Top Performers: Cincinnati Crosstown Showdown
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Recruiting Wrap: Cincinnati, Illinois, Miami of Ohio and
Toledo have all extended offers to Riep.
Performance: If Saturday night's performance is any indication, Riep could be
solidifying himself as one of the top defensive back prospects in Ohio's 2017
class. The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback had a tough cover of a 6-foot-3,
200-pound receiver, but dominated the duel, recording two interceptions. The
first was in his own end zone and ended a promising Warren Central drive. The
second was a one-handed snag on a ball rifled over the middle of the field. Riep
also showed outstanding open -field tackling, and is a player whose stock should
be on the rise this fall.
3
QB
Sean Clifford (2017)
Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier
Recruiting Wrap: Penn State landed Clifford's commitment in July.
Performance: Clifford was extremely efficient in St. Xavier's throttling of
Covington Catholic Friday night, completing 9-of-11 passes for 102 yards and two
touchdowns before coming out of the game for good before halftime. Despite the
clean stat sheet, Clifford did look a little over-amped to start the game. He
quickly settled down, though, and threw a precise football with plenty of zip
all day. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound prospect made good decisions with the football
and even showed some escapability.
4
ATH
Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain
Recruiting Wrap: Jones holds close to a dozen offers. He lists no favorites and
has not scheduled any official visits. Cincinnati, Louisville and
West Virginia are three schools he said were likely to receive official
visits.
Performance: Jones was the bulk of Colerain's offense Saturday night, scoring
rushing touchdowns from 37 yards out, 34 yards out and, the clincher, a 77-yard
touchdown run with less than a minute left. Jones plays quarterback for
Colerain, but at just 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds he is headed for the slot
receiver or cornerback role in college. There is no doubt Jones is elusive in
the open space and his 77-yard touchdown scamper showed he has plenty of wheels
as well.
5
ATH
Jarell White (2017)
Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle
Recruiting Wrap: White holds offers from Cincinnati, Illinois and several MAC
programs. He will visit Michigan State on Sept. 12.
Performance: The new coaching staff moved White to safety before the season,
despite rushing for over 1,500 yards as a sophomore. And, the four-star prospect
still managed to score two touchdowns and win game MVP honors. He started the
scoring with an 85-yard punt return that showed off both his speed and agility.
Still, LaSalle did not get White his first carry until the second half. He
immediately reeled off 10 yards after breaking a big tackle at the line of
scrimmage, and punched in a two-yard touchdown later in the half.
6
OT
Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain
Recruiting Wrap: Niehaus committed to West Virginia in July over a half dozen
other offers.
Performance: Niehaus played tight end as a junior, and he saw several reps at
that position on Saturday night as well, though strictly as a blocker. West
Virginia is bringing the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder in as an offensive tackle.
Niehaus has the length to play tackle in college and the frame to add bulk,
which is needed. Niehaus lacks a little in the strength department, but his
technique is outstanding and he is an ultra-aggressive run blocker. With his
background, it is not surprise he is a plus-athlete for the offensive tackle
position.
7
LB
Carmel, Ind.
Recruiting Wrap: Burks committed to Wisconsin in June.
Performance: The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Burks will line up everywhere from
defensive end to nickel cornerback on Carmel's defense. He does a good job in
that SAM linebacker role of being stout at the point of attack and containing on
the edge. Burks proved to be a sure tackler on the extremely elusive Larkin,
registering several solo tackles including a couple in the backfield. Overall he
had a very consistently impressive showing against an explosive LaSalle offense.
8
RB
Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle
Recruiting Wrap: Cincinnati kept Larkin at home, adding his commitment in June.
Performance: As a junior Larkin accumulated over 2,500 rushing yards for a state
championship team and it looked like the momentum would carry over after he
sliced through the Carmel defense on LaSalle's first drive, accumulating over 50
yards of total offense and eventually scoring from two yards out. After that,
though, the Carmel defense adjusted and was able to bottle him up pretty well
throughout the rest of the game. Larkin is the prototypical all-purpose back who
will split out as a wide receiver on some plays, but also has the toughness to
run between the tackles.
9
OL
Matt Bockhorst (2017)
Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier
Recruiting Wrap: Bockhorst is close to double-digit offers, with visits to Penn
State, Notre Dame and Tennessee upcoming.
Performance: Like Clifford, Bockhorst had plenty of enthusiasm coming into this
game, but the offensive line gives him a better outlet to direct that energy. He
holds down the left tackle position on the Bomber's offensive line, but is
headed for the interior of the offensive line in college where his 6-foot-5,
297-pound frame is better suited. Bockhorst has strong hands and once he locked
onto a defensive linemen was able to control him to the whistle. He does have a
tendency to overextend, but continued development and discipline should take
care of that.
10
TE
Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier
Recruiting Wrap: Davis committed to Michigan State in April.
Performance: Davis played even fewer minutes than most of the Bomber's starters,
coming out of the game midway through the second quarter after suffering what
looked to be a shoulder stinger earlier in the game. In the time he was on the
field, though, Davis impressed. There are few tight end prospects who look the
part more than the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Davis and he brings good athleticism to
the position as well. He caught two passes for the game, including a seven-yard
touchdown grab.
