The first was a 10am session at Auburn High School and featured the Emerald Ridge Jaguars, Kentridge Chargers, Lindbergh Eagles and Auburn Trojans. Later in the evening I made the trip to Factoria and Newport high school where the Knights were hosting the Juanita Rebels, Mount Si Wildcats and Hazen Highlanders.
While I admit that 7-on-7 can be very deceiving, it is also a place where a kid might show something you weren't expecting. Without lineman, this is really a glorified game of flag football, but it is still fun to watch.
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Mount Si
Without a doubt the most impressive team today was the Mount Si Wildcats. The 3A school from Snoqualmie put together strong efforts on both sides of the ball. All eight of the teams I saw today made a lot of nice plays, but it was Mount Si that did it on the most consistent basis. Offensively they were very good, but for me it was the defense that really opened my eyes. The Wildcats are definitely a team you will be hearing from come this fall. Here are a few that really stood out.
WR/DB Tyler Button, a 5'7" 140 lbs spark plug was all over the field. On one occasion, he sat in his zone and read the eyes of Newport QB Isaac Dotson (2013, Nevada Commit) before stepping in front of a pass at about his own 15 yard line, no doubt it is a pick-6 in a regular season game.
Hard hitting LB Hank Van Liew, also a rugby player(View Video Here), showed above average coverage abilities for a guy I always viewed more as a run stuffer type. One thing Hank does not lack is instincts. Do yourself a favor and watch his highlight film. It is a shade under three minutes and I guarantee you will be impressed. The kid can flat out play.
* Here is another video of Van Liew just brought to my attention.
* Here is another video of Van Liew just brought to my attention.
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Newport
Playing in possibly the toughest conference (KingCo 4A) in the state, the Knights were in a division that featured eventual state champion Skyline, KingCo runner-up Eastlake and an always tough Issaquah. They would finish 1-3 in division play with their only win coming against winless Redmond. That doesn't mean the Knight s are not a good football team. They have plenty of talent this season and with the KingCo realigning the divisions, the Knights get the three Seattle schools this season. They are a team that could definitely surprise this year.
The Knights have a weapon at QB that offensive coaches dream about and defensive coaches stay up late sweating about. Senior, Isaac Dotson has the ability to become on of the all-time great QB's from the state of Washington. Dotson is headed to Nevada when he finishes his senior season and their is no reason he can't eventually play on Sunday.
The name you might see associated with Dotson the most this season is Drew Sample. At 6'3" and 200 lbs, the Junior TE has great hands and a knack for getting open. Today the Knights used him coming off the line and out beyond the hashes. On a few separate occasions he ran deep and using his size and leaping ability, would come down with the ball. He and Dotson were on the same page all day and you can expect to see their names linked together all season. This is a kid to look for in the 2014 graduating class. No reason he can't continue on to the next level and be an impact player.
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The name you might see associated with Dotson the most this season is Drew Sample. At 6'3" and 200 lbs, the Junior TE has great hands and a knack for getting open. Today the Knights used him coming off the line and out beyond the hashes. On a few separate occasions he ran deep and using his size and leaping ability, would come down with the ball. He and Dotson were on the same page all day and you can expect to see their names linked together all season. This is a kid to look for in the 2014 graduating class. No reason he can't continue on to the next level and be an impact player.
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Lindbergh
The most impressive team of the morning session were the Lindbergh Eagle. They do appear to be lacking some top end playmakers, but make up for it in technique. It is always tough to really judge teams as you never know which players are missing and I feel like Lindbergh might be one of those teams. By the seasons end Lindbergh should be in the playoffs as a Seamount 2A representative. As far as today goes, offensively they were the best morning team. They moved the ball with relative ease against all three 4A counterparts. The defense was nothing spectacular, but they definitely got the job done.
Senior QB, Matt Stuart was very impressive. Standing 6'6" and weighing 235 lbs, he obviously stands out. He has a HUGE arm, but still looks very raw. I would love to see this guy get some time with a professional QB coach to see if he can fully reach the potential I see here. I was told by a reader about a month ago that he is also a very good baseball player. In doing a little research, I found out that he is in fact a very good pitcher. Just type his name, Lindbergh and Baseball into Google. You will see what I am talking about.
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Auburn
The Auburn Trojans get on here for their defense more than their offense. This is a team that is run heavy during the season and it really shows in 7-on-7 play. I had a few players tell me that the Trojans are looking to open the offense up and pass the ball more, but frankly that really didn't get them much on Thursday. Defensively they looked VERY good. Highly recruited LB/TE Kevin Shelton was not in attendance, so you have got to figure this team can only be better. Defensively the Trojans play what is almost a 2-5-4 as their DE's do a lot of work standing up. One player referred to it as the "Blood" position.
Senior S/WR, TJ Muao is back in my blog again. Being 7-on-7 this time, TJ was forced to show his ability to cover a little more. He shows a great ability to read the play and the QB to be in the right place at the right time. He broke up multiple passes and even went sky high to pick off a pass against Emerald Ridge. I like everything about this kid.
At 6'2" and 220 lbs, Senior TE/LB Demontra McNealy is very hard to miss. The kid looks bigger than what he is listed. He is surprisingly agile for a man of his size and has decent hands. If I was Auburn I would be looking to use him on the OL more than at TE(I will get to that later). On the defensive side, McNealy showed good awareness and even picked off a pass that was for sure going to the house. Just his arm length alone is enough to make a QB look another way when wanting to pass.
Between McNealy, Kevin Shelton and Senior C, Cayman Tinsley, the Trojans could have one of the better OL's in the state. Instead they use both McNealy and Shelton at TE. In the typical Auburn offense, a TE is essentially an extra offensive lineman, but with coach Elliot wanted to pass a little more, they will be asked to run routes. Will they be able to run that route before the QB ends up on his back? Time will tell.
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Juanita
The Rebels, from Kirkland, showed a few things I really liked and also showed their youth. The Rebels showed they want to open the offense a little more this year and I really liked what I saw. They obviously showed some growing pains, but the sky could be considered the limit with this group. After the session was over I spoke to a Juanita assistant coach and he referred to yesterday as "we brought the young guys". One player that I did notice was missing was explosive WR/DB, Kendrick Murphy. He is a player that makes the Rebels dangerous with his ability to stretch the field.
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