Larry Purnell, Liberty High School

Jason Roberts of the Central Florida National Football Foundation, Chapter 245 / PRISM Press Group recently had the opportunity to speak with Larry Purnell, senior cornerback for Kissimmee’s Liberty High School, about the numerous transitions he’s faced over the last year  in moving from Chicago, Illinois to Central Florida, the shift from playing basketball in the Midwest to football in the South, and what his plans for the future hold once he graduates at the end of this academic year and looks to head off to college.

Please note all material which follows is the sole possession of Jason Roberts and may not be reproduced without his sole permission, obtainable by contacting him via email at jason@prismpressgroup.org.

In talking to Larry Purnell, senior cornerback for Kissimmee’s Liberty High School, one thing about the last year becomes crystal clear:  though he has dealt with his fair share of transition and challenges, he has done so with head held high and succeeded where others have  given in to adversity.

Purnell began a whirlwind of adjustment late last year when he arranged to move from his hometown of Chicago, Illinois to the Orlando area in order to reside with his father.  He then faced the decision of whether to continue playing basketball (he played point guard in Chicago) at Liberty High as a senior, or try his hand at the game of football  – something he figured he’d do well in given time spent running track in Chicago, where his speed – 4.41 in the 40-yard dash – had caught the eyes of plenty who’d seen him in competition.

It was football – a game Purnell learned to love while playing at a local Boys and Girls Club growing up – ended up winning out.  But that  in and of itself opened up a new set of challenges, as Purnell arrived on campus slated to play running back, but was eventually forced to learn the defensive side of the ball in order to better take advantage of his overall speed and athleticism.

The transition in learning a defensive playbook wasn’t that difficult, Purnell comments, but given his size – 5’6 and 150 pounds – it became clear early on that the senior was going to have to rely heavily on that same speed and athleticism coaches had noticed in pre-season camps in order to defend the oftentimes larger wide receivers he faced off against throughout the 2009 season.

That was a task Purnell learned to turn to his advantage, with his quickness and instinctive ability to adjust to the ball making the youngster a dangerous target to throw against in coverage out in the Liberty secondary.

Both were also gifts that eventually worked in favor of Purnell seeing additional playing time on special teams, where he evolved into a role as a punt and kickoff returner.

They are also talents that the defensive back hopes to further hone in college, where, though he hopes to play at the Division I level, his overall inexperience may – at least initially – make him more attractive to a Division II or Division III institution such as Bethune Cookman, one of the programs Purnell acknowledged as currently taking a look at him heading into the 2010 football season.

Bethune Cookman seems in a lot of ways a good fit for Purnell, particularly given his desire to stay in the state of Florida for school and to play for a program that emphasizes team first, not the individual, in terms of taking the field and winning football games.

Of considerable weight, too, is his emphasis on attending a school with a strong academic tradition, as education will always remain at the forefront of what Purnell does in an academic environment.

That’s he’s maintained all A’s and B’s so far this year ought to help him to achieve just such a goal.

Purnell should also only further build his stock as he explained he is currently preparing for the upcoming track season at Liberty High School, where he relishes in the freedom of running unrestrained from the weight of all the transitions and decisions he’s faced in the past and will be forced to deal with in the near future.

Bert Reed, Florida State University

This past weekend, Jason Roberts of the Central Florida National Football Foundation, Chapter #245 / PRISM Press Group had the opportunity to travel to Tallahassee, Florida in order to cover the last home game of the season for the Florida State Seminoles, this against ACC rival, the Maryland Terrapins.

Following a heart-pounding conclusion in which FSU pulled off a 29-26 victory, Jason had the chance to interview sophomore wide receiver, Bert Reed, and ask a few questions about what makes him a great player, his expanded role on offense, and advice he has for high school players hoping one day to follow in his footsteps and play collegiate football.

The following is a summary of that conversation; please note that the contents of this article remain the sole possession of  the Central Florida National Football Foundation /PRISM Press Group and may not be reproduced without direct permission from Jason, which can be obtained by emailing jason@prismpressgroup.org:

On what Reed had done this season to become one of Florida State’s top receivers: “My determination to be great . . . I’m not great right now, no where near great, but I think my determination and [desire] to be great one day is what makes me a good player.  I come in when coaches are not watching, I come in, I catch balls . . . do the little things that you’re not going to get credit for by anybody else.  You’ll probably get some respect from your teammates because they see you working hard.  But [overall], it’s going to take a lot of work by yourself, when nobody’s watching, nobody’s giving you credit for it; [that's what's needed] to go out and be great, to go out and play great on Saturdays.  It’s what goes on behind the scenes that makes you a good player.”

