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Rivals Recap: Rivals collide in Mid-Atlantic

With a nor'easter and Hurricane Joaquin bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic and
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northeast, two heated rivalry games took place Friday night and Saturday.
Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin hosted crosstown rival Harrisburg. Through the
pouring rain, Central Dauphin put up a big 50-6 win. On Saturday, Oradell (N.J.)
Bergen Catholic beat Big North rival Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic 27-21.
I was impressed with...
Rashan Gary played his best game of the year. To start the season, the
five-star defensive tackle has been playing at defensive end and has had mixed
results. Early in the game, he moved inside to his natural defensive tackle
position and was dominant. Gary was able to fight through double and triple
teams to make plays at the line of scrimmage and in the backfield. During
passing plays he was able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback and ended
up with a couple sacks. That's the type of performance people look for out of
the potential top recruit in America.
We talked about this earlier in the season, but the progress that
Tennessee commit Jarrett Guarantano has made since last year
has been outstanding. Last year, defensive pressure would throw off his game but
this year he stands in the pocket with poise and makes a good, accurate throw
despite knowing he'll get hit. His teammates noticeably rally around him more
this year than last year, and that's an important quality for a quarterback.
Guarantano also does a better job at reading the defense before the snap and
changing the play if necessary.
 
I was surprised by...
The Paramus Catholic offense has struggled to this point in the season, but
after their game on Saturday, it's clear that they are progressing. The running
game was a bit more effective and the interior linemen were much better at
protecting 2018 quarterback Allan Walters. In the offseason, Walters
and wide receive Donald Stewart put in a lot of work and their
connection was very evident on Saturday. Stewart hauled in two long touchdown
passes and without him making those two sensational plays, the game would not
have been close.
Many times, the hype surrounding a young player does not meet expectations, but
in the case of 2018 defensive end Micah Parsons, reality exceeded
expectations. In his game on Friday night, Parsons made an impact on nearly
every play for which he was on the field, even in the cold, pouring rain. The
6-foot-3, 235-pound Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin star is extremely agile for
a player his size, has great length, and plenty of room to add to his frame.
Parsons was bigger, faster, and stronger than anybody on the other team, but his
hand-techniques and playmaking abilities really set him apart. On one play he
had an excellent strip and fumble recovery, and later in the game he had a
fumble recovery that went for a long touchdown. Parsons only has a handful of
offers right now, but every major college football program will likely end up
offering him.
Other thoughts...
Harrisburg
is a talented team and the headliners, 2017 defensive end Damion Barber
and 2018 wide receiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts, can
definitely make an impact at the college level. Anderson-Butts had a few
opportunities to make big plays on Friday night but the slippery ball and windy
conditions wreaked havoc on deep passes. Barber did not have many opportunities
to make plays because the offense did a good job of scheming away from him.
Paramus
Catholic 2017 standouts Drew Singleton and Corey Bolds also
had very good games on Saturday. Bolds did not face double teams for much of the
game on Saturday and was able to come up with a couple big plays including an
important fourth down sack. Singleton was able to make plays from sideline to
sideline, but his biggest plays came when he was blitzing. The pressure he was
able to put on the quarterback disrupted the timing of the play.
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