Naples:
1 Greg Pratt, RB, 5-9, 165, Jr. -- By far the most explosive player on the field today in the 3A game, Pratt is a threat every time he touches the football. He makes plays. He's not the biggest kid out there yet but he'll get bigger once he spends another offseason in the weightroom. He's very fast and he plays fast. He averaged 10 yards per carry and went for close to 1,000 yards during the regular season. He had 85 yards on the ground, including a 34-yard touchdown run. He looks like a future Division 1 running back prospect.
6 Antwain Harvey, CB, 5-9, 160, Sr. -- The best cover guy on either side of the ball in the 3A game, Harvey came into the game tied for the state lead with nine interceptions and he had his 10th one today. Although he lacks ideal size for a corner and doesn't have blazing speed, he has good cover skills, quick feet, and can run with most receivers. He just has a knack for making a play on the ball when it's in the air. He's such a playmaker at corner, some Division 1 school has to be willing to sign him. * * star prospect.
23 Jack Swanson, S, 5-11, 180, Sr. -- Playing safety, Swanson brings a lot of knowledge to the table. He understands where to be most of the time and does a good job of getting in position to make plays. While he's not the biggest safety prospect out there, he does have solid speed and athletic ability. He finished the game with three tackles. He's also very skilled at coming off the edge and blocking kicks. Although he didn't get one today, he had five during the season. * *
St. Augustine:
1 Rashard Hall, S, 6-2, 180, Sr. -- The best player on the field today, Hall never left it. He was the best receiver on either team and finished with nine catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. He uses his big body well and does a good job at making plays and making things happen. He doesn't have blazing speed or quickness but he is always moving the chains -- especially when his team needs it. He covers a lot of ground at safety and finished the game with six tackles. He also returned all four of St. Augustine's punts today. Hall's size and playmaking ability make him a major college prospect but not having great top end speed like some other players has prevented him from being offered by everyone. * * *
2 Rashaad Reid, CB, 5-10, 175, Sr. -- A cornerback with decent size, Reid's physical style of play makes him look bigger than he really is. He has solid speed and cover skills and does a good job of limiting his side of the field. Naples receivers had just 23 yards today and Reid is a major reason why. * *
12 Caleb Sturgis, PK/P, 5-11, 175, Sr. -- There's not a player in the entire state with a better leg. Sturgis's ability to kick a football is rare. His leg just explodes through the ball. He nailed one from 54 and it would've been good from 64. In warm-ups, we were hoping to see him nail some from 60+ but since each team can't cross the 40 on their side of the field during pre-game, he wasn't able to attempt those. His four punts averaged 62.2 and a couple of them were rushed due to high snaps. He showed some athletic ability on fielding some snaps and just looks like a big, big time kicker prospect. There's no doubt about it -- he has a better leg right now than probably more than half of the NFL. * * *
15 Carlton Lewis, 6-2, 185, Sr. -- He plays both ways at the high school level and looks like he's a kid you'd like to have the ball in his hands. He was the team's leading receiver, not Hall, during the regular season and had four more catches in this game. On defense, he's active near the line of scrimmage. His size is a plus and while he's not a burner, he has shown the ability to make plays. * *
89 Brandon Whitty, DT, 6-2, 255, Sr. -- Although he's a little undersized playing in the middle, Whitty was the most active defensive lineman on either side of the ball today. He wins because of quickness and hustle. He was constantly in the Naples backfield because of his quickness off the snap. Once he bulks up and adds more weight to become tougher against the run, he'll be even tougher inside. As a two-gap penetrator, he'll fit in nicely somewhere. * *
Kissimmee Osceola:
1 Bubba Brown, RB, 5-9, 190, Sr. -- The best player on the field in both games today, Brown had a huge night for the Kowboys. With quarterback T'Sharvan Bell out with a knee injury, Brown became Osceola's offense and everyone on the opposing sideline knew it. He still brought it -- 27 times for over 170 yards and a couple touchdowns. Brown runs as hard as any back in the state this year and runs with tremendous vision. He breaks a lot of tackles because he's so strong in the lower body. He's always falling forward for extra yardage and he runs so low to the ground, he often just flat out runs people over. While he doesn't have 4.3 speed like Jamie Harper (who I think is the state's top RB prospect this year), he's plenty fast enough to be a featured back at the major college level. He solidifed himself as one of the state's best running backs with his performance tonight. * * * *
3 Gerard Thomas, UTIL, 5-9, 155, Sr. -- Thomas is Osceola's big play guy and with Bell out, he had more chances to showcase his skills tonight. He plays running back, receiver, and returns kicks and punts. He averaged 39 yards per reception during the regular season so you can see how explosive he can be. Tonight, his best play came on an 85-yard punt return in which he looked very impressive. Anytime you can make those types of plays at this level in this type of game, you've gotta be considered a Division 1 recruit, even though he doesn't have ideal size and isn't a 4.3 guy. * *
7 T'Sharvan Bell, UTIL, 6-0, 165, Sr. -- Bell was widely considered the best player in the stadium tonight. Unfortunately, his season ended with a knee injury last week. He was on crutches. In addition to being a big play and lockdown cover guy on defense, he had over 1,000 yards of offense this season and directed his team to some big wins during the season. There's no question he can play and tonight, he showed the type of leader he is. Despite wearing crutches, he was the biggest Osceola supporter tonight -- often offering encouragement for his teammates, being in the middle of all the sideline huddles, and being the first player to walk through the hand shake line at the end of the game. Bell is a flat out baller who showed tonight that he has all the intangibles to be a big time player at the college level. * * * *
12 Bryant Butler, TE/LB, 6-2, 225, So. -- There can't be a better built sophomore anywhere in the state of Florida. He immediately passes the eyeball test and brings a lot of athletic ability to the field. He never leaves it either, playing on offense (as a tight end), defense (as an outside linebacker), and on special teams. They do their best to get him involved. He threw six passes on offense, actually. Once he settles into a spot, which I think will ultimately be defensive end because of his size and the way he plays, he's going to be a major prospect to watch for the Class of 2010.
