Owens Commits To Duke
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Reggie Owens (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
In what should be the first of manyDivision I commitments from Ocean Lakes this season, Reggie Owens is the man to break the ice. Owens (SR 6-0 190) is a well-muscled and athletic DB who’ll be a great fit in the ACC. Duke nabbed a commitment from Owens after he had narrowed his choices down to Duke, East Carolina and Marshall. The Ocean Lakes defender had also claimed interest from Virginia, West Virginia, UConn, Richmond, Delaware and Old Dominion.
Duke is a program on the rise in the ACC. The arrival of Head Coach David Cutcliffe has sparked a winning attitude and a new level of fan interest in the program. Of course, Duke also offers significant academic advantages,which makes the opportunity to learn, play in a rising program and potentially play early attractive for Reggie.
Owens’ decision comes on the eve of football season kicking off. Ocean Lakes travels to Princess Anne tonight in what should be an interesting matchup, although recent games have been lopsided in the Dolphins’ favor. According to Ocean Lakes’ Head Coach Chris Scott, Owens was ready to get the decision out of the way and move on to playing his senior season.
Owens is a true student-athlete, carrying a 3.2 GPA at Ocean Lakes while excelling on the field for the Dolphins. He had eight interceptions in his junior season including two returns for touchdowns. You can see highlights of Reggie in action against Bayside in his recruit757 highlight reel here.
Ocean Lakes fans should still expect Lafonte Thourogood, Josh Mann, Chaz Lowery and Lamar Neal to make major college commitments this fall. The program is loaded full of talent and should be a recruiting stop for many colleges scouring the region for college ready talent.
- Andy Hilton
Emerson Preps for Big Senior Season
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Zach Emerson of Smithfield (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Bay Rivers District kids are consistently tagged as Division I-AA material. Last year, it appeared that Smithfield Linebacker Boden Fuller was headed for West Point to play for Army. That fell through. Tabb Lineman Julius Wormley is a beast at 6-5 275 and he appeared to be Division I-A material. He committed to Norfolk State after offers from bigger schools didn’t surface. York’s Ben Edwards tore up the Bay Rivers District by passing, running and kicking his way to unbelievable totals in his high school career. University of Richmond got his commitment before the start of the 2009 season and it stuck. Division I-AA universities benefit from the talent in the Bay Rivers District. The talent in the district is too often overlooked. This year’s crop of recruits is looking to break through.
Smithfield Lineman Zach Emerson (SR 6-2 280) is on the radar of Division I-AA schools and could be on the verge of Division I-A offers. Emerson has camped at colleges including Tennessee, Old Dominion, James Madison, Penn State and UVA in the effort to get noticed. As of now, Zach has his sights on offers from Old Dominion, Liberty and James Madison. “I took a tour of Liberty’s campus when I went to JMU camp and it’s a beautiful campus up there in Lynchburg. I met with Coach (Levern) Belin the defensive line coach and I’m hoping to get an offer from them. (Recently) I just dropped in on Old Dominion and Coach Cotton came out of the weight room and gave me an on the spot tour. I haven’t been to any other campuses lately other than UVA. I’m hoping to get my first offer so other ones will come with it,” Emerson said of his recent visits.
Zach has worked on his technique in the offseason and feels as though he’s refined his skills. “Next year, I plan to use my hands a little bit more. I learned a little at Penn State’s camp hand-wise and feet wise. I’m working on perfecting everything now. All I did last year was bull rush. I get double teamed every game, but I’ve learned to fight those off. I play basketball and you have to square off to beat somebody.” Emerson has also been working on his endurance in the offseason. “I’ve been out runnning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday and I’m in the best shape of my life,” Emerson proclaimed.
Emerson is a hard worker in the weight room and in the trenches. He’s routinely won head-to-head battles with other more highly recruited linemen in recent combines. Zach won his weight group in the 2nd Annual Peninsula Strongman Competition with a bench press of 390. His max bench is an impressive 420. He squats 450. That kind of strength gets the attention of college recruiters.
His grades are in order. Zach currently has a 2.8 GPA and should be on track to finish with a 3.0+ GPA. His SAT scores already have him qualified through the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Zach’s excited about his senior season. The BRD is extremely competitive, but it will provide an opportunity for Zach to show his skills and nail down the scholarship offers he’s hoping for. “We lost a lot of seniors, but everyone else in the district did too. It’s a tough district. We’re expecting to be pretty good this year. We got our first district title (shared last year with Bruton).”
Emerson is on the radar. It’s just a matter of who will offer first.
