Week 1: Five players to watch on the gridiron tonight

Football season is back big as we kick off games tonight and is there a better day every fall than the first week of the season?

Expectations are large, energy is big and there are a lot of guys to be on the look out for in week one. But, as we will do each week, we look at the five guys who may have the biggest impact on their games this opening Friday night.

Here are the players to keep on watch:

Drew Yates, West Noble at Central Noble

What a way to start with a conference rivalry. Yates is going to be a centerpiece of this game as one of the best tenured quarterbacks in the area, let alone the NECC. Both of these teams will be hoping to start off a potentially promising season with a win and Yates is in a great position for West Noble. He is a guy who reads the the field very well and with a solid Cougar secondary in place, his ability to make solid reads is critical tonight.

Drew Fleek, Woodlan vs. Eastside

This game may be one of the most underrated on the schedule for week one. A potentially rising Woodlan team against an Eastside team that really needs a signature win in the beginning stages of their new era. With a new QB in line, look for Woodlan to lean on their ground game early and maybe often in this one. Fleek is going to run up against some big guys on the Eastside line, so he will need to play very evasively.

Mylan Graham, New Haven vs. Northrop

This is a no brainer. Graham is going to be one of the most watched players in the area all season, if not THE most watched. So why watch here? One: it is week one. Two: this is one of only two SAC/NE8 battles week one. Three: With the Northrop defense young in areas, this could be a week where Graham’s numbers are outrageous.

Kobe Meyer, Heritage at Bellmont

Last year, Heritage shined but there wasn’t a full plate of pressure on Meyer, like there should be to start the 2023 season. While Bellmont is predicted at the bottom of the NE8, the Braves have a lot back on the defensive frontline and Meyer will need to exploit any holes he can. Meyer is a high level rusher in the ACAC from the QB spot so he will look to pick apart the Bellmont defender by leg and by air.

Carter Minix, Bishop Dwenger vs. Brownsburg

There were times last season act Carter Minix was the breakout player on the field and now he will add a heavier focus as a leader for the Saints. Bishop Dwenger is one of the SAC teams that gets to host in week one of this new non-conference schedule and as a team who is always a contender and hard to beat in the SAC, the Saints could bolster the start to their season if they can top Brownsburg. Minix can make big plays happen at any time and it makes him arguably the biggest threat in this game.