Youth1 had an opportunity to check out one of the top Class of 2028 prospects in Pennsylvania earlier this month. Dontae Lewis, a 5-foot-10, 150-pound athlete out of Central Pennsylvania, is a player whose name has been ringing bells at the youth level for a while now. Lewis currently plays for the Mountville youth football 13/u team (midgets) in the CFA League (based in Central Pennsylvania. He plays multiple positions for his team, including running back and linebacker, and is a factor on both sides of the football. Youth1 was able to watch Lewis live in person and below are some of his highlights from the game.
YOUTH1 QUICK THOUGHTS ON DONTAE LEWIS
I heard a lot about Dontae Lewis from those in the know at the youth football level. His Mountorsville team took on Susquehanna Township in a battle of unbeaten teams (at the time). After a defensive struggle in the first 2-3 quarters, the offenses for both teams began to wake up. After going blow-for-blow for four quarters, the game was tied at 18-18 and went into overtime. Both teams scored on their first possession of the first overtime. Mountoursville fumbled on their next possession in overtime and Susquehanna Township scored on its next possession to win the game 31-25 in double-overtime.
One of the hardest things to do is being to produce as a running back and everybody on the opposing defense knows you're getting the football. Against Susquehanna Township, Lewis produced a lot of big plays for his team. He scored three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving) and had another two long touchdown runs that were called back. Susquehanna Township has a lot of fast athletes on defense and his ability to consistently beat defenders around the edge and turn the corner was due to his speed. He's looks smooth when running the football and has a nice stride. You're not catching him once he gets in front of you. I don't want to take too much away from his hard work to become a good football player, but he looks like a natural with the ball in his hands. He's elusive and can get you those tough yards in-between the tackles. Lewis also caught a few passes, including one for a touchdown, against Susquehanna Township. He's expected to play the wide receiver position once he gets to the high school level.
I was also impressed with his production on the defensive side of the football. His effort did not lessen on the defensive side of the football despite being the focal point of the offense in this game. It looked like Lewis was lined up as an outside linebacker in their defense. I thought he did a good job of consistently coming up and either making the tackle or forcing the runner to go inside to his teammates. Lewis displayed nice tackling form as he wrapped up on several tackles. It's no surprise that he has good lateral quickness and comes downhill in a hurry.
Youth1 will be making sure to keep an eye on Dontae Lewis in the future.
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