- Andy Hilton
Tabb’s Haislip Ready For Offers
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
LB Ian Haislip (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
The Bay Rivers District is perhaps the most competitive in the area. From year to year it’s tough to predict who’s going to win the district. In fact, over the past five years, the district has had four champions: Lafayette twice and Bruton, Poquoson and Grafton once each. Tabb has finished in the top half of the district in each of the last four years, but hasn’t pulled out a District Title yet. It’s tough winning the Bay Rivers. At times it’s even tougher for the players in the BRD to get the attention they deserve.
Ian Haislip is a gutty, gritty middle linebacker for the Tabb Tigers. He’s coming into his senior season and should be fielding offers now. The colleges are interested, but no one’s jumped… yet. “I’m feeling pretty good (about the season and about recruitment). I’m looking at a couple of Division I-AA schools right now in Richmond and Old Dominion. Coaches are talking to me here and there, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Haislip.
In the summer between the junior and senior years, camps become extremely important. It’s a chance for college coaches to get a close up look at a player’s true size, agility, speed and other measurable skills that make the difference in being offered and being put on the back burner by a college. Haislip has hit some camps and opened some eyes this summer.
“I’ve gone to Virginia, Virginia Tech, William and Mary and Old Dominion so far. I have no offers yet, but a lot of interest from Old Dominion and Richmond. They’ve said if I do well in my senior season then I could play myself into a scholarship.”
That gives Haislip extra motivation to perform at a high level in his senior season. Don’t leave out the opportunity for Division I-A offers during the season as well. Players like Haislip can get noticed by plenty of schools beyond the range of the few that started recruiting him. Once one school offers, many others often jump in.
The key for Ian is getting that first offer in hand.
- Andy Hilton
Get Your Hits: ODU Team Camp
by Kellen Owings, recruit757
Tallwood DB George Joyner w/ Coach Harold looking on (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Helmets colliding, pads crashing into each other, making the familiar sounds of football that have been dormant since last season. At the ODU Team Camp players were allowed to don pads for the first time this summer, allowing teams to implement the running game and include offensive and defensive lines that have been absent from the 7 on 7 leagues.
The opportunity was appreciated by players and coaches alike. “It’s great to have this camp. We got to have that contact,” Tallwood coach Thad Harold said.
The coaches relished in the fact that they could finally install the running game, after throwing the ball all summer long with the 7 on 7s. “This is great because we can finally run some running plays. We’ve been running 7 on 7 all summer long, since May 17. Last year our weakest part of our program was our running game. To get it in at this point, or even run the ball at this point is very good for us. It’s very positive,” Harold said.
Great Bridge coach Pete Gale realizes that implementing the running game more is the key to reaching their goals for this season.
“We’re going to have to run the football more effectively to win a state championship. The goal is always to win the district, the region, then the state. The district is important, but in the end we want to set our goal higher. We don’t have to win the district to win the state championship. Our goal is to compete for the district, win the region, and get that state championship,” Gale said.
The four days of camp were a success, even though the second day was largely lost to rain and lightening. The Powhatan practice facilities are equipped with a lightning detection alarm that forces players to leave the field when storms are close. When the skies were clear, practice was able to resume.
“We couldn’t focus as much on the details (on the second day). But overall, the kids reacted real well and we got done everything we came out here to get done.” Coach Gale said.
Teams participating in ODU’s team camp included Norcom, Great Bridge, Landstown, Denbigh, Portsmouth Christian, York, Western Branch, Tallwood, Granby, Maury, Indian River plus some players from Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield.
- Kellen Owings
Richardson Waiting On College Decision
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Jaston George (L) and Raysean Richardson (R) of Oscar Smith (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Raysean Richardson (OLB 6-1 190) is one of several Oscar Smith players that seem destined for a Division I scholarship. Last year’s Tigers sent players to Penn State, Alabama and Old Dominion, Christopher Newport, Delaware State and Norfolk State. This year’s squad could be the most college prospect laden bunch yet to come out of Oscar Smith.
Teammate Jaston George has already committed to Syracuse. Wideout Quinta Funderburk has somewhere in the range of 30 college offers. There’s also lots of senior WR/DB talent on the squad including Jaquan Darden, Mylon Blueford and Marquie Mays. How does Richardson fit into the recruiting mix?
Richardson claims offers from Syracuse, Temple, East Carolina, Illinois and Kent State. Richardson also got interest from North Carolina and Virginia Tech in the spring visitation period. Those schools are looking hard at him and expecting to see more of him in the fall. “I’m also getting a lot of interest from Old Dominion and Hampton, the local schools,” Richardson stated.
