Regional Bowl Matchups
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Is it me or does it seem weird for a program like Bellarmine to be playing in D3?
Because those defenses lacked speed on the edges. And wore down and stopped tackling.
If Manteca faced the Folsom or DLS defense I doubt the results would be anywhere near the same.
I can’t say what type of defensive challenge PITT will present, as I haven’t seen them play much. But if their team speed is what it usually is and they tackle well, Nichelson and the Buffs will find it much tougher to move the ball.
Don’t get me wrong. I recognize that Blake Nichelson is a very talented and skilled player. I can see him doing well at FSU. I’m just not seeing the hyperbole about him. I don’t see him as a surefire NFL talent nor do I see him as a better runner than say Cameron Skattebo — who I don’t recall you ever touting as an NFL talent. Nichelson is faster, but not better or more skilled. They both truck defenders, though, that’s for sure.
And while a superb runner at the HS level, Nichelson isn’t heading to FSU as a RB. He’s gonna play on the defensive side of the ball. And I haven’t seen him dominate that side of the ball as did the likes of Teddy Bruschi, Lance Briggs, DJ Williams, Kevin Anderson, Shaq Thompson, etc.
Earlier this season big time Fresno area power Buchanan came up to Escalon and barely escaped in OT 41-40. Apparently they had a very hard time dealing with Escalon's wing-T offense. Escalon's conference opponents see it every year as both Hughson and Hilmar beat them during the season. Will it wreak havoc on Pleasant Valley this weekend? Playing at home I do not see Escalon losing, and it could very well be a blowout.
It’s the equity bowl games and nothing more.
Nichelson will play in the league if he stays healthy. Not many LB’s his 6’2 215 running 4.5 40’s in HS. Scateboo is great but 5’6. Nichelson will be 6’3 250-255 at the end of his college days. He’s a 🦄
Escalon's big tackles at 6'7 320 lbs and 6'5 280 were too much for Sutter. PV at least has the size to counter Escalon's and PV has at least seen one team with a superior wing t w/speed to Escalon's. I think the difference here is will PV's linebackers be able to make short gain tackles against Escalon's hard running backs with what could be a draw at the LOS?
I will likely be in Colusa to watch them try to fend off Atascadero. Not sure what happened to East Nicolaus against Pierce but they were the most talented team that looked like they might be the north rep in this division. But I also may end up at Sac state to watch them play Richmond.
So many great options!
Escalon can also throw the ball that 6’4 WR Nash is dangerous on the outside he will hurt you if you sell out to stop the run, they are a hard offense to stop. Look out for the Cooks brothers for Atascadero, the RB/LB #34 is a really good player and the other brother is their QB
It looks like They may be missing Their Best OL/DL Thompson and Notre Dame Commit TE/DL Flannigan….
Thompson re-aggravated his knee against PITT and Flannigan sprained his ankle…. From what I have heard it sounds like Thompson is unlikely to play but they are optimistic about Flannigan….
That sucks. I wish both of these teams weren’t missing their best players. I think flannigan would be a big loss if he doesn’t play. He’s been pretty good on defense as well from the games I’ve seen. Flores is a big loss for Folsom. He doesn’t have break away speed but he’s got incredible hands and he’s hard to bring down. I think this one is going to be a low scoring defensive battle.
Palo Alto nor Santa Teresa have a say in where they are placed. You have a problem with CCS playoff structure fine but don't take it out on Palo Alto or Santa Teresa. BTW It shows that 4th place A league teams are typically better than TOP TIER B leagues.
My Buddy didn’t mention him, but he played the whole game against PITT and played really well and did not appear to be injured so I am assuming he is Good to go!…
He just told me about Thompson and Flannigan and he was optimistic that Flannigan will play….
To me it’s not about the speed. It’s about Mantecas personnel and scheme. A lot of their toss plays are slow developing and then hit big after blocks. Don’t get me wrong their backs have speed. But it’s more about their Huge O line and backs (including fullback) who can run inside and fall forward. Teams are forced to load the box. Then they put mchelson at WR and make you decide. Keep the loaded box or double him at wideout. If you double you lose a defender and the backup RB is a hell of a player. You don’t double and now you have a corner or slot 1v1 against the best player. No one has stopped them. You have to win in a shootout. Their D consistently struggles as we have all seen. I am a big SFL fan and thought Rocklin D had a top 3 defense in the section. Them holding them to 34 was their lowest points all year. I think Pitt will not be able to stop this O. However they can pass all over that Manteca D. The backs fall forward all the time and that is the difference in the 4Q. I see another shootout with Manteca wearing them down. This Manteca team would be tough to stop in D1.