15 Patrick Lambert, LB, 6-1, 185, Sr. -- Osceola's leader on defense, Lambert plays the middle and knows where to be most of the time. He has good instincts and while he doesn't have ideal size or blazing speed, he is always around the ball and is strong enough to hide his size limitations. Once he grows and adds some bulk at the college level, he'll be one to watch. * *
62 John Salvatore, C, 6-1, 295, Sr. -- The best pure offensive lineman in either game today, Salvatore really gets after it. He's very scrappy inside and plays very hard at all times. He plays with good balance and leverage and while he's not real tall, he has ideal center size, which allows him to stay low on interior defensive linemen. He's not the most athletic center around but he's very powerful and can absolutely play Division 1 football somewhere and he proved it tonight. * *
St. Thomas Aquinas:
2 Phillip Pierre-Louis, WR, 5-8, 160, Sr. -- An explosive player that the coaches try getting the ball to, Pierre-Louis doesn't have ideal size but he has good speed and can make a difference in the return game. He didn't make a big impact tonight but his speed and ability to make plays make him a prospect to watch. *
7 Jeremiah Harden, RB, 5-9, 180, Sr. -- A good-looking running back prospect who showed his ability to hit the home run when he scored from 84 yards out, which was announced as a Florida State Finals record. Harden is also a pass-catching threat out of the backfield and caught a couple more balls tonight. He's at his best in the open field and if utlized the right way at the next level, he could develop into a dangerous player for someone -- just like he was at STA. * *
8 Duron Carter, WR, 6-1, 165, Jr. -- The son of NFL Hall of Fame receiver and current St. Thomas receivers coach Cris Carter, Duron brings a lot to the table. He's not developed yet physically but you can tell he's the son of a former NFL great. He runs terrific routes, gets good separation, attacks the ball, and will block downfield in the running game. He was the best receiver on the field today and he'll only get better as he gets older.
9 Rodney Gillis, CB, 5-10, 175, Sr. -- A talented cover guy, Gillis is physical enough to mix it up with receivers and he likes to. He plays almost like a safety -- always looking for the next big hit. While he doesn't have blazing speed, he has good cover skills and is physical enough to match up with a lot of receivers. He was the most active DB on the field in the 2nd game, making 8 tackles. * *
10 Dorian Graham, LB, 5-10, 180, Sr. -- An outside linebacker who will likely make the switch to safety in college, Graham is a big play guy. He's around the ball a lot because he's athletic and well-coached and can really bring it -- he even caused a couple fumbles in this game. * *
33 Christian Thompson, LB, 6-1, 185, Sr. -- The best defensive player on the field in either game today, Thompson brings a lot of speed and athletic ability to the table. Speed's the name of his game and he has plenty of it. That allows him to be around the ball and make plays. He shows to be an explosive tackler at times as well. Some will consider moving him to safety because of his size and athletic ability but he can definitely be a major Division 1 linebacker. He lives in opposing backfields and 5 more plays behind the line of scrimmage in this game. * * *
65 Brandon Linder, C, 6-4, 265, So. -- The youngest starting offensive lineman in either game, Linder also looks like he might have the most upside of any of them. He is built the right way -- especially for a kid his age. He already has a good frame with long arms. He'll continue getting bigger and stronger, too. He still has some things to learn as a center but his best days are way ahead of him and you can be sure that he'll be a big-time prospect by the time he's a senior.
75 Andrew Datko, OT, 6-6, 285, Sr. -- A huge left tackle, Datko has the ideal size and frame for an offensive lineman. His arms are long and he has the frame to add another 20-30 pounds without sacrificing any athletic ability. He's well coached and plays with good technique. He plays left tackle now but will likely play right tackle in college. He'll have to work on getting his footwork down but he brings a lot to the table as a prospect and should develop into a quality lineman at the college level. * * *
Tomorrow's report will feature players from the Class 4A (Nease vs. Booker T. Washington) and Class 6A (Boone vs. Miami Northwestern) games.