Rivals Recap: Eastside Ga. at Jonesboro Ga.
Even though it's only mid-September, Thursday night marked senior night for Jonesboro High School and the Cardinals welcomed in undefeated Covington (Ga.) Eastside for a key early season matchup. Led by four-star Clemson quarterback commit Zerrick Cooper and three-star Kentucky cornerback commitment Jordan Griffin, Jonesboro came away with a 43-14 victory.
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I was impressed with...
It was a banner night for Griffin, who starred on offense, defense and special teams. The three-star prospect had a great summer while starring for Cam Newton's 7-on-7 team and it seems like he's carried that confidence into the season. Last year at this time Griffin was much more passive as a defender, while on Thursday he was all over the field while showing a willingness to help in run support. In addition to excellent coverage on the outside, Griffin was his team's leading receiver and had several big plays in the return game, including a 65-yard kickoff return that came up just short of the end zone.
I was surprised by...
Jonesboro defensive end Calder Marria. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound converted basketball player was a terror on defense for the Cardinals. He was in the backfield on several plays, disrupting Eastside's quick passing offense and on one occasion batting a backward pass then recovering it and returning it for a touchdown. Later in the game he did the same thing on a forward pass and nearly came away with an interception. Marria's raw athletic ability makes him an intriguing prospect, especially as an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid.
Playing opposite of Marria, two-star prospect Joshua JamesClick Jordan GriffinClick While he caught the worst end of several matchups with Taylor, class of 2018 Eastside defensive tackle Lamarius BensonClick Colorado StateClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. offensive line commitment Jeffrey TaylorClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. spent the game playing guard, but said afterwards that the Rams plan to play him at center in college. During the game Taylor showed a nastiness when finishing blocks that will surely help him in his new role at the next level. Taylor said he doesn't have any other visits on the schedule outside of his official visit to Fort Collins, which is set for Oct. 10, when the Rams host Boise State.Here to view this Link. showed some intriguing potential. He already has good size (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) and with some added strength could become quite the force on the inside. He's a name to tuck away for later on in the process.Here to view this Link. Griffin maintained that he's solidly committed to KentuckyClick While he caught the worst end of several matchups with Taylor, class of 2018 Eastside defensive tackle Lamarius BensonClick Colorado StateClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. offensive line commitment Jeffrey TaylorClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. spent the game playing guard, but said afterwards that the Rams plan to play him at center in college. During the game Taylor showed a nastiness when finishing blocks that will surely help him in his new role at the next level. Taylor said he doesn't have any other visits on the schedule outside of his official visit to Fort Collins, which is set for Oct. 10, when the Rams host Boise State.Here to view this Link. showed some intriguing potential. He already has good size (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) and with some added strength could become quite the force on the inside. He's a name to tuck away for later on in the process.Here to view this Link., but also admitted several schools are still working to get him on campus for an official visit. One school to watch remains AuburnClick While he caught the worst end of several matchups with Taylor, class of 2018 Eastside defensive tackle Lamarius BensonClick Colorado StateClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. offensive line commitment Jeffrey TaylorClick Class of 2017 Eastside running back Eric StokesClick Thursday night was the first game Cooper played without a brace on his surgically repaired knee since suffering a torn ACL last year. Cooper showed no ill effects, and made several plays with his legs to extend plays or avoid defenders in the backfield. Cooper wasn't asked to do too much in the offense in terms of throwing the ball down the field, but he looked in control while serving as his team's signal-caller. Cooper said that FloridaClick Other thoughts...Here to view this Link. continues to push to get him to take an official visit to campus but he's still unsure if he will take the Gators up on their offer.Here to view this Link. had a good game as a receiver out of the backfield, going over 50 yards in receiving while also scoring a touchdown. As a running back Stokes struggled outside of a 23-yard gain on his first play from scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, Stokes has an upright running style that makes him a target for defenders. The question is where does Stokes' game project to the next level? It looks as if he could project to multiple positions, and surely there's a defensive backs coach out there that wouldn't mind seeing how his length and athleticism project to cornerback.Here to view this Link. spent the game playing guard, but said afterwards that the Rams plan to play him at center in college. During the game Taylor showed a nastiness when finishing blocks that will surely help him in his new role at the next level. Taylor said he doesn't have any other visits on the schedule outside of his official visit to Fort Collins, which is set for Oct. 10, when the Rams host Boise State.Here to view this Link. showed some intriguing potential. He already has good size (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) and with some added strength could become quite the force on the inside. He's a name to tuck away for later on in the process.Here to view this Link., although Griffin said he is no closer to making a decision on official visits outside of Lexington in the coming weeks and months.Here to view this Link. turned in a pretty big game of his own, recording several tackles for loss including a sack. James has offers from the likes of a Colorado State, Kent State and Western Kentucky and should find an FBS home before it's all said and done.
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