On the differences between Reed’s approach to playing in the receiving corps at Florida State this year as opposed to last: “Discipline.  I never knew anything about discipline before I came here and now I can’t stop talking about it.  It’s about doing what you’re suppose to do, man, and every time you’re suppose to do it, all the time.  That’s what I’m trying to do to turn my life around:  do what  you’re suppose to do, be what you’re suppose to be, not having any excuses about why you’re not there.  Discipline has changed my whole life around and not just on the football field.  Tutoring, academics, and my personal life; doing what I’m suppose to do, that’s taking me a long ways.  It helps to build character.  [Remember] your first impression might be your last.  Discipline goes a long way in football and in life . . . “

On Reed’s increased role in the Florida State ground game this season:  “Let me tell you something, in college football, the more times you get the ball in your hands, the more times you’ve got to make plays, and the more opportunity you’ve got to be a good player, a great player.  Just being able to run the ball gives the coach a different opportunity to get me the ball in ways [outside] of just having the quarterback throw it to me.  It really plays to my advantage.  I strive to make people miss in the running game; I’m not going to break too many tackles, but I’m going to try to get extra yards and hit it for the big play.  It gives you a great opportunity to make more plays than if you are just a route runner.  It gives me a chance to be a game breaker . . . . The thing about those plays  you’re making them five yards in the backfield, so if you get tackled, it’s going to be  a five, six yard loss.  What matters alot . . . is the trust, the trust that the coach has in you and the players have in you.  If you don’t have the trust in the coach, you’re not going to get the ball that much.  But if you have that trust, you take care of the ball and make plays, you’ll get the ball and be fine.”

On the advice Reed gives high school junior and senior student athletes looking to make it at the next level:  “Don’t ever settle.  There’s some one out there better than you.  Where I come from, my hometown, I was the best player in the county and the district.  Going to camps and such like that, you always saw people better than you.  It  always drove me to do better and to keep getting better.  So don’t ever settle for just being good; you have got to want to be great.  If you’re striving to be great, you’ll get better in the process.  Just because you get a scholarship or you’re being recruited, don’t let it go to your head.  Just keep working, always . . . . Another thing I tell potential college players:  be consistent and be dependable.  It builds trust between you and the coach.”

On the role of academics:  “My brother was probably better than me, but he didn’t make the ACT, he didn’t make his scores.  I wasn’t going to let that happen to me.  I took my tests early, tenth grade, just to see where I was at.  There’s a lot of guys on the street that have got a lot of football talent, but just didn’t get it done, didn’t have that sense of urgency about getting those tests done or thinking that schools were going to let them in just because they’re a good player.  It doesn’t work like that.  It’s something you have to do, something like a sacrifice.  Man, if you got to go study for three weeks in order to make an 18 on that test, that’s what you got to do in order to play college football, be great, and provide for your family . . . . It’s important for coaches; they relate school and academics to football.  How your perform in school is how you perform in football.”

Ricky Battle & Patrice Pierre, Liberty High

Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group / Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation offers read­ers the fourth in a series of inter­views with play­ers from Lib­erty High School in Kissim­mee, Florida, con­ducted just moments after an impres­sive 33–12 win over Poin­ciana High School this past Fri­day night.  Here, Jason speaks with Ricky Bat­tle, the Charg­ers’ senior out­side linebacker:

Bat­tle spoke quickly in our inter­view, clearly still charged from a season-ending win over Poin­ciana in which he was able to pick off a tipped pass for an inter­cep­tion and nearly break the return for a touchdown.

The play seemed an easy one for Bat­tle, with the Charg­ers’ out­side line­backer say­ing he could see what was devel­op­ing given the fact that he was play­ing Cover Three and the pass was to a receiver run­ning a short curl in the flat.    “I [saw] the receiver bail and I jumped on it,” Bat­tle explained about his role in the turnover. “Luck­ily, one of our play­ers tipped it, and, the first thing I’m think­ing is touch­down.  I was try­ing to score.”