There had been some concern about Richardson’s academics in the past, but according to the Tiger linebacker, he’s going to be in good shape. “I’ve tightened it up this year.”
Richardson has spent a lot of his summer on conditioning with a heavy dose of team 7 on 7 events. It’s increased his field awareness and agility even more. Richardson is known for being a heavy hitter with great instincts and great hands for a linebacker. You can see Richardson’s 2009 season highlight package from recruit757 here.
Raysean is ready to put up a big senior year which would nail down more offers and give him more choices. “I feel good about my senior year. We have a chance (to make a run) this year. We have a lot of people coming back that are familiar with the system and we have some good newcomers, so I’m feeling pretty good,” Richardson said.
Oscar Smith is certainly on top of the Southeastern District until someone knocks them off. The Tigers had several close calls last year, but seemed primed to win the state championship again until they fell against Thomas Dale on a sloppy, cold field near Richmond. Richardson will anchor the Tiger defense and earn himself many more college looks as the season wears on this year.
Andy Hilton
Seven on Seven Big For ODU, Local Talent
Coach Bobby Wilder watches the final (Photo: Kellen Owings/recruit757.com)
Despite the exhausting triple-digit temperatures, ODU coach Bobby Wilder still came away impressed with the talent on display at the first ODU 7 on 7 Tournament held at the school’s state-of-the-art facilities. “I was very excited with the teams that were here, I was excited with how they competed,” Wilder said.
“It was a challenge for the kids and the coaches, it was 102 degrees with the heat index. It was a long day. They started at 8 am with warm-ups, and here it is 4 o’clock and they’ve been going non-stop. I’m very impressed with how they competed.”
Wilder was also very impressed with the coaching on display during the tournament.
“I think its very evident now, as you watch and you can see the level of coaching that goes on in the state of Virginia. I’m more impressed every year with what I see. They’re running some very sophisticated schemes out here, both offensively and defensively, and it shows. Kids play at a fast pace, and they execute well.”
Holding the games at ODU’s practice fields and Powhatan Stadium, with the semi-finals and finals played on Foreman field, gave players the chance to see the facilities first hand. It’s a significant recruiting tool, and a great way to give the Monarchs an advantage when it comes to in-state recruiting.
“I’ve said this since the day I was hired, I want to finish third in the state in recruiting when it comes to where kids want to go,” Wilder said. “Virginia and Virginia Tech, however that sorts out, (one of them) is going to be number one, but we want to be number three. That’s a tall order when you’re talking about JMU and Richmond, who have won National Championships and William and Mary who were in the Final Four last year. Then you have Hampton and Norfolk State right here, VMI and Liberty. There are eight Division 1-AA programs in the state, and we are trying to be at the head of the class in recruiting.”
Booker T. & Maury coaches before the final (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“In order to do that, you have to hold events like this on your campus; you got to get the kids to your campus so they can see it. Now kids come here and there’s a real “WOW” factor. I heard so many positive comments from players, parents, and coaches about our practice facilities. Then this stadium; we were third in the nation last year in attendance. We have one of the nicest venues in the country at 1-AA. Getting these kids here so they can see this is a huge recruiting tool for us”
Wilder says its important getting all the players out to see the facilities, even the ones who have their sights set on the Division 1-A level. The 757 is rich with skill position talent that draws interest from top colleges all over the country, and a 7 on 7 is a great way to see that talent on display.
“We saw 10 kids that are 1-A players and have already been offered by Virginia, Virginia Tech. But having (the players) here, just in case it doesn’t work there, even though it may look like we’re next in line, that’s OK. We want to be next in line. Just having them on our campus is so important.
With the stadium and facilities being such a big recruiting tool, Coach Wilder and his staff will be holding as many events as they can on campus.
“We plan on having another 15 teams starting Sunday (7/18) at our 4 day team camp, which goes from 6 to 9 p.m. the next four nights. Again, we get these kids over here practicing, and we get to evaluate them. During a quiet period, getting them on our campus is a huge advantage. We already had one one-day (camp), and another next Saturday with 200 kids. So between the one-days, the 7 on 7 tournament, and the team camp, we’re trying to get them here as much as we can,” Wilder said.
Getting players from The 757 helps the program twofold. Not only do the players help the program’s on-field success, but Wilder says having home-grown talent increases the programs presence in the area and helps attendance.
Coach Wilder and Coach Bill Dee of CNU (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“Right now, out of the 90 players we have on our roster, 40 of them are from the 757. They grew up within 20 miles from campus. That was another goal I set when I was hired, along with the staff, was that we were going to represent this area.”
