Gameday Roundtable Discussion: Week 1
"The way that he can get to the ball defensively, I mean, I'm a guy that believes in defense. You build around linebackers. He can go from sideline to sideline and is a tremendous athlete," said Justin Waddle about Handley's Leonard Grant.
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Said Whipple of selecting Fenyak, "If you put receivers around him and give him the four seconds he needs to set and throw, then he’s going to be a very good weapon." Last year, Fenyak threw for over 1500 yards and recorded 22 touchdowns.
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Melvin Robinson became quite the sophomore sensation last year as he registered over 1100 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Making the first-team all-Northern Region squad as a near unanimous selection, it's scary to imagine Robinson's talent level in two years.
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Welcome in to the first sitting of the Gameday Roundtable.
Starting this weekend, we ask that our oft-opinionated Gameday commentators of Justin Waddle, Bruce Bornarth, Tom Whipple, Andy Hayes and Grant Paulsen each take a seat at the roundtable where they will be presented with one challenging and thought-provoking question.
We figured since we talk about these topics on just about a daily basis, why not air out everyone's opinions and get them on record? Better yet, we get to see what type of reactions we evoke from our loyal Gameday fans.
For this week, for our first-ever roundtable session, we ask each member if you could build your team around one player in the entire area who would it be?
Here's what our experts had to say:
JUSTIN WADDLE: I'm going off the radar because no one else is going to say anybody like this. The kids an athlete, the kids a player, I'm going with Leonard Grant at Handley.
Derek LeComte: Why Grant?
JW: From what I've seen, he always flies to the ball and is very instinctual, both on offense and defense. There were a couple weeks when Wilson was out and he was one of the guys who would carry the load for them. He never comes off the field. The way that he can get to the ball defensively, I mean, I'm a guy that believes in defense. You build around linebackers. He can go from sideline to sideline and is a tremendous athlete.
DL: Why go for the overall athlete instead of a traditional skill position such as quarterback or running back?
JW: Because building a team around somebody that could be an "athlete" where they can do things at more than one position is more valuable to me, if you're asking me of course. I want somebody if I need them in the clutch, they can be there and that's what I saw a lot from him last year.
DL: So best thing about Grant is what?
JW: The best thing about him is his ability to find the football. I think he had over 100 tackles last year.
BRUCE BORNARTH: Well, the first name that comes to mind is Kenny McAdow, but he graduated last year.
DL: Yeah, so who from this year?
BB: I'd have to go with Jeremiah Wilson.
DL: And for what reason?
BB: Because at the high school level, a guy that can score points and breakaway and be a difference-making running back is HUGE in high school. We've seen it over the years. And I think that he can be that difference-making running back that he was last year. Wasn't he All-Gameday Player of the Year?
DL: No, Breon Earl was, but he was a finalist.
BB: That's right. He was one of the three who we nominated, but if McAdow hadn't graduated, I'd go for him. But I mean, right now, can you think of another difference-making running back out there right now?
DL: T.J. Peeler maybe?
BB: Yeah, but he was sharing time with Breon Earl. It's tough to say.
DL: But you can build an offense around him. Can't you?
BB: Yeah, you can. But there's got to be that Deric Dudinski out there or a Gouveia type. Like you go back to that Westfield kid we all loved.
DL: You mean Brian Kennedy?
BB: Yeah. You know that kind of an on-field leader. Like [Jack Tyler]. I have to go back to Wilson to find a player who resembles one of them.
TOM WHIPPLE: I want Danny Fenyak from Westfield. If you're going to build your team around one position player, it needs to be quarterback. He's the guy that runs the ship. You've got to start with your quarterback and put the pieces around him to make him successful, which will make your team successful.
DL: What do you like the most about Fenyak?
TW: The fact that he grew as a QB last year where he started out the season kind of spotty and couldn't connect on the long passes. He was hitting all of his short and medium routes, but one of his few downfalls was the long pass. Yet as the season wore on, he became more and more comfortable with the long routes and started connecting on those. By the end of the season, he was a three-tiered quarterback. He was able to hit short, medium and long-range passes. If you put receivers around him and give him the four seconds he needs to set and throw, then he's going to be a very good weapon.
DL: What would your team look like then with Fenyak as its cornerstone?
TW: Well, the fact he's not a running-type quarterback, you'd have to put up some big lineman around him. Like I said, give him four seconds to sit back and throw. He's shown that he can see the field and make quick decisions. I'd put the right people up front to protect him for that four seconds and let him do what he does.
DL: Bruce and Justin went on a different path. Bruce wanted an on-field leader and playmaking running back, so he took Jeremiah Wilson. Justin wanted an athlete that can cover the field, so he went with Leonard Grant. So why not take an athlete or a running back?
TW: The bottom line is this. You can go towards your athletes/runningbacks for the sole purpose of not having a quarterback, but defenses can gear up to that and stop the run. If you have a quarterback who can pick you apart in the defensive backfield, that's going to open up a lot of the offense. Let the defense guess. That's where you need your quarterback. Your quarterback is the one who can stretch a defense and really allow your running game to flourish.
