Some post game thoughts.
I really wish I'd seen more SOC this year because I hate to judge a player off of one game, but Jordan Stevenson had a tough night. I don't know what his final stats were, but I don't recall him having a run of more than 4 yards all night. He found no room running into the Ennis defensive line and had trouble making players miss. The Ennis d-line was tough but I'd have liked to seen Stevenson create some more plays.
Jamile Johnson was fantastic tonight. I had questions about if he could play corner and he answered them tonight. Ennis's star wide receiver Donta Thompson had his way with Notre Dame commit Prentice McKinney, but Johnson shut the 6'6 receiver out every time he was lined up on him. Johnson capped the night off by intercepting a pass late in the game in what would be his final play for SOC (video posted above). He took the loss very hard but was such a great kid to talk to. Johnson was faster than what I expected, better in man coverage, and really locked down receivers he faced. Johnson was absolutely the best defensive player for SOC tonight.
TCU commit JF Thomas is an impressive looking receiver. Thomas has flirted with the Longhorns some this season, but appears to be pretty solid to TCU. Thomas is very tall but does struggle getting off the line against press coverage. He's a big time red zone threat and an elite player when the ball is in the air. He's a good one for sure.
Texas A&M Commit James Lockhart is just a terror coming off the edge. My sources at Ennis have told me that Lockhart had the Horns in front before the staff backed off recruiting him. He wasn't given a big explanation but there is some thought that he's not the type of player build wise that Charlie wants. From where I sit, this is a mistake because while Lockhart may be close to a finished product, it's an impressive product. Lockhart played relentlessly tonight was able to really cause some havoc. He's going to be a very good player for the Aggies in my opinion.
It's always tough to talk to kids after the last game they'll ever play at the high school level. These kids were crushed and very emotional, but the SOC kids handled the loss with class and dignity. It was a great game, and congratulations to Ennis as they advance to the state Semi Finals.
