High School Game Review: Saint Paul’s Episcopal vs Spanish Fort

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 Saint Paul’s Episcopal vs Spanish Fort game Friday night.

Top Prospect

Lucas Taylor is a 2022 guard prospect who is committed to LSU. Taylor has the frame and build to be a quality guard in college. He plays tackle for his high school team and lined up on both the left side and the right side throughout the game. He showed good strength as a junior and was able to move defenders off the line of scrimmage all night. He does a good job of driving his man out of the hold and opening up a running lane for his running back. He held up well in pass protection as well, though he was not tested much in this regard. Spanish Fort’s star defensive end and Oregon commit Christian Burkhalter was regularly deployed on the other side of the line to avoid Taylor. The few match-ups they did have throughout the night, Taylor was able to win both in pass protection and in the run game.

Committed 2021 Prospects

Christian Burkhalter is an Oregon commit in the 2021 class who plays defensive end for Spanish Fort. He has good height, length and the frame to blossom into a good player on the edge. Burkhalter held up well at the point of attack most of the night but was not able to make a lot of flash plays in this game. He did have a favorable matchup against a running back in the 2nd quarter and quickly got pressure on the QB which resulted in a sack for a teammate. He has the length and burst to be a good player on the edge but still needs to fill out some and work on his technique to be a consistent threat against better blockers.

Ivan Shultz is the center for Saint Paul’s Episcopal and is committed to Troy. Shultz had one bad snap this game but other than was impressive up front. He is a strong blocker with a strong build. He was able to move defenders off the line of scrimmage and open up holes in the running game all night. He showed the ability to drive a defender over the ball back, or to get downfield and find second level defenders to block. Shultz was overpowering in the middle of the offensive line and was not tested much in pass protection this game.

Micah Gaffney plays corner for Spanish Fort and is committed to Virginia. Gaffney was not tested much throughout the game, though the few times the ball was thrown his way he was in good coverage. Gaffney made a good tackle on a pass completed in front of him for a minimal game when he was in soft coverage. He also had a good hit on the quarterback on a scramble. Gaffney is an intelligent player who recognizes the play well and has the athleticism to get to the ball and make a play.

2022 Prospect Who Flashed

Jaylen Sulton is a 2022 running back prospect who has an early offer from Florida State. Sulton has a good build as a junior and looks the part of an FBS running back prospect. He showed good burst and acceleration early and the ability to find running lanes to run through. Unfortunately, Sulton did not play in the second half and may have been injured, though there was no noticeable injury on the field. In his limited action he showed speed and explosiveness that would translate well in college.

Mario Montgomery is a 2022 WR prospect for Spanish Fort. He had a good game catching two touchdowns, one on a play where he got loose downfield and the second on a screen pass late in the game. Montgomery has good length and room to add strength to his frame. He adjusts to the ball well and is a capable player in jump ball situations. Montgomery showed some speed and acceleration and was a threat throughout the game for Spanish Fort. He made several catches Friday night and was open downfield several other times.

Under The Radar Prospects

Devin Manigault is a 2021 DL prospect who plays for Saint Paul’s Episcopal. He does not have any reported FBS offers at this time but he is an intriguing prospect. Manigault is very raw and needs to add strength, but has good size and a frame to carry good weight. He has some athleticism, length and made plays along the defensive front and in the backfield all night. As he gets stronger and develops some technique Manigault could be a D-1 prospect.

Sophomore Who Showed Promise

Josiah Hixon is a 2023 prospect who played linebacker for Spanish Fort on Friday night. He was making plays throughout the game constantly stopping the ball carrier at or near the line of scrimmage. He reacted well to the play and was able to shoot through gaps in the blocking to get to the ball carrier. Hixon has the speed and burst to chase down plays from the backside. He did a good job of tackling the ball carrier on arrival and was a key player for the Spanish Fort defense all night. Hixon needs to get taller and bigger as he matures to be a college prospect but he flashes the instincts and athleticism needed to be a good college player.

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