I’ve watched Manteca on film this year. It’s hard to tell just how unstoppable their vaunted running game is, as they haven’t faced a top tier defense/team all season. Be that as it may, they are impressive on film!
Their O line is good and their running backs have been great. #20 is a baller and has wreaked havoc on both sides of the ball.
Pitt definitely has some good athletes with a speedy secondary. This should be a good game.
Their O line is good and their running backs have been great. #20 is a baller and has wreaked havoc on both sides of the ball.
Pitt definitely has some good athletes with a speedy secondary. This should be a good game.
Great point about moving Nickelson around and lining him up at receiver. I’ve definitely noticed it. They have done a great job with that. It has kept defenses guessing and on their toes. They don’t know when he’s a decoy or when something is being designed for him.
One way or another, they are continually outflanking the defense.
Skattebo isn’t 5’6. He wasn’t in HS either. Check again.
Furthermore I was comparing them as runners. As I stated, Nichelson is headed to college as a LB, not a RB. While he is a top notch RB in HS due to his speed and physically — he’s not a better, more shifty, more balanced, or more instinctive runner than Skat. As physical as he is, I don’t think he plays more physically than Skat did in HS and now in college. He’s faster, that’s it. Meanwhile Skat plays with a level of balance I’ve not seen in a while.
LL keeps referencing Nichelson as an NFL talent for what he’s doing on the offensive side of the ball. Yet never made such claims about Skat when he was also trucking defenders and running wild for Rio Linda. That team even won a State title with him running through 11 defenders in the championship game!
As I also said, I have little doubt that Nichelson will be a good LB’er at FSU. But let’s not pretend FSU is what it used to be. Landing at FSU or Miami isn’t like landing at Bama, Ohio State, Georgia, or Clemson. Nowadays it‘s not much different than landing at Washington or Oklahoma State. It doesn’t somehow lend credence to a player being an elite NFL level talent.
That’s the point.
Furthermore, as talented as Nichelson is — I don’t see him dominating the defensive side of the ball as you’d expect a player like him to be doing. Maybe that’ll happen at the next level. We shall see.
As for your size projection — maybe, maybe not. That’s a lot of growth. But even if so, it means nothing in the here and now and what were talking about. Nobody is disputing why one is a higher regarded recruit as a LB’er than the other was as a RB.
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Damn JR Pacers vs Richmond Steelers; old school indeed (Richmond Steeler alum here) didn't play the Pacers though
Whoa.. give me some credit! 😀
I’m impressed with him on offense but he’s a LB at the next level. Or maybe even a safety depending on how much weight or not his body can take on. No way is he playing offense in college. And don’t think for a minute he can’t play at GA of Bama. For peak sake they recruited Lyons from Folsom who can’t hold a candle to this kid. Not even in the same league.
I think your wrong about this guy. Lance Briggs was similar at Elk Grove and went to UOA and had a great NFL career. Briggs was a beast at RB but was recruited to play D. And if anything Nicholson is a better raw athlete. Not saying he will be the player Briggs was but the god given tools are present.
Given the tiny percentage of high school football players who receive D1 scholarships every year it's a big deal when a player receives one at any school, whether they aren't what they used to be (FSU) or they're a huge power. Yes, there's no guarantee that a prospect will turn out great and get to the NFL - in fact it's highly likely they won't. But if the player is truly on the NFL level they can be found anywhere, not just on Alabama or Ohio St. In fact, especially for skill players, being on an elite team can sometimes be a disadvantage as they get used to great players all around them against college competition and then when/if they get to the pros everyone is great and they no longer have the advantage. Of course, this is more pronounced when going from high school to college. For every truly elite quarterback or running back who gets the top D1 offers there are dozens who put up fantastic stats against frequently inferior high school competition who don't get a sniff. But they can still get scholarships at lower level colleges. The key thing is to take advantage of the educational opportunity with the idea that you're probably not going to make it in the NFL but the college degree is something you'll have for the rest of your life.
I can't resist adding - my alma mater, Turlock High, currently has three players on D1 teams, Cal, Kansas St. and San Diego St., as well as a recent grad on Colorado.
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Nice!!!! I’ve been to a few Richmond Steelers vs Grant Jr Pacers games over the years! Glad to see some of the kids face off in HS!
