High School Game Review: Pickerington Central vs Pickerington North

High school football kicked off this weekend and with several games being televised we were able to get a look at some prospects. Here are our thoughts on the prospects we saw in the Pickerington Central vs Pickerington North game Sunday.

Note: Pickerington North defensive end and Ohio State commit Jack Sawyer did not play in this game.

Top Prospect

Lorenzo Styles Jr is a 2021 wide receiver/cornerback for Pickerington Central who is committed to Notre Dame. Styles was electric on both sides of the ball. His quarterback is an athlete who is more of a runner than a thrower, but that did not stop Styles from showcasing his ability on offense. He made several catches during the game and was able to catch the ball cleanly with good hands. He is slippery and sudden once he gets the football, quickly making defenders miss and picking up extra yardage. He showed his change of direction ability and acceleration to pick up extra yards on short routes and screens. The passing game was not the only place Styles had an impact in this game.

Styles showed off his speed and playmaking ability on a long punt return where he was able to break contain (though he did fumble inside the opponent’s five). He also lined up at running back and showed toughness running inside and breaking tackles. Styles was used on a reverse where he again outran the defensive contain for a big gain. In addition to his work on special teams and offense, he is also an excellent cornerback. Styles locked his man up in coverage all game and was not beaten on the outside. He made a nice play anticipating a screen and closing quickly to jump the route but was unable to secure the likely pick six. Lorenzo Styles Jr was phenomenal throughout the game and it was easy to see Notre Dame is getting an excellent player.

2023 Prospect Who Shined

Not to be out-shined by his brother, Sonny Styles who is a 2023 safety prospect with early offers from Indiana and Ohio State was excellent as well. He is a well built sophomore who is tall and has excellent length at safety. Styles showed good speed and great range when playing as a deep safety. He has explosive burst and is able to break on passes thrown underneath, nearly picking off a pass on a hitch route early in the game. He would make up for it a little later when he ranged toward the sideline and used his excellent ball skills to out-jump the receiver for the football to make the interception. Styles was a solid tackler throughout the game, coming up and making solid tackles on running plays that got through the defensive front. He delivers a good hit, especially for a young player. He was also able to impact the game on special teams, blocking a punt and then scooping it up for the score. Sonny Styles was excellent this game and could have the highest ceiling of any prospect in this game.

Committed 2021 Prospect

Garner Wallace is a 2021 prospect who will likely play safety in college but plays quarterback for Pickerington Central and is committed to Northwestern. Wallace is a big, tall prospect who could even outgrow safety and move down to linebacker at the next level. Wallace was effective as a runner all game, showing a smoothness not common among taller prospects. He showed good speed and chewed up ground with his long strides, which forced bad angles from the defense. Wallace accelerates well and was able to pull away from defenders who appeared to be closing in on him. He was shifty in space and showed surprisingly nimble feet. Wallace ran for over 100 yards on the game and was unstoppable in the QB running game. His size and athleticism should translate well on the defensive side of the ball in college.

2021 Prospects Who Are Not Committed

Elijah Hawk plays defensive end for Pickerington North and currently has offers from a host of MAC schools. Hawk sat out the 2019 season due to transfer rules and should see his offer list grow as he puts together senior film. Hawk has good size for a high school defensive end and should continue to get stronger. Hawk has good length and uses his hands to fight off blockers, twice in the first quarter he was able to fight off two blocks and make a tackle for loss, one of them resulting in a fumble forced. He plays with good strength and was able to get consistent penetration into the backfield. Hawk gets off blocks well and is able to disengage to make the play. He is long and athletic but is also strong at the point of attack, he was able to clog up the running lane by holding the point of attack and create a safety for a teammate for Pickerington North’s first score. Hawk has a lot of ability and should put together good film as a senior and see his offer list grow.

Nick Mosley of Pickerington Central is a 2021 running back prospect who has offers from Akron, Ball State and Western Michigan. Mosley has good size and will be able to carry the load as a college back. He runs with strength and shows some burst through the hole. Mosley has good running instincts and is able to find yardage and open space. He has enough speed but it more of a between the tackles runner who runs with vision and fights for extra yards. Mosley has a nose for the endzone and was able to punch in three touchdowns on the game.

2022 Prospects Who Flashed

CJ Doggette Jr is a 2022 defensive tackle prospect who has early offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He is a well built junior who has some room to get stronger. He showed good quickness at his size and was able to jump on and wrestle away a fumble recovery early in the game. He used his strength and quickness to get penetration and disrupt the Pickerington North running attack throughout the game. He is still a bit raw in his technique but was able to get good pressure and force poor throws by disrupting the timing of the passing game with his penetration. Doggette is a quality prospect who can play at the power five level.

Kyle Imboden is a 2022 offensive lineman for Pickerington Central with an early offer from Cincinnati. Imboden has adequate height and length to play guard in college and already carries his weight well with some room to bulk up. He showed solid athleticism getting downfield and making key blocks to trigger some of Central’s longer runs in the game. He showed good ability to drive defenders off the ball when the plays were run behind him. Imboden was solid in pass protection and did matchup with Elijah Hawk a few times, he did not win all of these matchups but was better than anyone else when taking on Hawk. Imboden showed he is a capable guard who has the ability to be a good prospect.

Tyler Gillison is a 2022 defensive lineman for Pickerington Central who has early offers from Akron and Toledo. He is a versatile prospect who is well built but has room get even bigger. Gillison showed a solid get-off and was able to get in the backfield quickly. He can play with his hand on the ground, but also stood up as a linebacker at times and showed good pursuit of the football, making a nice tackle for loss on a perimeter run on one play. Gillison turns the corner quickly and was able to rush the passer from the outside as well as up the middle. He did record a sack later in the game and should continue to improve his technique as the season progresses.

Dakari Frazier is a 2022 defensive end/outside linebacker for Pickerington Central. He has good length and should continue to fill out as he matures. Frazier showed a good burst off the edge and was able to get in the backfield consistently. He may get overshadowed by the other defensive line prospects on his team, but has the athleticism and length to be a good prospect in his own right. He had a good game using his athletic ability to disrupt the Pickerington North offense. Frazier is still a raw prospect, but there is potential there to be tapped into.

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