🏈 SATURDAY MORNING BLITZ
Forget the Score — Let’s Talk About the Players
I’m not going to spend much time talking about the score from last night.
You can find the score anywhere.
I want to talk about the players.
Because standing in that booth and watching Fort Madison and Keokuk, I kept thinking the same thing:
There are storylines all over this football field.
Young men on both sidelines deserve to have their names mentioned. They deserve to have their accomplishments celebrated. And some of them deserve a whole lot more attention from college coaches.
Moses Thacher — The Prediction Is Getting Awfully Close
Let’s start with Moses Thacher.
290 rushing yards. Three touchdowns.
Back in July, before the season ever started, I said Moses could go over 1,000 yards rushing.
Well, here we are.
He’s now only a handful of yards away from that mark — and there are four weeks of football remaining.
If college coaches don’t get after it with this young man, somebody may end up getting one of the steals of signing day in the spring.
I’ve been saying it.
Now Moses is showing it.
Owen Huffman — Watch the Feet
Owen Huffman continues to shine.
I’ve talked about his footwork before, and I’m going to keep talking about it because it’s that good.
Watch his feet.
Watch the consistency.
Watch how he operates.
At this point, what we’re watching from Huffman is becoming something people may talk about around Fort Madison for a long time.
The Big Fellas Deserve Some Love
That Fort Madison offensive line?
One of the finest I’ve seen in a long, long time.
And everybody who follows me knows I have a soft spot for offensive-line play.
You want something fun to watch?
Watch Ren Watson finish blocks.
Some of those pancakes are a thing of beauty.
Moses gets the rushing yards — and deservedly so — but those yards start with the guys creating daylight.
Never forget the big fellas.
Jonah Santiago — 21 of 22
How about a kicker getting some Saturday Morning Blitz love?
Jonah Santiago is now 21-of-22 on PATs this season.
That is consistency.
Of course, every time I mention how consistent Jonah has been before he kicks, Coach Smith gives me that glare.
Don’t you dare jinx this kid, Banks.
At least that’s what I imagine he’s thinking. 😂
It’s become a fun little part of our broadcasts.
But all joking aside, this kid can kick.
In my opinion, Jonah can kick at the college level. No doubt.
Max Jones — The Stuff You Don’t Always Notice
Then there’s Max Jones.
Max does so many of the little things in the background.
Friday night, he made some fine catches and added a fumble recovery to boot.
And I’ll admit this one is fun for me.
I’m glad to see that kid standing on the Fort Madison sideline. He’s a phenomenal young man, and I still remember him when he was pretty short. 😂
Now I’m watching him make plays on Friday nights.
Man, time moves fast.
But Don’t Forget the Other Sideline
This is where I really want to make something clear.
Keokuk has some dudes.
I’m hoping Coach gets back to me because I want to learn more about this group.
Their stories deserve to be told, too.
Kurt Joy — Speed, Speed and More Speed
Kurt Joy has D-I-type speed.
He’s one of the best athletes I’ve personally watched on this tour since I saw Drake May back in Week 1.
There are some guys where you don’t need somebody standing beside you explaining the athleticism.
You see it.
Joy has it.
Antonio Crockett — Put on a Show
Antonio Crockett caught my attention.
Fast.
Physical.
And dangerous when he gets outside.
He put on a show at times Friday night. Get him into space and you’ve got yourself a problem.
That’s a young man I want to know more about.
Jaydon Burton — DAWG
I’m just going to say it:
Jaydon Burton is a DAWG.
I loved his presence in the pocket, and I loved what he could do when it was time to tuck the football and go.
There was a confidence to his game.
Good pocket presence.
Good run presence.
Tough.
Athletic.
That’s a quarterback worth talking about.
Jaylen Clark — Dynamite at Tight End
And then there’s Jaylen Clark.
Dynamite.
A tight end who can become a legitimate weapon creates problems for a defense, and Clark showed why he deserves attention.
Another story.
Another kid I want to learn more about.
🐾 THAT’S THE POINT OF THE DOG HOUSE
That’s why I’m not interested in making this morning’s story about a final score.
Scores disappear.
Years from now, most people aren’t going to remember every number that flashed on that scoreboard.
But these young men will remember their teammates.
They’ll remember the Friday nights.
They’ll remember the big plays.
They’ll remember the guys in the trenches who opened the holes.
They’ll remember the touchdown runs, catches, kicks, tackles and celebrations.
And hopefully, somewhere along the way, somebody tells their story.
That’s what I want the Dog House Tour to become.
So I’m hoping to hear back from Keokuk’s coach. I want to know more about these young men. I want the stories behind the numbers.
Because Friday night I saw something bigger than a score.
I saw football players.
I saw stories everywhere.
And these kids — on BOTH sidelines — deserve to have those stories told.
☕🐾🏈
#SaturdayMorningBlitz #DogHouseTour #FortMadison #Keokuk #MosesThacher #OwenHuffman #JonahSantiago #MaxJones #RenWatson #KurtJoy #AntonioCrockett #JaydonBurton #JaylenClark #RecruitSoutheastIowa #FridayNightFootball #TellTheirStories
