Week 4 Recruiting Roundup - Oklahoma State

We start this week off with a look at a standout player from the class of 2011 whose stock is shooting up the charts. 

2011 Player Spotlight - Arlington Heights receiver Marquis Jackson
Last Thursday night, members of the Texas Longhorn coaching staff were on hand to see Ft. Worth Dunbar's Darius White in a non-district game against Arlington Heights. They left the game wanting to know more about Heights' junior receiver Marquis Jackson.

Jackson was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing the night with 4 receptions for 168 yards and three touchdowns. He far and away appeared to be the best player on the field and was a key contributor in the Yellowjackets' 34-29 upset victory over Dunbar. He also ran for 52 yards on 8 carries. If all that wasn't enough, he helped shut down Darius White by playing lock-down coverage, holding White to just 42 yards on three catches.

Though Jackson doesn't currently have any offers, he has been getting interest from Oklahoma State and a handful of other schools. After last week's performance, he is no longer flying under the radar. Last season he was the newcomer of the year in his district. Thus far this season he has 560 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns.

For highlights of this game, click here.
For a full slideshow on Jackson, click here.

Cy-Ridge wide receiver Kevin Johnson
Was held to just two catches for 23 yards in his team's 46-20 win over Cy Woods last weekend. The Rams' took what the defense gave them last week and the constant double coverage that Johnson faced opened things up for his teammates. Cy-Ridge finished the night with 244 yards rushing and 207 passing. Johnson still leads the team in receiving with 14 catches for 287 yards and four touchdowns.

San Antonio Madison safety Tommy Saunders
Saunders and his Maverick teammates suffered their first loss of the season to district-rival MacArthur, 34-30. The loss knocked the Mavericks out of the top 10 in the state (they started the night at #2). "We dug ourselves a hole and couln't quite recover" he said. Madison trailed at halftime, 20-3. They managed to rally and take a late lead only to blow a coverage with under a minute left in the game.

MacArthur's David Eberwine got behind the Madison defense for an 83 yard touchdown catch to seal the game. Saunders' play was good for the most part as they limited MacArthur quarterback Clint Killough to just 8 completions on 24 passes but one big mistake obviously at the end of the game cost them dearly. Saunders did score his first touchdown of the year when he was inserted at running back and scored from 10 yards out.

San Antonio Madison linebacker Kris Catlin
The run defense was solid and Catlin held his own finishing the night with 12 tackles. The loss was obviously a disappointment but the Mavs still have all their goals in front of them. District 26-5A is considered one of the toughest in the state however and Madison might well have been caught looking ahead to some tougher games down the road.


Ft. Bend Hightower linebacker Shaun Lewis
The Hurricanes' defense remains one of the best in Texas after a 30-5 victory over Ft. Bend Austin. Lewis is the leader of the defense and continues to shine as he spearheaded an effort that yielded just 180 total yards.

Celina linebacker Caleb Lavey
Lavey and his Bobcat teammates finished the non-district portion of their schedule with a 45-16 win over Whitehouse to up their record to 3-2 on the season. Lavey has not disappointed this season as he leads the team in tackles and shut down the Whitehouse offense, holding them to just 36 yards rushing on the night. They'll open up district play against Sanger this Friday.

For a full slideshow of Caleb Lavey, click here.

Galena Park North Shore cornerback Larry Stephens
Helped the Mustangs upset perennial powerhouse Southlake Carroll by a final score of 28-15. Stephens was good in coverage most of the night. He was flagged for pass interference in the end zone on one scoring drive but made amends by stopping a sweep play that forced the Dragons to settle for a field goal.

Stephens is one of the few players at the high school level who can play tight press coverage on the speedy receivers from Southlake Carroll and was close to intercepting two passes. Thus far, he has lived up to the hype of being one of the top cover-corners in the state with one interception and 9 pass break-ups. North Shore finishes non-district with a 4-1 record and will start district play against Port Arthur Memorial next weekend.

Huntsville athlete Justin Gilbert
Gilbert is arguably the most gifted athlete of the class of 2010. That can be both a blessing and a curse as he splits his time between receiver, quarterback and kick returner. He completed just 1-of-3 passes for 19 yards but led the team in receiving with six catches for 81 yards. He also scored on the ground on an 88 yard touchdown run en route to a 52-15 victory over Conroe Caney Creek.The Hornets are now 2-2 on the season and will play Brenham next week.

Houston Bellaire Defensive End Joseph Okafor
Bellaire bounced back from a loss to Southlake Carroll in a big way as the Cardinals shutout Houston Milby, 51-0. Okafor was strong at the point of attack and helped limit the Milby offense to just 33 yards rushing. The win evens their record at 2-2 and they'll take on Austin High this Saturday night.

John Tyler Offensive Lineman Gerron Anthony
The Lions are receiving high praise from the media, cracking the top 10 for the first time this week with a 70-6 win over Lewisville. They are now 5-0 for the season and averaging over 40 points a game. As you might expect, Anthony and for that matter all of the John Tyler offensive line was dominant. The Lions finished with 469 yards rushing, a lot of it behind Anthony's blocking.

Tyler Lee Defensive Back Chris Dinkins
Lee has yet to win a ballgame, thanks in large part to a brutal non-district schedule. Dinkins has done his part though, playing well in pass coverage and last week chipped in on the offensive side of the ball. He finished the night with 105 yards rushing  (on just 9 carries) and the Rebels' lone touchdown in a 17-7 loss to Flower Mound Marcus.

Sharpstown Linebacker Stephen Maeweather
After a slow (0-3) start, Maeweather and his teammates have rebounded, winning the last two weeks. Last weekend's 35-12 win over Houston Waltrip was by far their best defensive performance of the year as they held the Rams to -18 yards on 13 carries. Needless to say, Maeweather was a big factor, leading the team in tackles and dominating the line of scrimmage.

Texarkana Quarterback Nathan Sorenson
Was 8-out-of-10 for 100 yards in a 28-25 loss to Longview. Texas High plays about as old school of an offense as you'll find, running on 1st and 2nd down and throwing on 3rd. Sorenson did a nice job of moving the team and overcame third-and-long several times to put the Tigers in a position to win. They are now 2-2 on the season and will have a bye-week before heading into district play.

The following players were not in action last week as their teams' all had a bye-week.

Rowlett Defensive Back Deion Imade
Arlington Bowie Receiver Montra Nelson
Arlington Bowie Defensive Tackle Diamonte Wheeler

Date of Article: Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:02 pm