It was a great night to be a high school football fan in Dade City, whether casual or die-hard. FSU’s Lawrence Dawsey, Kentucky’s Chadd Scott and Miami’s Art Kehoe were on the sidelines along with coaches from Tennessee State, FIU and FAU plus a handful of high school coaches as well to see what was by all means are pretty good game for this time of year. We are sure the coaches found more-than-enough bullet points to takeaway from their respective squads’ performances to point at as, “must get better here” but from an individual standpoint, there were some pretty talented young men on that field last evening that will be most certainly playing ball at the next level. Here are few of the names that popped for us on the night.
WR/CB-Jayvaughn Myers, Pasco (2016, 6-1/185)
This young man did pretty much whatever he wanted to do whether at the WR spot or at his CB position. Myers had three catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns while also returning a punt for 75 yards in the first quarter. Myers shows why he has collegiate coaches fawning over him with his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands as well as give opposing WR’s the business with excellent tackling ability and route-recognition from his cornerback spot. It was a pleasure to watch this young man do some work in pads having seen what he could do at BCP camps during the offseason.
QB-Michael Penix Jr., Pasco (2018, 6-2/175)
The lefty quarterback for the Pirates will most likely be a Top 10 player nationally at his position when it’s all said and done in 2018. It is not hyperbole nor unrealistic when you see what this young man brings to the table with his skills in the pocket or on the move. His arm is already plenty strong enough and he spins it so fast the ball makes that “perfect” noise that cannot be described, only pointed out once it’s experienced. He put up 226 yards and four touchdowns on the Bulls last evening and already appears to have the chemistry with Myers in place. There’s justifiable reason to be excited about this current E7 MVP from April.
RB/DB-Eric Wilson, Pasco (2016, 5-11/170)
Great frame, great instincts on this ball carrier for the Pirates. He ran for touchdowns of 47 yards and 11 yards while displaying great vision, quick change of direction and patience when hitting the proper hole when used in Pasco’s run game. Wilson’s 47-yarder was impressive as he made four really solid moves then broke one last arm tackle and strolled right into the end zone. Keep a close eye on this young man this Fall.
QB-Chris Faddoul, Wiregrass Ranch (2016, 6-0/185)
He put the squad on his back in the second quarter when the Bulls needed to stop the bleeding after spotting Pasco 19 points. He marched Wiregrass 67 yards on the initial scoring drive mostly calling his own number then started building some confidence through the air with Taylor Bleistein. We know about the transfer of Austin Sessums and have talked about him quite a bit, but watching Faddoul’s performance along with Sessums’ it’s apparent the Bulls have yet to take the top off their offense and let the sun shine which means big things could happen for Wiregrass on offense this season.
RB-Chase Oliver, Wiregrass Ranch (2018, 5-9/188)
This young man can carry the workload if you need him. Quick mention was made that he has to run a little lower to the ground initially before contact in order to maximize the yardage pre-and-post taking on the defender, but he took the ball into his hands 19 times last evening for 102 yards and a touchdown. Oliver really does run much larger than that frame would suggest. He seeks contact rather than shies from it and that’s precisely the kind of options the Bulls need to keep open if mistakes happen in the passing game. The Bulls know they can count on this young man to carry the weight with his feet along with Faddoul.
WR-Taylor Bleistein, Wiregrass Ranch (2016, 5-10/161)
Tireless worker in the offseason and in the weight room and keeps getting better with his feet and hands every time we see him in action. Bleistein caught six passes for 70 yards against the Pirates and even displayed some shifty moves in the open field on more than one occasion against the Pasco DB’s.