Renner, Fenyak Impress At Passing Tournament
CHANTILLY, VA - Call passing tournaments a showcase event or an extra weekend of practice, but they've quickly turned into effective tools for evaluating teams. This past Saturday at the Westfield Passing Tournament, which has turned into the premier passing event in the area, we were able to grab a quick look as to the possible future of 2008.
Just last year we saw the West Springfield Spartans take home the passing league championship, and soon every coach was forced to acknowledge two things. First, was that the loss of Peter Lalich wasn't too severe and secondly, new quarterback Bryn Renner could flat-out play. As fate would have it, Renner ended up taking his 4-6 team and turned them into a region championship contender.
So what would this year hold in store for us? Well, after attending this year's tournament, we can safely say that the elite teams are still stacked with talent. Even while missing some key players due to college recruiting visits, they still looked solid across the board. Simply put, there's a lot of talent to go around this year.
Probably most impressive on the day was West Springfield. If championships were won based on passing league events, then the Spartans would be a dynasty. Running their five-wide and no-huddle attack, quarterback Bryn Renner looked flawless and so too did their offense. Maybe just as remarkable was the fact that their top two returning receivers, Andy Stallings and Tucker Tobin, were absent. Star running back Brandon Bailey was also missing, yet the Spartans' passing attack still remained unstoppable.
Renner was head and shoulders the best quarterback on the day, and while having complete command over his high-flying offense, he was deadly. It was clear that despite losing all-Gameday receiver Josh Vallejos, they have some capable replacements. Most impressive was Fabrice Kambinga as he looked to be quite a natural athlete. We think he could be Renner's next-favorite target. Receiver T.J. O'Connell also had a nice showing and could evolve into a serious downfield threat.
Renner also turned in what had to be the play of the day when he threaded the needle on a pass which caused two defenders to collide directly into each other. Both defenders came away empty-handed, but the pass went for a touchdown. We just can't stress enough how Renner's accuracy and precision were spot-on for the day. It almost looked too easy out there for the North Carolina-bound quarterback.
Once Bailey, Tobin, and Stallings are factored in with this team, then this offense should be absolutely deadly. We can't wait to see them square off with Stone Bridge to open up the year and see just how many yards Renner can accumulate on the year. Remember, he is just as effective running the ball as he is throwing, so expect some off-the-chart stats.
What shouldn't be a surprise is the fact that Oakton, Westfield, and Centreville all had great showings. The aforementioned teams and West Springfield all advanced to the semi-finals before the tournament was ended abruptly by lightning.
WESTFIELD
Westfield was probably the more fascinating team to keep an eye on simply because they were playing with so many fresh faces. Right off the bat we could tell that their passing game is in safe hands with Danny Fenyak. Remember the name because he'll be the next big thing at Westfield and for good reason. As a rising junior, he's already 6-foot-3 and has a powerful and accurate arm. Yet not only does Fenyak have the physical tools to succeed, he already looks poised and in control of Verbanic's complex offense. That alone may be what will make Westfield great again this year.
Also intriguing was to see who would replace All-Gameday receiver Johnny Pickett as well as David Kruchko. Evan Winfrey and Gary Turner both looked sharp for Westfield and could very well be in the mix to become Fenyak's top targets this fall.
While Westfield lost a lot on defense as well, notably AAA Gameday Player of the Year Brian Kennedy, they look to have a capable leader in Darrius Parker. While not the tallest of linebackers, he showed exceptional strength and agility, leading us to believe he'll do some damage out there this fall. Zach Sargent also looked fairly effective in the secondary as did Winfrey. Both have great range and can cover a lot of ground, making them valuable assets to Verbanic in the fall.
CENTREVILLE
One quarterback who looked completely changed from a year ago was David Toth of Centreville. He's developed a better throwing motion and is now utilizing every bit of his 6-foot-4 and 250-pound frame. The result is a much more powerful throw from Toth, but his accuracy is also vastly improved. After his play in the tournament, we're expecting Toth to have a breakout year. He will be challenged a bit, however, by Cam Walters who showed flashes of brilliance.
Athlete-wise for Centreville, they looked scary on offense. Led by junior Calder Street, there's a plethora of talent at the skill positions for the Wildcats. Brandon Carpenter also had a big day, but maybe the biggest surprise was Warren Denny. An extremely athletic receiver, Denny has the potential to evolve into one of the better receivers in this area. Certainly keep an eye on him.
OAKTON
Finally, for quarterback play, there was Chris Coyer of Oakton. Possibly the biggest improvement in his game was his ability to command the game. Alternating series with Ryan Harris, the Cougars looked to be in control with Coyer at the helm. With his 6-foot-3 height, he's able to develop into a big-time threat, but you could tell through his demeanor and body language that Coyer had control of this team. However, Harris looked on top of his game as well. A very accurate passer, it's tough to really decipher at this point a clear-cut number-one quarterback, although Coyer's play did impress.
All up and down the board, though, Oakton had talent. Receiver Jay Young looked much improved as his athleticism and field sense has him primed to be their top receiver. Running back Trey Watts, when lined up at receiver showed potential to take over. He's been making headlines since his sophomore year and he has given people reason to believe that he can be a game-changing player.
HERITAGE
One of the teams who ended up advancing to the tournament quarterfinals against all the Division 6 powerhouses happened to be AA Heritage. Dave McCarthy, just a junior, looked real sharp for the Pride and we expect him to factor in big to Heritage's offense this year. Quick and very athletic, McCarthy could develop into a serious threat for Heritage. Look to hear his name in the fall.
At the quarterback position, Bryan Roty looked to be quite capable. Roty has a solid frame, and could eventually develop into one of the better quarterbacks in the Dulles District. He was probably more impressive in how he managed the offense, something invaluable to Heritage head coach Wes Driskill.
Ross Madison and Danny Offei also had nice outings and should both really aid Roty a lot. They're both great athletes and showed they can move real well. Offei is a player right now whose potential seems to be through the roof. If he can refine his talent, look for him to dominate in the fall.
SOUTH COUNTY
Watching South County play, it's fun to see how this program is coming together. All around the region, people know it's just a matter of time before head coach Pete Bendorf has this program firing on all cylinders. Looking at his team during the tournament, they do have a bright future as well as a good crop of talent that could take them far this year.
Eric Dorsey probably impressed the most as he just continues to get better every year. He has now put himself in a position where he can put this team on his back and take the program to the next level. Receivers Wesley Brown and Kevin Sakyi also looked sharp as both have great size and the ability to play at a high level. The performance of Brown, Sakyi, and Dorsey at the tournament has to make Bendorf giddy at his team's prospects this year.
Yet not only should Bendorf be excited about 2008, he's got a bright future with quarterback Evan Beal. Just a rising sophomore, Beal already has great size and a developed arm, which should only improve over time. His older brother was a pitcher for South County and was drafted out of high school in the 13th round, so we're betting Evan will also develop a strong arm. Personally, it should be a treat watching Beal develop into a bigger and better quarterback. Him and Fenyak could be the future of this area.
YORKTOWN
One thing apparent from this tournament is that it's clear Yorktown is back. Last year, they suffered through a tough 5-5 campaign, which was the first non-winning season for head coach Bruce Hanson since 2002. Yet the majority of those players are back this year and they look bigger, faster, stronger, and also more mature. Charles Banks, Kenny Bailey, and Jared Smith all had a big day for the Patriots who seem to now be back in the hunt for a Division 5 crown. They were without the services of Kyle Toulouse, their quarterback and arguably top returning player, but with an impressive showing this summer, we expect Yorktown to be back in contention for a Division 5 region title.