“I made a cou­ple miss,” Bat­tle said almost deject­edly.  “Didn’t end up like I wanted it, but still, we won …”

Asked how the sense of rivalry between Poin­ciana and Lib­erty played out on the field, Bat­tle said there was “a lot of hard hit­ting, every play” -  but that was to be expected, espe­cially with brag­ging rights on the line, as the senior com­mented, “for the next 364 days.”

So too was there a lot of talk­ing, he stated.  So much so, it just made him want to hit mem­bers of the oppos­ing offense hard enough such that on the next play “they couldn’t talk anymore …”

Much as did team­mate Gelvin Har­mon (click here for an inter­view with the senior mid­dle line­backer), Bat­tle said what made him a good player wasn’t nec­es­sar­ily any degree of nat­ural tal­ent he him­self brought to the field, but, instead, arose from every­thing that his coaches at Lib­erty had taught him.  “With­out them I would be noth­ing,” Bat­tle said emphat­i­cally.  “With­out them, I wouldn’t be able to make the play, I wouldn’t be in the right place.”

Bat­tle, like many of his team­mates, hopes to play foot­ball next year in col­lege, but acknowl­edges his coaches feel he would best-suited for play­ing at the Divi­sion II or Divi­sion III level.  Asked if he had any con­cerns  play­ing for a pro­gram out­side of the  most often-favored Divi­sion I pro­grams some of his fel­low team­mates were being recruited by, the senior explained no, and that he sim­ply wanted the oppor­tu­nity to play the game at the next level.

In look­ing for a pro­gram, Bat­tle says that play­ing early will def­i­nitely carry major weight in where he ulti­mately ends up.  He also notes that given he is pro­jected as slightly smaller than nec­es­sary to play line­backer, he would pre­fer to play in the defen­sive sec­ondary for the uni­ver­sity he attends, and, in par­tic­u­lar, at safety.

Given the oppor­tu­nity to play for any pro­gram he could next fall, who would Bat­tle play for?  The Cal­i­for­nia Bears, he says with­out hes­i­ta­tion — and espe­cially since he grew up in the nearby city of Oakland.

Does Bat­tle feel aca­d­e­mics will play an impor­tant role for his suc­cess at the next level?  Absolutely.  “I want to be a student-athlete,” he told me with a proud smile on his face.  “And stu­dent comes first.”

Gelvin Harmon, Liberty High

Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group / Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation offers readers the third in a series of interviews with players from Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Florida, conducted just moments after an impressive 33-12 win over Poinciana High School this past Friday night.  Here, Jason speaks with Gelvin Harmon, the Chargers’ senior middle linebacker:

Harmon’s enthusiasm showed clearly in his post-game interview, this after him and the rest of his Liberty High defensive teammates put on a strong performance on the Chargers’ home turf against cross-town rival, the Poinciana Eagles.

Poinciana racked up just 12 total points on the evening, with Harmon, along with fellow linebackers Ricky Battle and Jean Leon, a big reason why the Eagles seemed unable to move the ball against Liberty, particularly near the red zone.

When asked what he felt made him special at his position, Harmon smiled proudly, and then proceeded to give all the credit to Liberty’s defensive coaching staff, saying that in blocking drills and tackling drills, coaches were “on us constantly,” especially if he and his teammates made errors.

Forced to speak on himself, Harmon yielded that what he felt makes him so strong at middle linebacker is his ability to run downhill toward the ball, moving horizontally along the line until the right moment offers itself to move vertically up-field and make the hit.

Being a senior, I asked if Harmon had given consideration to playing football in college.  Harmon stated that indeed he was, and like Chargers quarterback Willie Johnson, had already taken a look at schools like Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and the University of South Florida.  Eastern Illinois was also on his watch list, but given that the entirety of his family lived in state, he said it would be difficult to have to leave behind his roots in order to move to an entirely different region of the country.

Harmon also mentioned that he’d been in attendance at FAU’s game against Middle Tennessee State the previous Saturday, and was left impressed with the speed at which the game was played at the college level.

