One can always tell the football players right from the jump. You know the ones; the ones who just literally jump right off the Hudl film at you when your scouting an opponent; the ones whose numbers you remember.
Now, I thought, watching the Bearcats a year ago, they had one of the quicker teams in the 2A classification. They are a very well coached football team, lots of “Northern Kentucky” teams can make an equal claim. They really looked fast to me.
Walton-Verona had a senior at QB in 2019 (Travis Brauer) and three of their four leading rushers were all seniors (Peyton Smith, Travis Brauer, and Blake Wolfe). They had a lone sophomore last year aligned in either the slot or at the wing most of the time and he was really something.
They will count heavily on this young man in 2020. His name is Jacob Gaines and we believe him to be among the best football players in the 2A classification’s graduating class of 2022.
Gaines, who runs the 100 and 200-meter sprints for the track team in addition to playing football, is a 6-0, 175-pound quick, elusive, deceptively fast, and athletic edge, slot, and backfield threat who causes opposing defenses nightmares. He led the Bearcats a year ago in rushing yards (756) and was third in rushing TDs (5). This was true in spite of just getting 68-opportunities in his 11-games played.
He was the team’s second leading receiver. He caught 13 passes for 228 yards with 2 TDs receiving. All told, he accounted for 984-yards with only 81-opportunities. He scored 7-TDs running or receiving and averaged 12.15-yards per play. He did all of this playing with seniors all over the roster, particularly where he was attempting to get “touches.”
Well, 2020 will be the year of Jacob Gaines and we expect his production will sky-rocket. We expect his recruitment will also sky-rocket as he continues to shine under the Friday night lights playing on some of Northern Kentucky’s grandest stages.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply