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By Chris Burke | photos by Randy Litzinger
Exhausted and battered, a group of players headed out of Liberty's Kip Hull Field on Saturday. They were part of more than 250 high school football players from Northern Virginia who had just completed a long day of drills and competitions.
One broke from the pack, grabbed his cell phone, and told the voice on the other end: "I did good, ma."
It merely summarized the importance of Saturday's event - an opportunity for an abundance of student-athletes to perform for a large contingent of college football recruiters.
The event began early Saturday morning at Fauquier with SPARQ testing - a rating comprised of scores in the 40-yard dash, shuttle time, bench press and vertical jump.
By the time those scores had been tabulated and printed out, the afternoon's camp began - and Kip Hull was lined with spectators, most assessing the talent on the field.
Representatives from schools like Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia Temple, West Virginia, Maryland and from several I-AA, D-II and D-III schools took in the action as the players attempted to turn a few heads.
THE PLAYERS
Fauquier's football team did not make up the majority of Saturday's participants - it just seemed that way.
No fewer than 30 Falcons worked out in the two-part event. All over Kip Hull during the afternoon's session, the red and white of Fauquier was present.
At one end of the field, six members of the Falcons' offensive and defensive lines huddled following one-on-one drills. Across the way seven of their teammates waited patiently for linebacker drills.
Without question, Fauquier's numbers were the most plentiful.
"It's such a great opportunity to get out and compete against the competition that was here and in front of all the college coaches," Fauquier coach Greg Hatfield said. "They wanted a chance to compete and I wasn't going to stop them from that opportunity."
As one might expect, behemoth defensive lineman Nick Cook was among the most noticeable of the Falcons. Standing at just over 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 311 pounds, Cook heaved up 29 bench presses of 185 pounds - the best number amongst all the campers. He was also impressive during the offensive line-versus-defensive line challenges, and left feeling satisfied with his performance.
"I thought I did pretty good today," Cook said. "It's definitely one of those things where you've got to bring your A game, start to finish, there's no relaxation."
Cook said he had some contact with Virginia State's head coach and expected to hear from others.
But he was not the only Fauquier player to excel. "I think Walter Davis had a good day out here today," Hatfield said. "I talked to some coaches about them - hopefully it opens up some doors."
Also turning some heads was freshman linebacker Jon Billings, who scored a 69.87 in the SPARQ ratings, the highest FHS mark.
That number fell just short of Liberty two-way threat Corey Lillard's 70.00 - which topped the Eagles' performances.
While the Eagles' forces were far less in number than FHS (about 10 Liberty players signed up), that didn't mean they were less impressive.
"I think our kids did well," LHS coach Tommy Buzzo said. "We had some kids that were known and left with some kids that weren't known who are now known."
Joining Lillard among those who had some prior exposure was Sam Ball-Whitfield. He posted the best 40 time for an LHS or FHS player at 4.73 seconds, and the third-best overall shuttle at 4.24 before excelling in defensive coverage during the afternoon.
"Some coaches made comments about Sam," Buzzo said. "And Sam tested pretty well today."
The scattering of Liberty combatants throughout the rest of the camp also performed admirably.
Sophomore running back William Jackson tallied a 68.37 on the SPARQ scale, and others - like defensive lineman Mark Spence - also had strong showings.
"I wish I would have got more one-on-ones, but I won all of them," Spence said.
THE PROGRAM
While there was plenty of local talent on hand, the day also showcased a huge chunk of Northern Virginia's high school football talent.
Things began in the rain during the early morning hours, and concluded in a rising heat, making for a challenging schedule against some even more challenging competition.
"Every single player here is on top of their game and if you let your mind slip, they'll take advantage," Cook said.
The afternoon session began with a brief warm-up that led into positional drills and finally capped off with the one-versus-one showdowns to close the day.
It was a hectic program that forced the kids to go all out at all times. "A lot of the kids see that you've got to fight up there to be noticed," Hatfield said.
Each scout in attendance carried around a six-page thick package comparing the attendee's SPARQ scores.
But the afternoon provided the chance to translate those SPARQ numbers to the field.
"The kids had a good opportunity to work out for the coaches," Buzzo said. "The kids here answered some questions - some good and some bad - and some left here now on radars."
THE SCOUTS
It was impossible to look anywhere on Kip Hull Field without noticing the day's guests of honor: the college coaches and recruiters.
The University of Maryland's pair of scouts wandered around with their Champs Sports Bowl title rings and golf shirts on. Norfolk State had a small army there, with at least four coaches in attendance. At all corners there were groups noting the action.
"There was a tremendous amount of response from college coaches," Buzzo said. "You could tell that they really wanted to see something like this in the area."
They did not leave disappointed, either. One of Maryland's brass took a moment after the festivities to shout a congratulatory "Thank you" to Buzzo. And his praise was universal.
"It was great, it was well organized and the kids were all very enthusiastic," Virginia Union defensive coordinator Greg Richardson said. "Without question, (the camp) helps us."
As Buzzo stated last week, there is the hope that this type of event will be become annual for Northern Virginia.
The potential impact was unquestionable, as the 250-plus student-athletes found a valuable opportunity to show off for college coaches.
And the players from Fauquier and Liberty did not waste that chance.
"We received a lot of praise from the high school coaches and the college coaches," Buzzo said. "And a lot of people are going to go home with some very good things to say about what is going on in Fauquier County."