11
OL
Emil Ekiyor (2018)
Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral
Recruiting Wrap: Ekiyor holds six early offers from Indiana,
Performance: The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Ekiyor does not look like a high school
offensive line prospect, let alone one who is just starting his sophomore year.
The Indianapolis native is built like a brick house and physically overwhelms
opponents, but he is also light on his feet and can locate in space. Cathedral
plays Ekiyor at right tackle, but his future will be on the interior of the
offensive line where his wide frame and outstanding power will provide for a
dominant drive blocker in college.
12
TE
Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller
Recruiting Wrap: Hausmann committed to Ohio State in January and
remains a solid commit.
Performance: Moeller used Hausmann Friday night in much the same way they did as
a junior, lining him up in the slot and in an H-back role. He spent most of his
time as an H-back blocking and only recorded two catches for 21 yards on the
night. The four-star showed outstanding hands on his second reception, reeling
in a pass that was thrown behind him. He is a willing and able blocker, but his
impact on the game was limited after his quarterback went down with injury.
13
RB
Markese Stepp (2018)
Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral
Recruiting Wrap: Stepp's recruitment is just beginning, but he camped at
Michigan and Ohio State over the summer.
Performance: We were excited to see Stepp in game action after he put on an
impressive show at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights Camp a month earlier. The
6-foot, 205-pound sophomore is already impressively sized for the running back
position and would-be tacklers who did not wrap him up were run over. There were
definitely areas of his game that showed he was a sophomore, though. He was late
seeing holes develop and missed them completely a couple times. Stepp builds to
top speed more than explodes to top speed, but once he got the pistons firing he
was able to get the corner with ease.
14
DL
Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller
Recruiting Wrap: Smith committed to Indiana in June.
Performance: Moeller lined Smith up at both the zero-technique nose tackle
position and the three-technique defensive tackle spot two tackles. The
6-foot-5, 280-pound linemen is tall for a defensive tackle and does tend to play
a little high, but overall his technique is solid and he was able to get a
decent push up the middle. Smith finished with two tackles on the night. He was
more of a space eater on this night, with his other linemates providing most of
the pressure on the quarterback.
15
QB
Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller
Recruiting Wrap: MacVittie has been committed to Pittsburgh since
March.
Performance: The big news on MacVittie out of Friday's game was that he went
down with a knee injury in the third quarter. Reports are the injury was just a
sprain and it is not expected to end his season. Prior to the injury MacVittie
had completed 7-of-14 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while running 13
times for 53 yards. His arm strength was on display Friday night, but he had
trouble locating his target and threw several errant passes. MacVittie was at
his most dangerous when he tucked and ran, chewing up yardage with ease and
showing escapability.
16
OL
Thayer Munford (2017)
Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle
Recruiting Wrap: Munford holds seven offers and feels LSU could be
getting close to offering. He plans visits to Kentucky and Louisville this fall.
Both have offered.
Performance: Munford was playing with a cast on his left arm after tearing
cartilage in his wrist. He was still able to handle everything in front of him
despite the handicap and drove several defensive linemen backward. The 6-foot-6,
325-pound tackle did not look as nimble as he did last season, though, and
noticeably tired as the game went on. He has a wide frame and long reach, but
will need to quicken his feet to stay at tackle in college
OTHER PROSPECTS
WR
David Bell (2019)
Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central
For a freshman to start at a talent-rich program like Warren Central is
impressive, and Bell showed us why the coaches want him on the field. A
6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect, Bell already shows playmaker ability can make the
acrobatic catch.
LB
Dan Bolden (2018)
Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain
The Bolden linebacker tradition at Colerain continues to roll on, with Dan being
just a sophomore. He starts at middle linebacker for the Cardinals and recorded
an early sack. The 6-foot, 215-pounder is definitely one to watch in future
years.
LB
Kyle Bolden (2017)
Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerain
Bolden is a tough, hard-nosed Midwestern linebacker. At 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds
he does not quite have the size of his cousin, former four-star Joe
Bolden, but he plays with the same downhill, hard-hitting mentality.
QB
Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral
It was a rough night for Bortenschlager, a Buffalo commit, who connected on just
12-of-32 pass attempts for 166 yards. He did throw two touchdowns and showed off
a strong arm, but had trouble connecting with his receivers.
DT
Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central
Brogan looks to have added some weight since we last saw him in the winter when
he measured 6-foot-1 and 266 pounds. The two-star prospect is a run-stuffing,
zero-technique nose tackle at the next level.
K
Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle
Chrisman's first punt went 60 yards for a touchback, almost all of it in the
air. He connected on a 23-yard field goal later in the game and hit a pair of
extra points. Chrisman will grayshirt at Ohio State in 2017.
K
Matthew Coghlin
Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller
Coghlin missed a 50-yard field goal on Moeller's opening drive, but converted
all three of his extra-point attempts. The team's punter, Coghlin booted one
punt 54 yards but had another of just 29 yards.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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