What will Harmon be looking at when it comes to potential suitors?  In a typically unselfish manner, the senior stated emphatically that he was looking for a program that unashamedly focused on team first and foremost; too many individuals, Harmon noted, looked out only for them and for the quickest route from high school to the NFL, all the while operating without consideration for whether or they contributed to their team’s ability to win games.

Academics too will play a major role in Harmon’s selection of schools, with the youngster proudly boasting of 4.0 weighted grade-point average.

Willie Johnson, Liberty High

Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group / Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation offers readers the second in a series of interviews with players from Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Florida, conducted just moments after an impressive 33-12 win over Poinciana High School this past Friday night.  Here, Jason speaks with Willie Johnson, the Chargers’ senior quarterback:

Johnson wasted no time in stating that he felt Liberty went out and did “pretty good” against Poinciana, but felt that turnovers and injuries hampered the Chargers’ ability to put the game away early on.

As it relates to the latter, Johnson himself said even he fell victim, explaining that an apparent ankle injury – he says he rolled it near halftime – caused him to worry more than usual about his ability to make plays – a scenario which at times, Johnson admitted, caused a lack of offensive production and attributed to some of Liberty’s turnover problems against the  Eagles.

When asked about the multiple roles he played in Friday night’s win – fans even saw Johnson lined up to return a punt late in the game – the senior noted he was willing to do anything to help his team, something he felt made him a standout player on the Chargers roster.

Expanding on what makes him an outstanding option under center, Johnson explained that he sees it a plus rather than a minus that he’s a run-first type quarterback.  Don’t confuse that with an inability to throw the ball, though; instead, the senior is intelligent enough to recognize what makes him a dangerous offensive weapon every time he hits the field – his speed and agility.

Those components surely account for at least part of the reason why Liberty’s lead man under center explained he sees himself playing outside of his current position at the collegiate level. Given his overall athleticism, Johnson says he likely envisions himself playing at receiver for an NCAA program, with current interest growing in programs such as Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and, of course,  nearby University of Central Florida.

What will help Johnson make a decision on a program of choice?  He says he’s looking for a program that emphasizes teamwork and respect with solid coaching.

Academics, too, will play a major role in his consideration of an university, with Johnson closing by stating, “School always comes first.”

Liberty High School Chargers

The annual Bat­tle of the Boule­vard took place at Lib­erty High School last Fri­day evening, and Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group / Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation was there to cap­ture a big vic­tory on the part of the Charg­ers, who defeated rival Poin­ciana High School by a score of 33–12. Jason here pro­vides view­ers with images from Fri­day night’s con­test, and offers great thanks to Coach Paul Knight of the Cen­tral Florida National Foot­ball Foun­da­tion, as well as all the play­ers, coach­ing staff and admin­is­tra­tors from Lib­erty High that made Jason’s visit a pos­si­bil­ity. All pho­tos remain the sole prop­erty of Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group  and the Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation and may not be repro­duced in any fash­ion with­out Jason’s con­sent, which can be requested by email­ing him at jason@prismpressgroup.org.

J.J. Ellis, Liberty High School

Fol­low­ing Fri­day night’s 33–12 win by Lib­erty High School over rival Poin­ciana High School, Jason Roberts of PRISM Press Group / Central Florida Chapter of the National Football Foundation had an oppor­tu­nity to talk to a num­ber of Charg­ers’ play­ers about a big Bat­tle of the Boule­vard vic­tory and what may lay ahead in the future, par­tic­u­larly for those hav­ing played their last game in a Lib­erty uniform.

The fol­low­ing is the first of sev­eral inter­views to be pub­lished through­out the week, with Jason begin­ning with Osce­ola County’s top run­ning back for 2009, junior J.J. Ellis:

Ellis tells PRISM Press Group that he felt Lib­erty did a good job of mov­ing the ball in the first quar­ter of Friday’s game, but was hin­dered after by mis­takes the Charg­ers made on offense from the sec­ond quar­ter on. He notes that he and his team­mates did a good job of remain­ing focused despite the errors on the offen­sive side of the ball, and though turnovers con­tin­ued to plague Lib­erty through­out the entire sec­ond half, the final out­come, all-in-all still turned out a pos­i­tive one. Both Ellis and quar­ter­back Willie John­son worked hard to keep the team moti­vated in the down­times, he explained, with Ellis stat­ing he in par­tic­u­lar con­stantly reminded team­mates to keep going “100 per­cent each play.”Ellis says that know­ing he is the top run­ning back in the county is some­thing he holds near-and-dear, espe­cially given that he is just a junior and has another year remain­ing to make his mark on Lib­erty foot­ball. Fac­tor in as well that just last year, Ellis could be found play­ing in the Charg­ers’ sec­ondary, with a bid his fresh­man year at tail­back for the JV team appar­ently not show­ing the level of tal­ent that Ellis says he feels he’s shown this season.