This post was edited on 5/29 6:36 PM by VirginiaPrepsif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
Exhausted and battered, a group of players headed out of Liberty's Kip Hull Field on Saturday. They were part of more than 250 high school football players from Northern Virginia who had just completed a long day of drills and competitions.
One broke from the pack, grabbed his cell phone, and told the voice on the other end: "I did good, ma."It merely summarized the importance of Saturday's event - an opportunity for an abundance of student-athletes to perform for a large contingent of college football recruiters.
The event began early Saturday morning at Fauquier with SPARQ testing - a rating comprised of scores in the 40-yard dash, shuttle time, bench press and vertical jump.
By the time those scores had been tabulated and printed out, the afternoon's camp began - and Kip Hull was lined with spectators, most assessing the talent on the field.
Representatives from schools like Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia Temple, West Virginia, Maryland and from several I-AA, D-II and D-III schools took in the action as the players attempted to turn a few heads.THE PLAYERS
Fauquier's football team did not make up the majority of Saturday's participants - it just seemed that way.No fewer than 30 Falcons worked out in the two-part event. All over Kip Hull during the afternoon's session, the red and white of Fauquier was present.
At one end of the field, six members of the Falcons' offensive and defensive lines huddled following one-on-one drills. Across the way seven of their teammates waited patiently for linebacker drills.
Without question, Fauquier's numbers were the most plentiful.
"It's such a great opportunity to get out and compete against the competition that was here and in front of all the college coaches," Fauquier coach Greg Hatfield said. "They wanted a chance to compete and I wasn't going to stop them from that opportunity."
As one might expect, behemoth defensive lineman Nick Cook was among the most noticeable of the Falcons. Standing at just over 6-foot-1 and weighing in at 311 pounds, Cook heaved up 29 bench presses of 185 pounds - the best number amongst all the campers. He was also impressive during the offensive line-versus-defensive line challenges, and left feeling satisfied with his performance."I thought I did pretty good today," Cook said. "It's definitely one of those things where you've got to bring your A game, start to finish, there's no relaxation."
Cook said he had some contact with Virginia State's head coach and expected to hear from others.
But he was not the only Fauquier player to excel. "I think Walter Davis had a good day out here today," Hatfield said. "I talked to some coaches about them - hopefully it opens up some doors."Also turning some heads was freshman linebacker Jon Billings, who scored a 69.87 in the SPARQ ratings, the highest FHS mark.
That number fell just short of Liberty two-way threat Corey Lillard's 70.00 - which topped the Eagles' performances.
While the Eagles' forces were far less in number than FHS (about 10 Liberty players signed up), that didn't mean they were less impressive.
"I think our kids did well," LHS coach Tommy Buzzo said. "We had some kids that were known and left with some kids that weren't known who are now known."
Joining Lillard among those who had some prior exposure was Sam Ball-Whitfield. He posted the best 40 time for an LHS or FHS player at 4.73 seconds, and the third-best overall shuttle at 4.24 before excelling in defensive coverage during the afternoon.
"Some coaches made comments about Sam," Buzzo said. "And Sam tested pretty well today."The scattering of Liberty combatants throughout the rest of the camp also performed admirably.
Sophomore running back William Jackson tallied a 68.37 on the SPARQ scale, and others - like defensive lineman Mark Spence - also had strong showings.
"I wish I would have got more one-on-ones, but I won all of them," Spence said.
THE PROGRAM
While there was plenty of local talent on hand, the day also showcased a huge chunk of Northern Virginia's high school football talent.
Things began in the rain during the early morning hours, and concluded in a rising heat, making for a challenging schedule against some even more challenging competition.
"Every single player here is on top of their game and if you let your mind slip, they'll take advantage," Cook said.
The afternoon session began with a brief warm-up that led into positional drills and finally capped off with the one-versus-one showdowns to close the day.
It was a hectic program that forced the kids to go all out at all times. "A lot of the kids see that you've got to fight up there to be noticed," Hatfield said.
Each scout in attendance carried around a six-page thick package comparing the attendee's SPARQ scores.
But the afternoon provided the chance to translate those SPARQ numbers to the field.
"The kids had a good opportunity to work out for the coaches," Buzzo said. "The kids here answered some questions - some good and some bad - and some left here now on radars."
THE SCOUTS
It was impossible to look anywhere on Kip Hull Field without noticing the day's guests of honor: the college coaches and recruiters.
The University of Maryland's pair of scouts wandered around with their Champs Sports Bowl title rings and golf shirts on. Norfolk State had a small army there, with at least four coaches in attendance. At all corners there were groups noting the action.
"There was a tremendous amount of response from college coaches," Buzzo said. "You could tell that they really wanted to see something like this in the area."
They did not leave disappointed, either. One of Maryland's brass took a moment after the festivities to shout a congratulatory "Thank you" to Buzzo. And his praise was universal.
"It was great, it was well organized and the kids were all very enthusiastic," Virginia Union defensive coordinator Greg Richardson said. "Without question, (the camp) helps us."
As Buzzo stated last week, there is the hope that this type of event will be become annual for Northern Virginia.
The potential impact was unquestionable, as the 250-plus student-athletes found a valuable opportunity to show off for college coaches.
And the players from Fauquier and Liberty did not waste that chance.
"We received a lot of praise from the high school coaches and the college coaches," Buzzo said. "And a lot of people are going to go home with some very good things to say about what is going on in Fauquier County."
This post was edited on 5/29 6:36 PM by VirginiaPrepsif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