ANDY HAYES: Jeremiah Wilson of Handley.
DL: Why?
AH: He is the prototype impact player on both sides of the ball. He's a quiet kid that works hard, with great speed. He can return punts, catch the screen pass and take it the distance, run with the ball. He's the difference-maker.
DL: Whipple went a different route and said you need a quarterback first because you need him to really open up the running game, or else you'd be stuck giving him the ball every snap, thus letting defenses key on that. So why not a quarterback?
AH: Well, the bottom line is, the quarterback is only as good as his line and only as good as his skill position players out there. So he can't beat you by himself. He's got to have other guys step up, but if you have a running back and you don't have a quarterback, then you still have a chance of winning some games in high school football.
DL: Justin wanted Leonard Grant--
AH: Man, he was my other guy. I was about to pick him.
DL: So why Wilson over Grant?
AH: Well, to me, Jeremiah Wilson touches the ball just about every play, and a lot more than Grant would. For example, look at Breon Earl. Every time he touched the ball, he scored, on average, every seven times. If you look at Wilson, he averages a touchdown every eight or nine times he touches the ball. So you have a much better chance to win if you've got a guy that's scoring for you and getting more touches. Plus, he is extremely athletic as a cornerback too, so he can line up and take away the opposing team's best wideout
GRANT PAULSEN: Honestly, I'd go with [Melvin] Robinson out of Annandale. I've never seen a player with such athleticism since coming up here to Northern Virginia. I'd normally go with a running back, but there's no way I'd pass up on him.
DL: So you're going with the budding superstar on offense. Why not a defensive player?
GP: Well I think you can have a really good defense as long as you piece them together and have them play real well together. At the high school level, I'd just go with someone who's better than everyone else on the field.
DL: So what is it you like the most about Robinson?
GP: He's huge. He's a big kid. Bigger than most of the cornerbacks who are trying to cover him. He's athletic, has great hands and is the total package. I mean, he today could be a difference-maker in college football at the Division I level, I really think so.
DL: Well, his status as a first-team all-Region player as a sophomore surely indicates that he is in fact the real deal.
GP: Yeah. The game I saw him in, it was hilarious. It was like playing in the backyard with your friends, and you say to yourself, "okay, I'm going to run around for 8-10 seconds, and then I'm going to throw it as far as I can and just go get it." That's what it was. You know, it was like, "Okay just drop back, and we'll fling the ball back." And time and time again, he was behind the defense. You'd look all the way downfield and you would never have to look at the number or wonder who it was. He {Robinson] was behind the defense every time. It was textbook and it was one catch after another. It was breathtaking. It was awesome!
So in short, here's the SparkNotes version:
Justin Waddle: Leonard Grant FB/LB, Handley
Bruce Bornarth: Jeremiah Wilson RB/DB, Handley
Tom Whipple: Danny Fenyak QB, Westfield
Andy Hayes:Jeremiah Wilson RB/DB, Handley
Grant Paulsen: Melvin Robinson WR, Annandale
The first thing that glares out from this is just how talented Handley should be this year. Say what you want about opinions (especially ours), but to have arguably two players on your team who are regarded as the cornerstones to a successful program, then you know you're in good hands. Keep in mind too that Handley is in Division 3, which is something that should greatly play into their favor as they enter into the playoffs as the best AA teams seemingly reside in Division 4.
What also sticks out, and this now turns into a legit question, is the individual talent (key word being individual) better in AA than it is in AAA? Think about it. In our prospect report a few days ago, we highlighted that of the seven area prospects with offers, four of them came from the AA ranks. Add to the fact that possibly the two, maybe three, of the best running backs are playing AA ball, then you're onto something. To tip the scale, factor in that there are about 40 AAA schools and only 15 AA schools in our area, then it may reason to stand that the best individual talent could be playing AA. In past years, that would almost seem incomprehensible, but not in 2009.
Of course, there is no argument as to what classification, or division for that matter, has the best football, but when so many standout players are coming out of AA right now, then it's only appropriate to give credit to where it's due. As a substantial counter-argument, it's important to point out that all of these talented AA players hail from just two schools: Broad Run and Handley. And to also be fair, AAA teams have a lot of talented players that don't get the chance to start for two or three years and are thus subjected to miss out on the preseason hype. In other words, the best AAA teams don't start too many juniors. If we asked this question maybe a year from now, we're pretty sure that the names Jimmy Boone (Oakton) and Marcus Harris (Stone Bridge) would have come up.
Lastly, it should come as no surprise that no linemen were picked by those at the roundtable. Easily the most underrated position in all of sports, they were once again passed up in favor of the skill positions. What is a bit surprising is the omission of T.J. Peeler from Broad Run. It is of this author's opinion that he stands to be the best pure runner in the entire area, and now that he won't be splitting time Breon Earl, watch out. This situation reminds us a lot of Torrian Pace's, in how once Antonio Cross graduated, Pace's stats skyrocketed.
Next Roundtable Discussion: Most Dominating Player of the Decade
