If I do not mention you or your son, it may mean one of two things. 1) I did not notice him: This isn't exactly a bad thing. I am one man, with a list of 50+ names and it can be VERY hard to see everyone and have an opinion. 2) I have bigger plans for your son and don't want to use my thoughts here. I might be attempting to get in contact with your sons coach looking for a way to contact you.
That being said, here are a few thoughts from the day.
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RB/TE/LB:
So much to talk about here. Before I got my list I had picked out three numbers that impressed me above all others #211, #214 and #265. When I finally got a hold of a list of names I was surprised to see that I knew all three names.
#211 would turn out to be RB, Ari Morales from Bellevue High School. No surprise here. Ari is rightfully gaining interest on a daily basis. He has unbelievable speed which makes him very easy to stand out. The thing that surprised me today with Ari was his all around ability to catch the ball. Not just his hands. His route running is crisp and his footwork is so good it allows him to create space to make the reception easier.
#214 was RB, Ralph Kinne from Shelton High School. I was very happy to see him there as I had just placed him on my "Unknown Offense" a week earlier. I even mentioned it to him and he looked at me like I was stupid. Ralph is very underrated because he doesn't play for a big name team. The kid can play. The thing I love about Ralph is he hits the hole at full speed. There isn't a lot of dancing in his game. He sees the hole and he hits it. My kind of running back!
#265 is TE, Matt Malcuit from Rogers High School in Puyallup. Matt is an interesting prospect. He is converting from QB and I must say, it is the right move. Click Here for a video from an NEI/BFA combine earlier the year at Peninsula High School. Matt has great hands and does a very good job at getting off the line and creating separation from the defender. No reason he shouldn't rise as the year goes and start getting offers from all over.
Other Thoughts:
A few linebackers that really stood out, Micah Breland from Foster in Tukwila, Mikey Tupou from Inglemoor in Kenmore and Trayon McNairy from Juanita in Kirkland. All three players showed good ability to change direction and get back to speed quickly. Breland especially was very good in pass defense. That kid just continues to get better.
The catch of the session has got to go to Chico McClatcher from from Federal Way. With a defender hanging all over him, McClatched throws one hand up aboce his head and snags an absolute rocket from his QB. Chico is going to be a sophomore this coming season for the Eagles and is already turning a lot of heads.
I got to speak with Danny Wilson from Bothell for a few minutes and came away very impressed. Wilson is ready for a breakout year. Between Wilson, Darrin Laufasa and Kizhan Proctor, the Cougars have a three headed monster to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the state.
I like just about everything about Skyline TE, Isaiah Richmond. At 6'6" he is a HUGE target. He doesn't have great acceleration or top end speed, but uses his hands very well to get rid of the defender. He is a kid that will get a more and more looks as the season goes by.
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#211 would turn out to be RB, Ari Morales from Bellevue High School. No surprise here. Ari is rightfully gaining interest on a daily basis. He has unbelievable speed which makes him very easy to stand out. The thing that surprised me today with Ari was his all around ability to catch the ball. Not just his hands. His route running is crisp and his footwork is so good it allows him to create space to make the reception easier.
#214 was RB, Ralph Kinne from Shelton High School. I was very happy to see him there as I had just placed him on my "Unknown Offense" a week earlier. I even mentioned it to him and he looked at me like I was stupid. Ralph is very underrated because he doesn't play for a big name team. The kid can play. The thing I love about Ralph is he hits the hole at full speed. There isn't a lot of dancing in his game. He sees the hole and he hits it. My kind of running back!
#265 is TE, Matt Malcuit from Rogers High School in Puyallup. Matt is an interesting prospect. He is converting from QB and I must say, it is the right move. Click Here for a video from an NEI/BFA combine earlier the year at Peninsula High School. Matt has great hands and does a very good job at getting off the line and creating separation from the defender. No reason he shouldn't rise as the year goes and start getting offers from all over.
Other Thoughts:
A few linebackers that really stood out, Micah Breland from Foster in Tukwila, Mikey Tupou from Inglemoor in Kenmore and Trayon McNairy from Juanita in Kirkland. All three players showed good ability to change direction and get back to speed quickly. Breland especially was very good in pass defense. That kid just continues to get better.
The catch of the session has got to go to Chico McClatcher from from Federal Way. With a defender hanging all over him, McClatched throws one hand up aboce his head and snags an absolute rocket from his QB. Chico is going to be a sophomore this coming season for the Eagles and is already turning a lot of heads.
I got to speak with Danny Wilson from Bothell for a few minutes and came away very impressed. Wilson is ready for a breakout year. Between Wilson, Darrin Laufasa and Kizhan Proctor, the Cougars have a three headed monster to run behind one of the best offensive lines in the state.
