Is that Pahokee's defense or is that an all-star team?

There go linebackers/defensive ends Brandin Hawthorne and Norman Griffith, fighting off blockers -- and fighting each other -- to see who gets the sack.

There stand cornerbacks Willie Hickman and Jarvis Byrd, ready to lock down their respective receivers.

There roams safety Carlos Lammons, looking to make another big hit.

Guess there's a reason why college coaches are so interested in the Blue Devils' stoppers.

''[We're] solid,'' Griffith said. ``Everybody wants to make a tackle, everybody wants the big play. So [we're] hungry. Everybody [is] making plays out there.''

A LOT OF ATTENTION

Perhaps, at this point, nobody more than Hawthorne. The 6-1, 205-pound outside linebacker prospect racked up more than a dozen solo tackles in Pahokee's spring game -- an 18-7 win against Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer and an example of the defense's dominance.

On the college scene, Hawthorne's ''stock is exploding,'' according to Blue Devils coach Blaze Thompson. Hawthorne is ranked No. 17 on recruiting analyst Larry Blustein's Palm Beach list. He also has received plenty of offers, but has ''only five that I'm really concerned about'' -- Michigan, South Florida, Louisville, Tennessee and West Virginia.

His teammates certainly aren't surprised at the attention.

''Brandin's a monster,'' Hickman said. ``He goes 100 percent -- the whole play, the whole game -- he's just a monster. It's good to have him on your team. You don't have to sit around and wait for somebody else to make the play, because he's going to make the play.''

And he's not the only tough player on the Pahokee defensive line. Donald Hester is getting some attention from the University of Miami, Thompson said. But it's Griffith -- a 6-foot, 200-pound inside/outside linebacker prospect ranked 20th in Palm Beach by Blustein -- who also stands out.

''He's a beast just like me,'' Hawthorne said.

Griffith has just two offers -- from Buffalo (where Pahokee receiver Antavious Wilson signed in 2008) and Iowa State -- but is getting looks from UM, Clemson, Auburn and more.

GETTING OFFERS

Hickman and Byrd, like Griffith, aren't receiving attention from perennial powerhouses -- but still have been noticed. Byrd has a couple of offers -- including Troy, Thompson said -- while Hickman has received verbal offers from Kansas State and Minnesota.

The 5-9, 159-pound Hickman also is Blustein's No. 6 recruit in the county.

''Hickman is a shutdown guy,'' Thompson said. ``He's like a genius with that. It's amazing how quick [he is] and how he reads coverages.''

And then there's Lammons, a compact, confident safety who might have to make the move to cornerback in college because of his size (5-10, 177 pounds).

Lammons, Blustein's No. 23 player in Palm Beach, has offers from Minnesota, Central Michigan and Buffalo. He said Kansas State is ''on the verge,'' as is Pittsburgh.

''I tell you,'' Thompson said, 'Carlos is such a hittin' fool, that kid. And he covers. He's a great cover corner. It's just like a total package with him.''

As it is with the whole defense? Maybe.

DOMINATING DEFENSE

Thompson and Co. expect that side of the Blue Devils team to dominate again this fall, even if it lost top cornerback Janoris Jenkins to University of Florida.

And in 2009, although some players might split up, at least Hickman thinks there's a chance -- since most colleges are recruiting more than one Pahokee defender -- that some of them could move to the next level together.

''They're my partners and my buddies -- I hang around with them 24/7,'' Hickman said. ``[Sticking together] is what we're looking at right now.''

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