1.  Sean Acosta

Bats’ receiver Sean Acosta might have made the greatest play of the season in the Rookie Series All Star Game. Yes, it was that good.  

 

Outside of this play, there’s absolutely nothing to talk about for him. Seriously, this was his only catch. But again, it was that good. Late in the 3rd quarter, Joseph Torres took a massive chance in the Red Zone with a high-risk throw to the sideline right by the end zone to Acosta. Keep in mind this determined who would have the lead, as the score was 20-17 in favor of the Lumberjacks beforehand. 

 

While in tight, double-coverage, Acosta found a way to complete Torres’ perfect pass, drag his feet in bounds, and use his momentum to score the touchdown. There is no denying that this type of catch will get his name thrown around by a lot of teams. It is safe to say that the projected late-second round pick will be ranked a little higher on the list leading up to tomorrow’s draft.

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   2.  Tyrone Green

To say the least, Lumberjacks’ Quarterback Tyrone Green had a very eventful 2nd half. Completing 23 out of 37 passes for almost 200 yards, Green did just as good as what some of the lower-level Quarterbacks do in the RFL during a full game. 

 

This came with a catch, though. Green was very loose and sometimes out of control with the football. He threw several passes into highly dangerous coverage, including an interception in quadruple coverage midway through the fourth quarter. He would keep the Lumberjacks alive by leading a late-game charge to the end zone, pushing the game to overtime. But during overtime, he would go for another aggressive pass, which was intercepted by Ike Page and allowed the Bats to win on a field goal.

 

Without a doubt, Tyrone Green is a must-grab Quarterback for any team who has even the slightest concern about their current roster and that position. If he will be successful though, it may take some extra discipline and patience for his coach to teach him when he should--and shouldn’t--reach for the stars on his throws.

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   3.  Entire Lumberjacks’ Defense

It is tough to pick just one notable player from Portland’s defense, particularly regarding the linebackers and defensive linemen. So, we’ll give credit to just about everybody.

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Caden Blair, Cole McAnally, Michael Kelly and Freddie McCallister combined for a ridiculous 16 solo tackles throughout the night, 4 tackles per piece. McAnally also was a major contributor on special teams by blocking and recovering an attempted punt by the Bats in the extreme early stages of the game. 

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Regarding total tackles, Nicholas Jenkins and Kelly both had 8 of them, and Raysean Vaughn and McAnally were responsible for 7 each. Jason Henderson and Nahshon Richardson were leading forces on the defensive line, especially in the first half. However, their efforts were simply too little to stop the Bats’ overpowered offense, but many of these players should definitely expect to see quick results in the Draft.

  4.  Jacob McDonald

There was very little that Bats’ runningback Jacob McDonald could do against the Lumberjacks’ defensive line, but he made the most out of every bad situation. He earned every bit of the 18 yards he ran on his first 10 attempts, muscling through defenders in an effort to gain every inch possible. 

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One of these plays was actually on top of the goal-line in the 1st quarter. Needing just 2 yards, he had to push his way through 2 defensive linemen, ultimately getting him to the end zone. However, he was still below 35 yards after 16 carries in the first half. Even if his stats were not the most electrifying, a good head coach is always smart enough to look beyond the numbers.

 

 

  5.  Madison Axel

As soon as Madison Axel took the field in the second half of the All Star Game, the turf quickly became his playground at the misery of every Lumberjack defender. 

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With a skinny built body, his appearance perfectly matches his abilities. Sure, he’s not exactly going to push through a 300-pound lineman, unlike counterpart Jacob McDonald. But the second you give this man a lane, he will take it without a problem. The Lumberjacks highly struggled against him, allowing him to run for 65 yards on only 8 plays.

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Late in the 4th quarter, the Lumberjacks began to slow him down, unfortunately. His carries became somewhat limited and he was ultimately stopped from scoring a touchdown. However, if he left such a tremendous impact through only 30 minutes of play, you don’t have to question how much he’ll do in a full game.

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Written By: Luke Rainey

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7/22/19