I like just about everything about Skyline TE, Isaiah Richmond. At 6'6" he is a HUGE target. He doesn't have great acceleration or top end speed, but uses his hands very well to get rid of the defender. He is a kid that will get a more and more looks as the season goes by.
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OL/DL:
This was the smallest session of the three with about 50 kids, most of them being from Oregon. The three numbers that stood out to me were #409, #412 and #433. If I had to venture a guess, I would say the defense got the best of the offense during the day in the individual competition.
#409 was worn by Bothell DE, Jeremy Ruef. He is a high motor guy that has a great initial burst off the line that challenges his opponent to get deep into his drop in a very short amount of time. He uses his hands to shed his blocker as well as any lineman I have seen so far. Jeremy is a kid I will be keeping an eye on this season. Could double digit sacks be in his future?
#412 was Mariner (Everett) OL, Hector Ruiz. Listed at 6'4" and 270 lbs, Ruiz very much looks the part. He is still very raw, but shows a ton of potential. He moves his feet very well and keeps good balance. The sky is the limit for this kid.
#433 is Wenatchee DL, Jakob Stoll. No offense at all in my next comment, but Jakob is the exact definition when someone calls a lineman a "big ugly". The kid has a head full of blonde hair, don't think it is his real color, that really flops around as he moves. He never stops working and was always the first guy to jump in when a spot opened up. He clearly plays with a chip on his shoulder.
Other Thoughts:
A kid that very easily could've been one top three is Oak Harbor OL, Dayne Herron. While Stoll was the first on defense, Herron was the first on the offensive side to step in when a spot opened up. He got most of his work done at the LT position. One thing I love about Dayne is he is very aware of what he needs to do better. I spoke with him briefly and he was almost finishing my sentences for me when I was giving him advice. At the rate he is imrpoving, it is only a matter of time.
I don't know who the coach of Aloha High School in Oregon is, but he might have the most talent in the trenches in the northwest. Five Aloha kids were on my list and all five were top level players.
I spoke with McCartney McQuery from Bellarmine Prep for a few minutes and was very surprised at how soft spoken he is. When you watch McCartney play he is usually throwing a defender to the ground or flat out running him over. I approached him prior to the lineman taking the field and told him we would catch up later. I was pleasantly surprised when he sought me out after the lineman were done roughing each other up. He is a road grader with a ton of talent, good work ethic and no offers. I have no explanation for the no offers part. They will come eventually, but I am surprised someone hasn't jumped on his bandwagon yet.
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QB/WR/DB:
This was the largest group of the day and probably the most impressive. Footballs were flying all over the field with one great throw, catch or pass defended after another for over an hour. The three numbers that caught my eye the most were #12, #40 and #450.
#6 on the day was Interlake (Bellevue) WE, Kamana Adriano. Nobody runs a better route than Kamana. His acceleration creates the space needed to make the catch. Struggled just a little with press coverage, but once got loose he was unstoppable. Made 2-3 highlight reel type catches along the sideline while managing to keep both feet in bounds on the play. He is the perfect slot receiver.
#40 was Graham-Kapowsin DB, Kahlil Dawson and he was absolutely amazing! Rarely did a WR catch a ball on Dawson and when they did, they worked for it. Kahlil was all over the field making play after play. He is also a very accomplished WR, but I see his future on the defensive side of the ball. The kid is a playmaker that could become one of those guys that makes a QB completely forget about his side of the field.
#450 is Kennedy Catholic (Burien) QB, Conner Richardson. I will admit, I am always drawn to left-handed QB's. Conner is making the switch to QB after spending last season at WR. He has great feet, an even better arm and just that little bit of swagger needed to play the position. He has great arm strength while still being able to put great touch on the ball. Conner is rising quickly and rightfully so.
Other Thoughts:
2015 could be a great year for QB's in the state of Washington. Ross Bowers from Bothell, Casey Brink from Bainbridge and Nolan Henry from Union (Camas) are all three very capable of being in the top 10 nationally.
DB, D'Londo Tucker from Federal Way High School had himself a very nice day. Tucker can run with anyone and has good great natural instincts to close on the ball and make plays.
Mount Si (Snoqualmie) had a pretty nice showing today. QB Nick Mitchell, WR Tyler Button and DB Hunter Malbert were all impressive. The Wildcats were ranked #5 by Doug Pacey a few weeks ago and have a very underrated coach in Charlie Kinnune. This could be a very big year at one of the most scenic stadiums in the state.
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That is all from the Northwest Stars Camp at UW. I hope you enjoyed my recap. Look for a few players interviews in the coming weeks. I want to put out 2-3 per week. Hopefully I will have to time to get them done.
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