Rocklins defense was incredible. Ask Folsom who struggled to score 14. The fact Manteca hung 34 on Rocklin and 51 on GB is impressive.
In theory all A’s should be better than B’s. There are still a couple B’s who go 9-1, 10-0 and beg to stay in lower tier.
You may think that, but recruiting interest says differently.
Lyons is much more highly rated. And according to the reputable recruiting services has offers from not only Georgia and Bama, but most the SEC (LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, A&M). Nichelson does not have a single offer from an SEC school.
Maybe Nichelson is good enough to play at those schools, maybe he’s not. Who really knows. But the fact is — those schools aren’t offering him. They are all offering Lyons.
The consensus of all the scouts/coaches from those programs trumps what you and I know.
If you really think this, my guess is you weren’t really old enough to have watched Briggs 25 years ago. Nichelson isn’t on the same level as Briggs. Briggs was on DJ Williams and Onterrio Smith’s level.
I haven’t seen all of Manteca’s games, but I’ve seen all their playoff games thus far along with 2 games during the regular season. Defensively Nichelson isn’t dominating and jumping off the page as Briggs, Bruschi, Anderson and Williams all did. That’s all I can tell you. He’s been far more noticeable and impactful offensively.
As for the recruiting part of it, things were different back then than it has been the past 15 years or so. Lots of technological innovations have changed things. Used to be much harder to be seen if a player played at a smaller school or in an area not known as a recruiting hotbed. That’s not the case anymore and hasn’t been for quite a while.
I can’t recall all the schools that recruited Briggs, but if he was coming out today the interest would be much more than it was in 1997 and 1998.
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Of course I was old enough to watch Briggs and of course I did. You have the bias to make the comparison based on what he did at Arizona and In NFL now. Makes it an easier argument to be in Briggs court. Go watch all the 247 stuff on Nichelson. He’s considered that good on a national level. 9th best LB prospect in nation. And he had an offer from USC which is a program that will likely be a playoff team so what is the difference now between that and SEC programs. It’s not like FSU and school like that don’t have guys in the league anymore.
And I’ve watched Lyons for years and we will see how he does if he chooses an sec school. I can tell you that it won’t end well. If you are on the 50 side of the corridor you know.
I’m not going to convince you and Vice Versa but I’ve played against pros and watched plenty in norcal and he’s got that level of ability. Million things can happen between now and then.
Lyons and Nichelson are both talented HS players. We’ve seen better prospects in the region but Nichelson is from the Manteca area. Give the young man his props… Not a lot of big time prospects come out of Manteca… Besides he is repping SJS nicely… And dominating the competition thrown in front of him. Wish he would have had the opportunity to face off against Folsom in the section championship but we’ll get to see him in action against Pittsburgh.
Is he at the level of Bruschi, Briggs, Pharms, Williams, Thompson? Probably not…But still a great prospect. Florida State is a big time football program! They won a national championship in 2014! I’m happy for the young man. Florida State is big time!
Happy for Lyons too! These dudes are national recruits! I’m glad that kids from this region are getting hype! Even if it doesn’t land them in the NFL or on a colllege football awards list… They are living the dream!!! Bring on the hype!!!!
Is he at the level of Bruschi, Briggs, Pharms, Williams, Thompson? Probably not…But still a great prospect. Florida State is a big time football program! They won a national championship in 2014! I’m happy for the young man. Florida State is big time!
Happy for Lyons too! These dudes are national recruits! I’m glad that kids from this region are getting hype! Even if it doesn’t land them in the NFL or on a colllege football awards list… They are living the dream!!! Bring on the hype!!!!
Nope. Just judging solely on HS careers. Anything else is flawed and unfair. I saw both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in HS and know for certain that I‘ve seen better HS QB’s from NorCal. What those two accomplished beyond HS has nothing to do with their HS career. Same goes for Briggs.
Briggs was simply a different animal in HS. Many like to mention John Madden once saying that DJ Williams could have gone straight to the NFL from HS. Well, my retort to that always has always been — if true, then Briggs could have made the leap too. He was that good. I personally don’t believe either could have done it — but you get the point.
Circling back to Lyons, you can have whatever opinion you want about him (just as I have about Nichelson). I’m not even saying you’ll be proven wrong. Your analysis may end up being spot on for all anyone knows. Professional evaluators and coaches are wrong all the time.
But facts are facts. Lyons has offers not from one or two outliers, but from 7 SEC programs. The very best SEC programs at that. The best conference in college football bar none. They can’t all be crazy.
