Day 1: Falcons Are Ready For Takeoff
One player who came into camp looking impressive was wide receiver Jeremy Gray. With increased size and speed, look for him to have a breakout year in 2008...
Photo By: Jan Johnson/ Action Photos Unlimited
BRAMBLETON, VA-- Things sure do seem different at Briar Woods' training camp. True, they only lose four starters from last year, but not having them on the field drastically changes the landscape of things.
First and foremost is the departure of quarterback Alex Munro. Not seeing him out on the field sure was different, but it gave us a chance to look at his successor, Austin Frattali.
Frattali may be completely green, but with Briar Woods' spread offense, he fits perfectly into their scheme. Watching him in practice, he's very athletic, but he more importantly knows head coach Charlie Pierce's offense fairly well.
He was receiving one-on-one teaching from his offensive coordinator for more than half of practice and much of the discussion dealt with fundamentals. Like we stated before, he's completely new, but he's the most vital piece to the Falcon's team this year, so it's fitting he would receive special attention.
One other huge loss for Briar Woods was All-Gameday receiver Tim King. A tall and fast target with great hands, his presence will surely be missed, but Jeremy Gray seems to have filled that void. He looked extremely impressive in camp today and we'd go so far as to say he looked the best of any player as he's obviously gotten a lot faster and stronger from last year. He'll make things easier for Frattali and will make the loss of King go over a lot more smoothly.
In watching coach Pierce today, it was interesting to see him spend so much time with the line. It's clear his biggest priority is with the big boys up front, and he'll put the majority of his time into developing them. He did lose an all-state performer in John Maghamez, but his line may in fact be better this year as there are plenty of linemen returning.
Of those on the line, it looked as if Aaron Kakol was at the head of his class. Judging from his frame, he came into this season ready to go and he'll certainly be heard from along the defensive line, not to mention he's likely their best offensive lineman too.
It was interesting to see Billy McDonald, a budding sophomore star from last year, a lot more bulked up. Pierce was coaching him up along the defensive line, and we think that's a great fit for him. He'll undoubtedly be a force at fullback again, but the move to defensive line should benefit Briar Woods tremendously.
And aside from all their returning starters at camp, one player who grabbed everyone's attention was freshman quarterback Edwin Mends. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Ray Mends is his older brother and he starred tremendously when at Park View. When watching younger Edwin throw the ball and move around, we made sure to put his name in all our memory banks. He's fast, quick and already has a varsity level arm. Look for him to play a bit this year as a freshman, but in the future, he'll be one of the biggest stars in the Dulles District.
All in all, the most interesting storyline from today's camp is seeing what life is like without Munro. The Falcon's fate could very well reside on Frattali's shoulders, so seeing how he progresses will be interesting to note. His first scrimmage is against AAA Northwest Region power Potomac, so we'll get to see whether Frattali and the Falcons are in fact ready for battle.
