OBSERVATIONS FROM Central Florida 7v7 Invitation
Apopka, FL – Before we start, the teams which competed today are all star 7 on 7 teams with players from various high schools across the state. Limited practice time and just a handful of games under their belt. At this point, no team is a well oiled machine and still trying to improve.
Kids dropped passes, threw interceptions, ran the wrong routes, blew coverages, got lazy and everything else one would expect in this type of environment. However, those same kids showed flashes of excellence, lots of skill and a ton of talent.
I can’t name every kid on the team and i’m sure I will forget to name some one, but I will highlight some players who really ”got off” and grabbed attention.
Jay Smith, Fort Meade QB – Smith was not the starter but filled in often/took a number of reps and looked pretty good. Threw the intermediate passes well and made smart decisions.
Derwin James, Auburndale ATH – It’s obvious that his ceiling is super high and he has so much to work on. However, it is even more evident how good his skill set is. James has a butt load of ability and ton of ruggedness. He made plays at every position he lined up at just because of talent and football IQ.
Kendall Gant, Lake Gibson DB – If you were asked to pick 10 athletes off looks alone, that you would guess were potential college prospects, he would have been 1 of the 10 from the 350 athletes on display. Gant is long and aggressive. Showed skill on both sides of the ball.
Nekari Jones, Victory Christian WR – Would have been team MVP if there was a such thing for this tourney. Caught the ball really, really well. Matter of fact, he really didn’t catch the ball…he snagged it. Ran really good routes, used his body to stay between he and the defender and was very consistent.
Christian Alexander, Lakeland Christian QB – Has a chance to be a stud. Strong arm and good field awareness. Very good ball placement on certain passes and routes.
Leroy Deshazor, Lakeland Christian WR – Yea boy! Kid can be a good one. Solid WR, soft hands, good speed and made his QB look like an All American. Very smooth player and showed lots of instinct!