“On top of that, over two-thirds of our team is from the state. There are roughly 350 football playing schools in the state. We can find the majority of what we’re looking for right here at home. That’s the goal; we want to be made up primarily with kids from Virginia and even more so kids from this area.”
“I really believe that there’s a strong following, a strong presence of the local community when they see so many of these kids that they’ve watched play from Pop Warner to middle school to high school and they see them playing at Foreman. I think it’s had an impact on attendance and how people in this area feel about this football program. We’re gonna keep pushing that and keep trying to get these kids on our campus.”
That effort won’t stop anytime soon, Wilder said.
“We’re gonna keep doing this, we keep growing it every year. This year is the first year of our team camp. This is the first year we’ve done the 7 on 7 here on our campus. It was on Larchmont (Elementary School grounds), we didn’t have the facilities all done, and last year we didn’t have the stadium. So it’s a little better every year and we’re just gonna keep building on it.”
- Kellen Owings
ODU 7×7 Tournament Full of Surprises
Coach Scott and Coach Wilder watch the action (Photo: Kellen Owings/recruit757.com)
The Old Dominion University 7×7 was like an entirely new event this year. Last year, Old Dominion was still putting the finishing touches on S.B. Ballard Stadium and their football practice facility. The 7 on 7 was held at Larchmont Elementary on makeshift fields that also play host to kid’s soccer and recess for the elementary school. This year, the opening games were played in Powhatan Stadium (home field for Granby and Maury High Schools) plus ODU’s football practice fields, part of their Football Training Center. The final games played at S.B. Ballard Stadium on the ODU campus.
Not only was the event different in venue, it was different in competition and outcome. ODU played host to 15 teams, many from the region and a few from other parts of the state. Clover Hill, Hermitage and Dinwiddie traveled in from the Richmond area and joined Ocean Lakes, Oscar Smith, Phoebus, Bethel, Great Bridge, Woodside, Deep Creek, Lake Taylor, Booker T. Washington, Maury, Warwick and Bayside. The competition was intense and so was the heat. Each team played a schedule of seven games, and some of the matchup were hotly contested. Deep Creek jumped up and knocked off Oscar Smith in a neighborhood battle. Woodside fell to Oscar Smith in a rematch of last year’s Division 6 Eastern Region Final. Maury and Lake Taylor locked horns. Phoebus and Bethel got an advance look at each other. There were many games of interest.
Booker T. coaches address the team before the final game (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
Perhaps most interesting was the final four. The top four teams of the day’s play met in Ballard Stadium for the semi-finals and championship. Booker T. Washington blistered Warwick for touchdown after touchdown as Warwick seemed to have no answer for Booker T. QB Dominique Marsh (SR 6-1 175) and his receiving corps. In the other semi-final (happening simultaneously of the other half of the stadium field), Maury scored enough against Hermitage to hang on for a win. That set up an all-Norfolk final. How appropriate is that?
Maury won the opening coin toss and chose to play defense first. In this 7×7 game, the offensive and defensive sides didn’t alternate. One team’s offense operated for ten minutes then the team would take defense for the remainder of the twenty minute game. In other words, after losing the toss, Booker T. had to score as much as possible and then play defense in order to win.
Booker T. continued their hot streak on offense. The Bookers moved the ball down the field again and again, scoring four touchdowns in their ten minutes of offense. Maury turned right around and passed consistently under the leadership of QB Savoy Majors (SR 6-0 190), but couldn’t manage to score more than one touchdown. Thunderstorms were moving in and a lightning alarm cut the final game short by a little over two minutes. BTW got the storm shortened victory by a 27-9 margin and celebrated their win in the All-Norfolk final.
More photos will be posted to Facebook tonight. Congrats to all of the teams participating and making it a successful day for every program out there. For more on the Booker T. Washington program, check out their recruit757 season preview here.
College Camps Benefit Kids, Community, Universities
ODU players coach kids at Monarch Football Camp (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
It’s camp season and everyone wins. Colleges throughout the region provide the backbone for camps that build confidence and teach skills to local kids. Additionally, college camps like the ones taking place at William and Mary, Hampton and Old Dominion allow kids to rub elbows with pros that provide star power and a positive example.
The camps are great for the kids, great for the community, and great for the colleges that put them on.
Football is a great game that teaches teamwork, leadership and the value of hard work. The community benefits when players grow into community leaders. There’s also the side benefit of getting kids out from in front of the television or computer and onto the field excercising. Involvement in team sports is rewarding in many ways.
The colleges benefit as well. They provide community service through the camps, but also get the benefit of showing their campus and facilities to campers, plus they get the scouting benefits, especially with high schoolers that participate in the programs.