In terms of what makes Ellis a great run­ning back? Sur­pris­ingly, the junior says it isn’t his speed – though, watch­ing him on the field, one wouldn’t be led to believe that such was the case. Instead, Ellis men­tions that he feels both his agility and over­all endurance make a dif­fer­ence at a key posi­tion in the Lib­erty offense.

With Ellis hav­ing estab­lished him­self as solid a run­ner as he is this sea­son, don’t be sur­prised to see Ellis being sought after by col­lege pro­grams through­out the South­east head­ing into his senior year. He tells PRISM Press Group that he truly wants to remain in-state if at all pos­si­ble, and will weigh poten­tial offers from pro­grams seek­ing him out by the level of aca­d­e­mics present at each insti­tu­tion, as well as by the type of schol­ar­ship each uni­ver­sity offers him. He also notes that from a foot­ball per­spec­tive, he wants play­ing time early, but is also intel­li­gent enough to real­ize that a key to his suc­cess at the next level is the abil­ity of other team­mates to con­tribute to a strong sense of team unity; Ellis, in other words, wants to be a main­stay con­trib­u­tor to a win­ning pro­gram, but acknowl­edges that no sin­gle player accounts for vic­to­ries with­out the sup­port of those who sur­round him.

PRISM Press Group asked if he has any favorite pro­grams in mind as he starts to pre­pare for the appli­ca­tion process to col­lege. Ide­ally, he’d like to be part of an offen­sive scheme that cen­tered on run­ning the ball as a main func­tion of its stan­dard play­book, but admit­ted he has been a long­time fan of the Florida Gators. UF, he states, is a pro­gram steeped in tra­di­tion and blessed with the type of coach­ing Ellis feels could ben­e­fit him play­ing at the next level.

Top 50 Central Florida Football Players

1.  Christian Jones LB Sr. Lake Howell Jones is a physical presence at linebacker for the Silver Hawks.  At 6’4 220 lbs he has the size and speed to make a big impact on the next level.  He will be one of the most sought after recruits ever out of Central Florida.  Jones recorded 113 tackles and 4 sacks as a junior.  He was first team all Central Florida, first team SAC conference and honorable mention all state as a junior.  Jones’ father played for Florida State and they will be hard to beat for his services.  He currently has offers from Southern Cal, Florida, LSU, Florida State and Miami to name a few.

2.  Kenny Shaw WR Sr. Dr. Phillips Shaw had 64 receptions for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.  He broke every single season receiving record for the Panthers.  Shaw has very good speed but his best attributes are his route running skills and his hands.  Shaw catches almost everything thrown to him and he finds a way to get open.  At 6’0 160 lbs, he needs to bulk up some.  Shaw was first team all Central Florida, first team all metro and second team all state as a junior.  At the Tallahassee Nike Camp he was named the offensive MVP.  Shaw currently has offers from Florida State, Florida, LSU and Michigan to name a few.  Florida State seems to be the leader.

3.  BJ Butler DE Sr. Osceola Butler is a four year starter for the Kowboys.  Butler, 6’3 245 lbs, has played 7 positions over his high school career which shows you just how versatile he is.  The Kowboys are hoping not to have to play him at QB this year but if they struggle on offense expect Butler to be the guy.  Butler has great quickness off the ball and knows how to finish when he gets there.  Butler has committed to the University of Georgia.

4.  Dominique Roberts ATH Sr. Seabreeze Roberts started at QB for the Sandcrabs last year but with the return of QB Matt Thompson he should return to receiver.  Roberts is a playmaker with the ball in his hands and they must find a way to get him the ball this year.  As a junior Roberts rushed and passed for over 1,000 yards and accounted for over 20 TD’s while leading Seabreeze to a state semifinal appearance.  Roberts, 6’1 205 lbs, has the size and speed to play RB, WR or QB.

