*First off, what a fantastic football game. It was back and forth the whole night with both Amarillo and Rider players making big plays, including both Tech commits, before Rider won on the last play of the game 27-24.
*Also, Rider QB Willie Cherry, who scored the game winning touchdown as time expired on a designed QB run off the right tackle, had his mother pass away on Thursday. I can't even imagine what he must have been going through these last two days, but what a fitting ending for him tonight.
*As for the two Tech commits, I'll start with Vasher first. He's every bit of six-five, maybe six-six as he's listed on the Rider roster. He's an incredible athlete, too, as he's super smooth and runs like a deer for his size. While he didn't have a great game tonight, dropping two bombs that he would usually catch, he was still impressive. He's a physically dominating presence.
*Vasher is a very good blocker on both screens and in the run game. He gets after guys, and that's a great sign for a player of his age.
*The WR also had one of the best catches I've ever seen tonight. On a 25 yard go route, he caught a TD with two DBs on him, one handed, in the endzone. Incredible catch.
*Now, for Jackson: Consider me thoroughly impressed. Amarillo lines him up as both a defensive tackle and an end, and the combination of his size, power, and athleticism allows him to excel at both positions in high school. He'll be a college DT, but he still showed at end with two great, super-athletic sacks on two key third downs.
*As I said, Jackson is a fantastic athlete. He's extremely fluid, is very explosive off the snap, and moves so well from sideline to sideline.
*It was also pretty obvious that Rider was trying to keep the ball as far away from him as they could. They rarely ran the ball to his side of the field, and when they did, he was right there. Jackson showed great hustle, too, as he chased down a number of ball carriers way away from where he started the play.
*The final prospect I want to talk about is Amarillo 2018 RB Jaelin Ford. This kid is going to be a player. Heck, he already is. He had roughly 270 yards rushing and 3 TDs tonight, every score for Amarillo. He was the anchor leg for AHS on their mile relay team as a freshman last year, and it's easy to see why. He turns the corner with incredible speed, and he's also surprisingly physical with a 6-1, 190 pound frame. Watch for this kid. He can ball.
*Overall, I think Tech fans can feel very happy about what they're getting in Vasher and Jackson. Both are plus athletes with tons of talent. Great gets by this Tech staff.
*Also, both players will be in Lubbock for Tech's season opener tomorrow, and Vasher actually stayed in Amarillo with Jackson tonight.