Landstown Coach Tommy Reamon administrated Hampton University’s Michael Vick Football Camp a few weeks ago. He sees a huge benefit for everyone involved. “At the Michael Vick camp, I had seven college coaches there just to come and observe. We try to do that so that kids can be exposed (to college coaches),” said Coach Reamon.
Hampton Coaches observe local players (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
“At the Michael Vick Camp, we had 447 kids. That’s all ages from 8 to 18. There were 172 high school players there. Hampton University had the luxury that they’ve never had by getting that many kids on their campus. Coach Rose and his staff did a great job hosting the event. All of the coaches in the area are trying to expose their kids (to college coaches) and give them an opportunity to improve their skills. It all comes down to exposure,” Coach Reamon stated.
High school players have to work hard to get exposure in any way they can. Many travel for camps at the bigger schools that they’d love to attend as college athletes. The camps at schools like UVA, Virginia Tech and other BCS schools routinely bring in Division IAA coaches that thrive on bringing in players that BCS coaches might pass on. Exposure. That’s what it’s all about and the benefits go both ways.
NSA’s Lennon Commits to ECU
Private school football is less known in The 757, but that’s not keeping private school players from getting noticed. One rising senior has been on the radar of a number of schools, and he decided to end his recruitment early.
Domonique Lennon of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy led the Saints to the State Championship of Virginia Independent Schools Division 2 last season. Lennon (QB/FS 6-2 190) attracted attention from William and Mary, Richmond and Old Dominion, but his camp time in Greenville recently sealed the deal for the Pirates and for Domonique. Linebackers coach John Wiley invited Lennon to camp at ECU for the weekend of June 19. Lennon’s visit went well and earned him a scholarship offer. He accepted quickly, but not for a lack of offers. Lennon had a special reason to make his commitment early.
Lennon’s uncle is due to be deployed to Iraq soon. Dominique wanted one of his biggest fans to be there for his verbal commitment to play for the Pirates. National Signing Day is not until February 2, 2011 and Lennon’s uncle would still be in Iraq at that date.
In Lennon, East Carolina Head Coach Ruffin McNeill gets his first 757 area commit of his regime. That opens the pipeline to recruit other players from the area. Previous Pirates’ coach Skip Holtz failed to recruit the area heavily, instead relying on in-state commitments and out-of-state players from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida mostly. Lennon will likely play defensive back for the Pirates, but he’ll bring a good head for the game and leadership skills learned while quarterbacking the offense and captaining the defense at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. Dominque was named First Team All-State at Safety in 2009 and earned an All-State Honorable Mention at Quarterback. Defensively, he tallied 85 tackles, 6 interceptions and 3 pass breakups. He sports 4.4 speed and is a beast in the weight room.
With Lennon at the helm, the Saints stand a good chance of successfully defending their state title from 2009. Lennon will continue working on the field and in the class room, but he’ll be bound for Greenville this time next year.
Monarchs Set Tentative 2011 Schedule
Redshirt Freshman CB Donald Smith of Indian River High School (Photo: Andy Hilton)
2011 will mark the first year of play in the CAA for the ODU Football Monarchs. The 2009 season’s in the rear view mirror. After a 9-2 season, the Monarchs have a lot to look forward to. 2010 should be more of the same since the Monarchs have a similar schedule and seven home games, plus a road game at Hampton. A home game against National Championship contender William and Mary on September 18 should be the toughest test of the 2010 schedule by far. 2011 will be a different story.
First of all, CAA games dot the schedule in 2011. That means weekly battles against teams such as Villanova, James Madison, Richmond and William and Mary. In fact, the schedule makers seemingly threw the Monarchs to the wolves by scheduling all four of those schools consecutively at the end of the Monarchs’ season at the end of 2011. Perhaps Bobby Wilder’s squad can enter that stretch on a hot streak and can be better prepared for that stretch of games nearly 18 months from now.
There are some more winnable games on the schedule early on. The Monarchs open their season at home against Campbell, then hit the road against Georgia State. Hampton visits the Monarchs on September 17, but then the true tests begin. ODU heads to Delaware on September 24 and it only gets more difficult from there. Old Dominion gets a more balanced schedule of six home games and five away games in 2011. They’ll miss 2010′s friendly home/away mix of seven home and four away.
Here’s the schedule:
9/3: Campbell
9/10: at Georgia State
9/17: Hampton
9/24: at Delaware
10/1: UMass
10/8: at Rhode Island
10/15: Towson
10/22: at Villanova
10/29: James Madison
11/5: Richmond
11/12: at William and Mary