5.  Lo Wood CB Sr. Apopka Wood is a four year starter, two years at Dr. Phillips and two at Apopka.  Wood possesses great ball skills and coverage skills.  He is a lock down corner and at six feet tall he has the height the colleges are looking for in the secondary.  As a junior Wood had 5 interceptions and was named first team all metro.  Wood has offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Louisville and NC State to name a few but it looks to be a Michigan vs. Notre Dame battle.

6.  Demetrius Hart RB Jr. Dr. Phillips Hart is electrifying with the ball in his hands.  Hart totaled over 1,800 all purpose yards as a sophomore and 17 touchdowns.  He averaged 25 yards a punt return and is also dangerous on kick off returns.  He has exceptional hands out of the backfield and is hard to tackle in the open field.  Hart will be a major recruit next year.

7.  Trevor Siemian QB Sr. Olympia Siemian, 6’4 190 lbs, has a strong arm and great accuracy.  As a junior Siemian completed almost 70% of his passes and threw for over 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns.  I don’t consider him a great runner but he has decent speed and feet to buy more time when the protection breaks down.  Siemian currently has offers from Vanderbilt, Tulane, Duke, East Carolina and FIU.  I expect by the end of the spring that list will grow.

8.  Kenneth Kirksey DT Sr. Mainland Kirksey caught my attention the first time I saw him play last year.  Kirksey, 6’2 275 lbs, is a physical force in the middle of that defense.  He demands a double team on every play.  As a junior, Kirksey had 80 tackles including 20 tackles for loss and 8 sacks.  He was third team all state as a junior.

9. Marc Deas LB Sr. Osceola Deas is a great leader and super hard worker.  He has great instincts and is always around the ball.  He recorded over 100 tackles as a sophomore and as a junior for the Kowboys.  He has great closing speed and rarely misses a tackle.  Deas was first team all state as a junior and the Osceola Gazette player of the year.  Deas has committed to the University of Georgia.

10.  Sedarrius Bryant LB Jr. Seminole Bryant was Seminole’s second leading tackler as a sophomore.  I really like Bryant.  He has a great burst and makes plays all over the field.  I’m not sure what will happen with his recruitment next year because he currently lacks some size at only 5’8 or 5’9 but Bryant is an incredible high school football player that is a major force to opposing teams.

11. Cortez Davis S Jr. Mainland Davis already has 11 interceptions for his career and he hasn’t even started his junior season.  Davis, 6’5 200 lbs, is an imposing safety with 4.5 speed.  He has great range in the secondary and covers ground fast.  He is also a great basketball player and will have to make a choice in two years but he has a promising future no matter what he chooses.

12. Blake Bortles QB Sr. Oviedo Bortles, 6’4 220 lbs, is a talented QB that has a strong arm and can make plays with his feet.  He threw for over 2,200 yards last year and 21 touchdowns.  He was first team all SAC and third team all state as a junior.  He currently has an offer from UCF.

13. OJ Ross WR Sr. Mainland Ross is very explosive and a deep threat every play.  Ross averaged over 20 yards a reception last year and accounted for almost 700 yards and 10 touchdowns.  He was second team all Central Florida, first team all Volusia County and honorable mention all state as a junior.  He currently has offers from Arkansas and Michigan.

14.  Rashad Lawrence WR Sr. Olympia Lawrence, 6’2 190 lbs, has great size and speed for a receiver.  As a junior he averaged over 17 yards a reception and totalled more than 650 yards and 5 touchdowns.  He currently has offers from Stanford, ECU and FIU.

15.  Deante Saunders ATH Jr. Deland Saunders is a two sport athlete like Davis and will be highly recruited next year in both football and basketball.  Saunders was one of the most productive offensive players for Deland last year at running back but will likely play QB and corner this year for the Bulldogs.

16.  Toby Durham RB Sr. Seminole Durham was over shadowed last year but still accounted for over 1,000 all purpose yards.  He has great speed in the open field and he should have a break out year for Seminole.  He currently has offers from Minnesota, Purdue, Colorado State and UCF.

