| 12 September 2011
Friday night I had the opportunity to get a first hand look at the Marlington Dukes and star junior Dymonte Thomas as they traveled to Mahoning county to take on Poland. I was hoping to witness a future Buckeye, but after watching Michigan's come from behind win over the Irish of Notre Dame, word has come down that Thomas has verbally committed to Michigan. Key word being verbal, but I'll leave that at that.
Thomas is not the only playmaker for Marlington and he was actually out shined by his senior teammate Alden Hill on Friday. Hill, a 6-2 220-pound Tennessee verbal, made plays both on the ground and through the air where he scored on a pair of deep seam routes over the middle. He is a load to handle when he gets going downhill. His explosiveness and forward lean are devastating in short yardage situations. There has been some chatter that some folks in Stark county like him even more than Canton GlenOak's Bri'onte Dunn. With all due respect, I haven't a clue what those folks are looking at. I try not to pay too much attention to star ratings from national recruiting services, but there's a reason Dunn gets 5 stars and Hill gets 3 or maybe 4. In this case it is a decent measuring stick. Hill has a good first step but nowhere near the breakaway speed or elusiveness of Dunn. Dunn can match Hill's physical game but Hill cannot match Dunn's speed game. I have to admit he was even better than I expected and I'm not trying to put him down. Dunn is just in another class.
And it all starts up front for the Marlington offense. That's where 6-5 300-pound Michigan State verbal Zach Higgins comes in. Number 76 for the Dukes is a high intensity lineman both at the line of scrimmage and downfield. You don't see those kind of effort blocks by a guy so big so far downfield very often. He doesn't have the feet of a left tackle but he has the skills and talent to play either guard spot or right tackle for the Spartans. He is always well balanced and comes off the ball hard. He knows how big he is and he knows how to use it. The result is a high level Big Ten prospect.
Now to the newest north-bound talent in the state of Ohio; Dymonte Thomas. He is just a great looking athlete. He's long and lean and looks like a dream for a collegiate strength coach. He is so explosive out of his breaks with the ball in his hands. Most, however, like him best on defense as a safety. I was of that opinion going in and haven't changed having seen him in person. Getting in and out of breaks is huge for a safety and he has the tools. Playing outside linebacker right now, Marlington dropped him into coverage for the majority of the first half. He was taking good angles and being an athlete covering ground quickly. This shows me he has taken to his coaching well. He failed to get enough depth on several occasions with nothing in front of him and the ball went deep over his head. This shows me he's still a step back on natural understanding and instincts. In the run game he seemed a step behind on recognition and wasn't making an impact until they started bringing him off the edge in run blitzes later in the game. Before Friday I was arguing that Warren Harding's Jalyn Powell is closer to Thomas than the experts might think. After seeing them both in person, I feel that it is Thomas that is just behind Powell. Powell is a ball hawk and actually the better hitter. I'd like to word this in a specific way. Dymonte Thomas has the higher ceiling, which in large part is what recruiting and the scouting of recruits is all about. But, not only do I feel that Jalyn Powell is the better safety today, I believe he is more likely to reach his ceiling. Powell is a natural gamer and I don't think that that is something that is easy to learn. Make no mistake, I would much rather see him in Scarlet than in Blue, but now I have him as number 2 instead of 1 for Ohio's safety class.
Later on I was able to catch Powell's Harding team play crosstown Howland on tape delay. I was very interested in this game after being surprised by Harding running back LaShun Daniels (6-0 206) in week one and wanting to compare him to Howland's DeVeon Smith (5-11 210). I initially said that my gut reaction was that Daniels might be the better of the two. After this game, I must retract that statement. It's close, but DeVeon has taken his game to the next level. There were questions about Smith's speed and although he may never be a breakaway burner, I feel he has more than enough to compliment his style. He reminds me so much of Michigan State's Edwin Baker. He rarely misses a hole and has a great burst through it and through his breaks. His strength is top shelf as he drags would-be tacklers, seemingly without ever slowing down. His first long touchdown run on one of the first offensive snaps of the game is one to look forward to when the highlight tape comes out. Daniels also continues to impress. His balance and power has Big Ten written all over it. He is a great finisher as his grinding style makes him increasingly dangerous as the game wears on. Just like in week one his best work was done in the second half. I wasn't disappointed in either, but the good things I've been hearing about DeVeon Smith continue to hold true.
As for next week, I've got a Stark county trip planned so be sure to check back with the DLR!
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