Conversely Nichelson doesn’t have a single SEC offer. That seems quite telling for a kid that is as good as you seem to believe. And it’s not because they haven’t seen him.
The consensus clearly suggests that Lyons is the better prospect, whether he develops into a better player or not. So is Rico Flores.
Regardless, suggesting that any of these kids are future NFL material is not only premature but rather silly IMO. I mean, not that long ago you thought Joe Ngata was destined for stardom at Clemson. And who would have ever predicted DeAndre Carter (a kid I absolutely loved at Sac State) would have made it in the NFL?? The odds are super low for any of these kids to make that cut. I often still can’t believe I‘m seeing Sac State’s former #2 on TV catching passes from Justin Herbert.
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Seen alot of football, like all of you and some guys are good in high school and thats it. Some move from HS to big programs and get lost in the talent trove. Some guys make it out of nowhere
Iwatched a bruiser running back out of Oxnard, Terrell Watson play D2 ball at Azusa, the kid was tremendous, huge with speed and vision, he singlehandedly won 2 GNAC championship and went on to NFL only to bounce around practice Squads for a few years, chargers, steelers, browns, eagles etc. He played on the same team as Mychael Walker, now with the Atlanta Falcons. That D2 NCAA league produce a few others, Alex Cappa Humboldt state, now on the Bengals. Matt Judon as well.
I also watched Brady in high school at Serra and while he was good, never imagined he'd end up being the goat, or Thanos with all those rings. I also enjoyed Bhakatari who played at Serra. These guys, including the D2 pack above were studs and made it. Most guys are stars in high school and mixed bag in college. The point is it's really tough to assess talent in high school, that's why they have experts paid top money to find these guys, just so many variables.
For instance a big fish in a small pond gets eaten alive in the next evolution of bigger bodies of water; wher everyone is beastly.
Take Nichelson for example, he played an amazing season vs. Meh defenses. They run the damm I formation antiqated as it is, and he was absolutely bolstered by that great oline of Manteca. When Rocklin played them they hung for 3 qtrs and got wore down in the box, aided by their own offensive let downs, up 9 heading into the 4th. but Nicholson wasnt the closer, it was the three headed monster, FB, and the other back aided by huge line and illegal cut blocks to the backside.
And in my most humble opinion and with all due respect he did not look tremendous, just another big back you got to gets hats to As the feature in a wonky old system. Clearly he won't be a running back at FSU, and linebacker might be challenging as he doesn't look that great on defense. Maybe safety, special teams, trick money back now and then we will have to see.
And for the record Rocklin is an elites SJS defense, as is Folsom.
Iwatched a bruiser running back out of Oxnard, Terrell Watson play D2 ball at Azusa, the kid was tremendous, huge with speed and vision, he singlehandedly won 2 GNAC championship and went on to NFL only to bounce around practice Squads for a few years, chargers, steelers, browns, eagles etc. He played on the same team as Mychael Walker, now with the Atlanta Falcons. That D2 NCAA league produce a few others, Alex Cappa Humboldt state, now on the Bengals. Matt Judon as well.
I also watched Brady in high school at Serra and while he was good, never imagined he'd end up being the goat, or Thanos with all those rings. I also enjoyed Bhakatari who played at Serra. These guys, including the D2 pack above were studs and made it. Most guys are stars in high school and mixed bag in college. The point is it's really tough to assess talent in high school, that's why they have experts paid top money to find these guys, just so many variables.
For instance a big fish in a small pond gets eaten alive in the next evolution of bigger bodies of water; wher everyone is beastly.
Take Nichelson for example, he played an amazing season vs. Meh defenses. They run the damm I formation antiqated as it is, and he was absolutely bolstered by that great oline of Manteca. When Rocklin played them they hung for 3 qtrs and got wore down in the box, aided by their own offensive let downs, up 9 heading into the 4th. but Nicholson wasnt the closer, it was the three headed monster, FB, and the other back aided by huge line and illegal cut blocks to the backside.
And in my most humble opinion and with all due respect he did not look tremendous, just another big back you got to gets hats to As the feature in a wonky old system. Clearly he won't be a running back at FSU, and linebacker might be challenging as he doesn't look that great on defense. Maybe safety, special teams, trick money back now and then we will have to see.
And for the record Rocklin is an elites SJS defense, as is Folsom.
Deandre Carter was a stud in HS at Washington. I was frankly surprised that he ended up at Sac St. as I thought he could play at a higher level, but his size was always against him. Never thought he could make it to the pros though. Great success story.