17.  Mike Kilgore OL Sr. Mainland Kilgore, 6’2 260 lbs, will be a four year starter for the Bucs at center.  Kilgore is the best offensive lineman in the area and has really good quickness for a big guy.

18.  Andrew Rice DT Sr. Lake Mary Rice is a three year starter for the Rams.  Rice 6’2 265 lbs has a great frame and is super strong.  Great run defender that can also get a push up the middle against the pass.  Rice has offers from UCF and USF.

19. Stacey Robinson ATH Sr. Jones Robinson, 6’5 220 lbs, plays defensive end and receiver.  Had 50 tackles and 7 sacks as a junior and 6 receiving touchdowns.  Robinson could develop into a college tight end.

20.  Charles Favors LB Sr. Dr. Phillips Favors, 6’0 220 lbs, is a physical tackler.  He led the Panthers in tackles as a junior with 144.  He was also honorable mention all state.  He currently has been offered by Colorado Sate.

21.  Mark Joyce LB Sr. Deland Joyce, 6’1 220 lbs, can fly.  He ran a 10.9 100 and when he gets there look out.  He has the potential to really sky rocket this spring.

22.  Max Lang OL Jr. Boone Lang, 6’5 290 lbs, could develop into the areas best.  His brother JT was a standout last year for the Braves and now it’s his turn.

23.  James Boone WR Sr. St. Cloud Boone shattered all of St. Clouds receiving records last year as a junior.  He has great speed 10.9 100 and can go get any ball thrown his way.  He had over 1,000 yards receiving last year and 8 touchdowns.

24.  Najee James CB Sr. Evans James has great instincts and will probably play multiple positions for the Trojans this year.  He currently has offers from Purdue and FAU.

25.  Tyrone Bouie CB Sr. Seminole Bouie sounds like he is a package deal with Durham but a school that takes both will be getting a solid cover corner.  Bouie has good speed and is a physical tackler.  He currently has offers from Purdue, Minnesota, Colorado State and UCF.

26.  Chevin Davis WR Sr. Mainland Davis, 6’1 175 lbs, is an athletic receiver.  Davis had over 600 yards receiving last year.

27.  Anthony Gandy DE Sr. Osceola Gandy a three year starter for the Kowboys has blazing 4.4 speed.  Gandy led the team in sacks as a sophomore.  He currently has an offer from Colorado State.

28.  Marcus Thomas DT Sr. Oviedo Thomas 6’2 250 lbs, is a three year starter for the Lions.  Thomas currently has an offer from Kentucky.

29.  Willie Mitchell LB Jr. Pine Ridge Mitchell, 6’0 220 lbs, led Pine Ridge in tackles last year with an amazing 165 tackles.  Only a junior with 4.6 speed he could be a major recruit next year.

30.  Jeff Driskel QB Jr. Hagerty Driskell, 6’4 225 lbs, threw for 1125 yards as a sophomore and 6 TD’s.  Driskell should be Hagerty’s first Division I signee next year.

31.  Tom Smith RB Jr. Apopka Smith, 6’0 195 lbs, rushed for over 700 yards as a sophomore.  With Jeremy Gallon gone, Smith will become the go to guy. 

32.  Chad Prioleau DT Sr. East Ridge Prioleau, 6’0 278 lbs, is a run stopper.  He could also see time at offensive tackle.

33.  Thurman Byrd DT Sr. Seminole Byrd will help Seminole rebuild on defense.  Good run stopper in the middle.

34.  Matt Thompson QB Sr. Seabreeze Thompson missed most of last year with an injury but has shown great promise at camps.

35.  Lucktes Estiverne LB Sr. Oak Ridge Estiverne is a four year starter for the Pioneers.

36.  Mike McCrimon LB Sr. South Sumter McCrimon, 6’2 200 lbs, could develop into a big time player.

37.  Hasean Clinton-Dix RB Jr. Edgewater Clinton-Dix is a power runner.  He rushed for over 700 yards as a sophomore.

38.  Trevor Berry WR Sr. Oviedo Berry has great size for a receiver and solid hands.  Berry had over 900 yards receiving as a junior.

