Day 6: Centreville to Rely on Size
Centreville linemen Zack Glatter, Luke Bowanko and Mike Upham (from left) form what could be the best line in the entire area...
Photo By: Justin Hite
Junior quarterback Cam Walter is currently in a battle with senior David Toth for the starting job.
Photo By: Justin Hite/ Gameday Magazine
CENTREVILLE, VA -- If people believe that linemen win ballgames, then consider Centreville a contender right this second. After observing them in camp, this is without a doubt one of the better offensive lines in the entire Northern Virginia area.
What's key for us is that we were able to observe Centreville in a game-like setting as they competed in an intrasquad scrimmage. It's tough for lineman to steal the show, but they sure left the biggest impression on the day.
Probably what grabbed our attention the most was how much bigger All-Gameday tackle Luke Bowanko has gotten. Committed to play for UVA next year, the 6-foot-6 monster seems to have bulked up to a solid 265 to 275 pounds. At his current size and talent level, he could very well be the best offensive lineman in the entire area, which is saying a lot considering the likes of David Wang, Tyler Barfield and Isaac Sine all return.
In addition to Bowanko, Mike Upham, a standout defensive lineman last year, was seeing reps along the offensive line. Not surprisingly, he looked solid in that capacity. He's a solidly built player, who at 6-foot-3, could really be one of the better overall players in the entire Concorde.
Zack Glatter, who currently holds an offer from Syracuse, also looked as if he bulked up significantly as well. Maybe more importantly was how much more agile he was. At 6-foot-5, he's very hard to miss from the stands, but his size and increased speed should really help out the Centreville offense this year.
What was interesting to note during Centreville's scrimmage was their new spread attack. The spread is currently the hottest trend in all of football, and it appears the Wildcats have caught the fever as well. The offense seems to feature a significant balance between the run and the pass, something not every spread oriented team can claim. It's not entirely a spread-option attack as the one made famous by Rich Rodriguez at the University of Michigan, but they do certainly utilize that element of the offense.
Yet what potentially makes this offense dangerous is that Centreville has once again gone to a no-huddle attack. Back in 2005, under the guidance of Drew Dudzik, their no-huddle offense averaged an astonishing 44.7 points per game. Scary to think what could happen if Centreville approached anywhere near those numbers for this season.
And while every spread offense is predicated on the quarterback, for Centreville, it's unclear as to who exactly their quarterback is at this point. Junior Cam Walter received the majority of the snaps with the first team, but he's working hard to stave off senior David Toth.
Both, surprisingly enough, are of the same mold. Both are big and bulky and resemble nothing of a prototypical looking quarterback. Walter, however, looked strong running the ball inside, which is what will be asked of both quarterbacks considering their enormous frames.
One notable absence from the scrimmage was receiver Calder Street. A player many are very high on after turning in a stellar sophomore season, it's unclear exactly how the passing game will play out since he was not able to suit up. He certainly has to love Centreville's new offense, as he could develop into a major threat throughout the course of the season.
While the offense's change in scheme will certainly pose as a more interesting storyline, it's important to note the defense of Centreville looked very strong once again. They surrendered just 10 points a game last year and were the true backbone of this team. It's too early to say whether they will resemble last year's form, but the unit did look very stout.
Like the offense, the line is where this team looks the strongest and it all starts with Upham. As we mentioned earlier, it appears he could play both ways, but he should have no problem in doing so. In addition to having Upham up front, the coaching staff was giving reps to Bowanko at defensive line and he performed quite well. A player with his size and speed could wreak tons of havoc at the defensive end position. It will be interesting to see how exactly they use him on defense this year.
And while the defensive line certainly looked very impressive, one player who clearly stood out was Eric Gray at the linebacker position. His biggest plus right now are his instincts as he always seemed to be the first one to the ball. He's deceptively fast and also appears to also have decent strength.
Certainly this Centreville team does have talent, but how they measure up right now to the rest of the Concorde and Northern Region remains to be seen. They get a great test this Saturday when Central Region powerhouse Varina comes into town. Known for their physicality and speed, Varina, much like Centreville, has a long history of sending players to the highest level of college football. This certainly is a high profile scrimmage that will be grabbing the attention of many fans across the region.
Regardless of how they perform against Varina, one thing we immediately know from this team is that their success rides on the shoulders of its offensive and defensive line. If they win a district or region title, they will be the ones to thank.
