the two-man tandem in the backfield. Waters has been used more as a pure runner, while Sharp’s usage reminds me more of Marshall Faulk: a guy who can catch passes just as easily as he can carry the football.
Both men are above the 400-yard mark for the year. Waters has rushed for at least 100 yards and 2 touchdowns in each of his last 3 games, highlighted by a 196-yard, 5-touchdown night against Chaminade.
Senior Receiver Royce Searcy is the leading receiver on the team with a team-high 35 receptions, 497 yards and 5 touchdowns with 14.2 yards per catch.
Junior Linebacker Tyson Senseney is having a great season with a team high 10 TFLs and 8 sacks in 4 games. He’s a standup rusher on the edge and seems to have great outside contain.
Junior Defensive Lineman Ty Veltrop also has 4 sacks and 7 TFLs for the season, and does a great job blocking lanes.
Tim Godfrey is a video producer and writer based in St. Louis, telling stories about local high school football and college football.
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