Plenty of guys flying to the ball for Armwood on defense and a quarterback that’s flying away from defenders on offense. Armwood had possession of the ball for just barely over four minutes for the entire half, but managed to do something special on their first play from scrimmage. Darian McNeal, a member of the Class of 2018 took the snap and used elite speed around the corner and took off for a 68-yard touchdown to give the Hawks all the scoring they needed until their defense decided to score some points as well.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound signal was under center for just 14 plays, but his production and the intangible of already possessing great leadership skills at such a young grade is nothing-but a win-win for Armwood as the future progresses. Guys like Trevor Laurent (who flashed a little at the linebacker position as well as WR spot) and Cordell Pimenta on the outside will allow the Hawks to stretch the field in addition to a solid prospect with Josh Snead at the RB, who is a member of the Class of 2018.
On defense, a pair of 2017 prospects showed themselves well. DT Kevin Van Atta (6-1/245) and DB Dedarallo Blue (5-11/175) were everywhere accounting for all but one of the seven sacks that Armwood’s Defense posted against the Titans. Blue’s ability to tackle is also something that should stick out in addition to his lightning-fast change of direction and ball-hawking skills at the corner. Van Atta’s motor and his frame look to only get bigger and better as it appears that Armwood is simply reloading at every position instead of having to rebuild. Inside linebacker Justin Manning (5-10/197) also had a very nice evening controlling traffic in the second level and scoring a TD on a return by fumble late in the half.
An otherwise quiet night for TBT’s Marchalo Judge, even though the cornerback recorded a sack. Titans WR Daquon Green’s performance of 2 receptions for 24 yards was also quiet by his standards, but having just as much to do with the pressure created by Armwood’s front-seven as much as anything else.