Player Breakdown: Manny Asprilla

Dominant.  That's the best way to describe Manny Asprilla's fourth quarter performance against Xaverian.  But plenty has been written about that already.  Thus far this season, he's been more of a first half back-breaker.  Through five games, he's done the majority of his damage in the first two quarters, where he's notched 6 of his 10 touchdowns, perhaps making him the biggest reason Everett has routed so many of their opponents.  Here, we go a little deeper into Mr. Asprilla's attributes.

• Elusiveness - By far his biggest offensive asset.  Manny excels at finding space, then getting into it.  He keeps his eyes ahead, and seems to react rather than plan out his cuts.  He's fast, but what makes his speed most dangerous is his acceleration.  He's able to explode when he sees space.  He is tops in the space at bracing for impact, as he does a phenomenal job shielding his frame from taking too much punishment.  That's key as he has not yet fully filled out.
• Feet - Not too many can cut with the precision Manny can.  He wastes little energy when making a move, and does a solid job keeping his momentum going.  His speed is a help and a hindrance here.  Against lesser opponents, I felt like he was a bit lazy when cutting, relying on his speed to make them miss.  It almost seemed like he was toying with them.  Not the case against Xaverian.  Everything was explosive.  The ability to turn every play into a score is there.
• Hands - I like the way he catches the ball.  Away from his body, good transfer to the tuck.  It's effortless for him, which is what you look for in a skill scholarship athlete.  He can catch the 5 yard slant with the same fluidity as he can the deep ball.
• Hips - I was really impressed with his agility last weekend.  I thought Nicholas McDaniels from Xaverian would be the best cover corner on the field, and I was wrong (McDaniels was a very close second, however).  Manny is still raw, but even when he is "beat," he has the ability to break a play up.  His hips move with great fluidity, allowing him to never be totally out of the play.
• Awareness - Quite possibly his top overall feature.  On offense, he does a great job feeling defenders.  On defense, he breaks well on the ball and does a good job turning his head at the right time when defending the deep ball.  This is what I believe solidified him as someone Boston College thinks can play for them.  There are plenty of players in the state who can run as fast and jump as high as Manny, but very few have the kind of head he has on their shoulders.