39.  David Barnard OL Sr. Apopka Barnard, 6’2 250 lbs, is the leader of the Blue Darter offensive line.

40.  EJ Dunston DT Sr. Edgewater Dunston, 6’1 285 lbs, played both ways for the Eagles last year but projects as a DT.

41.  Nick Martinez LB Sr. South Sumter Martinez is a three year starter for the Raiders.

42.  Jarius Pace ATH Jr. East Ridge Pace rushed for 9 yards a carry last year and will be relied on to replace Jeremy Wright.  He is also a very good defensive back.

43.  Zee Ware RB Sr. Winter Park Ware has been hampered by injuries but has great speed.

44.  Shaq Bell CB Sr. Osceola Bell missed his entire sophomore year but had a good junior year for the Kowboys.  Good coverage skills and tackler.

45.  Eric Farkas DB Seminole Farkas is a great athlete that also punts and kicks for the Seminoles.

46.  Joe Martinson DB Jr. Boone Martinson had 7 interceptions as a sophomore and is always around the ball.

47.  Denard Lucas ATH Sr. Boone Lucas played receiver and defensive back last year.  He could end up being the Braves running back this year.

48.  Sam Hutsell QB Sr. Boone Hutsell is a three year starter for the Braves.  He makes smart decisions at quarterback and he can run and throw.

49.  Bobby Borcky ATH Sr. Lake Highland Prep Borcky could post up a 1000 yards rushing and passing this year.  He has committed to Colorado State.

50-1.  Jalen Singleton RB Sr. Bishop Moore Singleton rushed for almost 1,400 yards as a junior.  He is undersized but a good high school football player.

50-2. Darius Francis RB Sr. Wekiva Francis has been timed at an electronic 4.4 40.  He filled in the last three games for James Owens last year and rushed for over 100 yards each game.  Francis, 6’0 205 lbs, has the speed and power to emerge as one of the best running backs in the area this year.

Executive director of the National Football Foundation Chapter #245, Paul Knight, accompanied a number of youngsters from the Central Florida area today as part of an invite from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization to participate in this year’s Gatorade Junior Training Camp.  First enjoying an early morning practice session held by the Buccaneers at their training facility – One Buc Place – in Tampa, Knight and those accompanying him then took on Bucs’ players such as Jermaine Phillips in a series of exercises aimed at not only heightening  the athletic skills necessary to be good football players, but which also served to instillwithin each particpant an understanding of responsibility, accountability, academics, leadership and teamwork.

PRISM Press Group photographer Anthony Morris was on hand for all the action and offers this series of photographs highlighting the events of the day.  All photographic work is the sole property of Anthony Morris and may not be reproduced for any reason without his explicit permission.  Requests for such usage may be sent directly to Anthony by email at anthony@prismpressgroup.org.  Further examples of his work – along with additional written and photographic materials from other members of PRISM Press Group – may be found on the web at www.prismpressgroup.org.

Both Coach Paul Knight of Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Florida and Jason Roberts, founder and lead contributor for PRISM Press Group, were on site at Disney’s Wide World of Sports last Saturday to take in the sights and sounds of the ESPN Rise Gridiron Kings event, a series of 7-on-7 competitions featuring 64 of the best high school football players (to-be-seniors) in America being recruited as part of the Class of 2010.

Broken down into four 16-man teams comprised of players from the West, Southwest, Midwest, and Southeast portions of the country, the Gridiron Kings put on exhibition an elite level of talent at all the key skill positions – quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, linebacker, corner, and safety – and pitted each collective team against each other in a battle for the right to play for the inaugural Gridiron Kings championship.  The competition was fierce throughout the first half  of the day, with the West and Southeast fighting their way through disappointing early losses only to find themselves facing off against each other once again (they played each other in each squad’s first game of the day, with the Southeast easily downing their West Coast counterparts, 32-0) in the title game, where the Southeast edged out a win on the final play, 12-6.

Below, the Central Florida NFF/CHOF offers visitors links to coverage of the day’s events, including numerous photo journals and interviews featuring the players who participated – including Central Florida’s own Kenny Shaw of Dr. Phillips High School, who made the front page of AthlonSports recruiting site (click here to view).

For photos of the Gridiron Kings event:

Journal #1

Journal #2

Journal #3

For written coverage of the event:

Article #1

Article #2

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