Saturday night in Merrillvile, the Warren Central fans were screaming and begging the coaches to "Pound the Football" and that's exactly what they did. Shakir Bell, a 5-8, 185-pound senior, pounded the football inside and outside and I think he still may be running.
Bell (2010) doesn't have the size Big Ten schools are looking for in a tailback but he's going to play D-1 football somewhere on some level. He has very good speed and vision. He's a down-hill runner that does not go down on first contact. Shakir looks like a pin ball that refuses to go down.
There were a lot of talented players to watch on the Warren Central side but like Chistian Matthews on the Merrillville side, it was offensive tackle Kiaro Holts for Warren who I felt completely dominated and looked like a future BCS Program All-Conference football player.
Holts is the total package coaches. The 2011 grad, has size (6-5, 270), great feet, athletic ability, knee bend and will make blocks 20-30 yards down the field. Excellent in pass pro as well.
I was looking forward to watching 2011 top prospect Kris Harley and although he flashed at times, he still has work to do with getting off blocks quicker. He makes a lot of noise on the football field after he makes a play but I was hoping to hear a lot more yelling.
Harley already has D-1 scholarship offers and I can see why. He looks the part! But he's going to have to understand that he's going to be double-teamed and cut all year long. How is he going to handle that? We'll see.
The defensive lineman that stood out to me on the field was #97. Elijah Jones, a 6-3, 285-pound, senior. Jones is tough, uses his hands well and gets to the football.
Staying on the defensive side of the ball, I was impressed with #43 Richard Norris. Norris took a blood belt (Warren Central defensive starters were red belts referred to as BLOOD BELTS) from Jerry Boyd and he didn't disappoint. Both are 2010 grads.
However, Jerry Body (6-2, 190) was also extremely impressive. The 2010 grad made some great plays in space and he fills the alley well. Not afraid to stick his helmet in the numbers.
Moving to cornerback. #24 James Manuel is the real deal. He made some great plays and he's an aggressive hitter for a corner. His counterpart was equally impressive. #6 Nathan White was equally as impressive as Manuel and may have been better in pass coverage. Both Manuel and White are 2010 grads.
Lastly, I heard from the Warren Central faithful that #1 Eric Robinson-Berry (2011), a 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver has 4.4 speed. I didn't get a chance to see him catch a ball but he looks like a deer running his routes. Get him on your mailing list.
CHRISTIAN MATTHEWS - A side note on the top athlete for Merrillville. Please contact head coach Zac Wells regarding Christian's qualification status for college football. That stuff doesn't belong in a blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment