I watched a couple of playoff games this weekend at Texas Stadium with Bobby Bragg of Burnt Orange Beat. Dedfisher (his name is only capitalized when beginning a sentence) has already posted his thoughts on the Euless Trinity-Allen game, and I added my own thoughts in the comments section. Obviously his evaluations are those of a drunken wildman while mine are the equivalent of the American dollar under the Bretton Woods agreement. As good as gold.
Cedar Hill
SR OT Thomas Ashcraft 6'4" 290 - Texas commit
He plays left tackle for Cedar Hill, but he's a definite guard at the next level. Body like a shmoo. From the waist down he's OU's Duke Robinson. From the waist up he's OU's Jon Cooper. He'll need to develop his upper body, but his base is fantastic. He's not great in space so his future success at Texas depends on what we do on offense. He plays hard and aggressive until the whistle blows.
JR LB Aaron Benson 6'1" 210
Had him with about half a dozen tackles including a great open field tackle on a punt. No quit in him. Solid build and good speed. Will be a lot better once he gets some coaching.
JR OG Adam Shead 6'3" 290
Although he plays guard, he has better feet than Ashcraft. Does a really good job of pulling. Will need to get in a weightroom and remake his body, but he's strong and aggressive at the point of attack. He and Ashcraft looked like Loadholt and Robinson junior sans the holding. Mauling people until the whistle. Texas probably won't recruit him because we already have enough guards on campus.
JR RB Ben Malena 5'8" 195
When the college coaches came through Cedar Hill last spring, Malena was injured and only weighed around 170. He's recovered since then, and the dude is built. Went from a situational guy to someone you can leave in on 3rd downs to pass block. Really strong lower body. Runs hard with great balance, but he's not the fastest guy around. He's not quite Texas good, but he'll definitely get a lot of offers.
Wylie
SR NG Nikita Whitlock 5'10" 220
Probably the best pure football player on the field. Undersized, but he's fantastic at the point of attack. Really screwed up what Cedar Hill was trying to do. Great motor and technique. Also plays linebacker in goal line situations. Small school defensive lineman or possibly a linebacker in certain schemes.
JR LB Toby Ball 6'1" 210
Football mancrush on this dude. Plays mean. Malena comes to the sideline in the first quarter and says, "Number six is playing dirty." Had him with around a dozen tackles. After drawing a holding penalty on a blitz, he pointed to the flag on the ground as he walked pass the guilty offensive lineman. Made one tackle with his legs while laying on the ground. Needs to get stronger obviously (thin build), and I wonder how he'd do against a spread offense.