Great Bridge Wildcats
LAST POST: July 14, 2008Blue Chip Notebook: Us vs. Them
Let's admit one thing right off the bat here: we want to be the best. We want our local football teams to win, which they do, and we want our players to be famous. By famous, I mean be known across the East Coast for being a super-talented athletic specimen. If you can't admit that, then, well, this may not be the article for you. That's because for this edition of the Blue Chip Notebook, we take a look at the very issue over how great this area really is.
Before we get into this argument, we want to first establish the fact that the Tidewater is one of the best recruiting areas in the entire country. There are countless names that we could list in describing the talent which emerges from that area, but we don't wish to bore you with that. Instead, we look at how we compete with a place like the Tidewater, or Central Virginia, and the rest of the state for that matter. We may win state titles on a regular basis, but does this area produce the blue chip talent the other parts of the state do?
To answer that question, we combed over the entire state of Virginia to find the top prospects in the 2009 class and where they reside. The star rankings we specified come from national recruiting services who are the most respected in the business when it comes to analyzing talent. We bring forth the evidence, and then analyze the facts. Do we compare to the Tidewater hotbeds or even hold our own in the state of Virginia? You decide.
QUARTERBACK
Who we've got:
Bryn Renner, West Springfield (3 stars, North Carolina commit, Elite 11 participant)
Ross Metheny, Sherando (3 stars, Virginia commit)
Patrick Thompson, Stone Bridge (2 stars)
What the Tidewater's got:
Kevin Newsome, Western Branch (4 stars, Michigan commit, Elite 11 participant)
Tajh Boyd, Phoebus (4 stars, West Virginia commit)
The Scoop:
For those that don't know, this is a state that's getting notorious for producing top-notch quarterbacks. Over the past three years, the Commonwealth has produced six Elite 11 participants, which is an absolutely stunning amount. What's even better, is that a majority of these quarterbacks are coming from our area. The 2009 class is again evidence of that, as we're responsible for three of Virginia's top five quarterback prospects. While the Tidewater produces dual-threat quarterbacks, this area is known for churning out strong-armed, pro-style gunslingers.
Sean Glennon, Peter Lalich and Mike Glennon are among those to make recent headlines, but this year's focus is turned mainly to Bryn Renner and Ross Metheny. Renner is the first high-profile dual-threat to come out of the area, but Metheny possesses great athleticism as well, running a 4.64 forty time. While Thompson hasn't received an offer as of yet, there's a strong possibility he could, especially with another big year behind center. While our quarterbacks may lack the overall athleticism of those in the Tidewater, this area can pride itself on having them equipped with more developed arms. There's no doubt about that the fact that we can grow great quarterbacks, so much so, that the entire nation is now paying attention to us.
RUNNING BACK
Who we've got:
De'Antwan 'Rocket' Williams, Woodbridge (4 stars, top-ranked inside runner in country)
What the Tidewater's got:
Sterlin Phifer, Landstown (3 stars, Boston College commit)
Shawne Alston, Phoebus (3 stars, West Virginia commit)
Perry Jones, Oscar Smith (2 stars, Virginia commit)
What Central Virginia's got:
Dominique Wallace, Chancellor (4 stars, Virginia commit, top-ranked fullback in country)
What Western Virginia's got:
Alex Owah, Harrisonburg (3 stars, Virginia commit)
Nubian Peak, Pulaski County (2 stars, Virginia Tech commit)
The Scoop:
Here's a position that has surprisingly been lacking for the state of Virginia. Most of the big-name talent that has come out of the Commonwealth are normally quarterbacks or receivers, but there has been a recent change of fortune. Leading the way, in fact, is the Northern Virginia area. Area stars such as Rocket and Ryan Williams have been the most highly publicized running backs to come out of the state in seven years. Add DeAndre Reaves to the list down the road, and this area could really be on to something. While the Tidewater will annually churn out three to four running back prospects, the big-time players have been from this area. Overall, this is actually a very strong running back class for the state especially when considering Fredericksburg's Dominique Wallace has been named the best fullback prospect in the country.
WIDE RECEIVER
Who we've got:
NONE
What the Tidewater's got:
Logan Heastie, Great Bridge (4 stars, West Virginia commit)
Tim Smith, Oscar Smith (3 stars)
The Scoop:
Yikes. Ummm, time to move on to the next position? Well, in all honesty, this area hasn't seen a big-time receiver since Eddie Royal, and he's now in the NFL. In the past, there have been players such as Kevin Darling (West Springfield), Clarence Vaughn (Mount Vernon) and Big East all-freshman Donte Davis (Westfield), but this area's big strength is with tight ends. Park View's Kenny Smith could receive an offer down the road, but much like Alex Field and Ed Wang, he'll be moved to the line in college. In the past, there have been prominent tight end prospects such as John Kinzer (Robinson), Justin Bell (Mount Vernon) and Craig Shaefer (Robinson) along with Field and Wang. Yet when it comes to receivers as a whole, this area has some catching up to do.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Who we've got:
Luke Bowanko, Centreville (3 stars, Virginia commit)
Jay Weatherington, Woodbridge (3 stars)
Frank Figueroa, Edison (2 stars, Penn State commit)
Who the Tidewater's got:
NONE
Who Central Virginia's got:
Morgan Moses, Meadowbrook (5 stars, top-ranked offensive lineman in the country)
Who Western Virginia's got:
Andrew Miller, Bassett (3 stars, Virginia Tech commit)
The Scoop:
Aside from the quarterback position, this is our 'mojo'. Just in the past six years, the area has produced 16 Division I-A prospects, which is an incredible number. Not to say the rest of the state can't produce offensive lineman, but we're certainly leading the pack. This year alone, the area possesses three of state's top five offensive line prospects, but that doesn't even begin to cover the past. In the last five years, there have been players such as Andrew Nuss (Stone Bridge), Alex Stadler (Liberty), Pat Sheil (Centreville) and Matt Welsh (Centreville) that have all commanded national headlines as nearly every top program came knocking on their door. True, the offensive line position is probably the least glamorous, but it's one this area takes great pride in.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Who we've got:
Zach Thompson, Stone Bridge (3 stars, Wake Forest commit)
Brian Slay, Stone Bridge (3 stars, N.C. State commit)
David Wang, Stone Bridge (3 stars, Virginia Tech commit)
Who the Tidewater's got:
Will Hill, Lafayette (3 stars)
Dominik Davenport, Phoebus (3 stars, West Virginia commit)
Who Central Virginia's got:
Jake Snyder, Deep Run (3 stars, Virginia commit)
Duan Perez-Means, Hermitage (3 stars)
Clinton Simpkins, Chancellor (3 stars)
Lanford Collins, Brooke Point (3 stars)
DeAntre Rhodes, Varina (3 stars)
The Scoop:
Where to begin? Do we start with the fact that one school, Stone Bridge, has three committed college prospects on the same defensive line? Or with how the Central Virginia area has enormously large amount of prospects at this position and practically nowhere else? It really is quite astonishing. Never before can we ever remember one school having so many prominent players all playing the same position. The fact that it did happen speaks incredible volumes at the type of talent Stone Bridge is starting to produce. Yet with that all said, this area still doesn't match up with Central Virginia in terms of quantity. However, there is no clear talent level difference between any of the defensive line prospect in the state. We could give a slight edge to Jake Snyder, but we'd be splitting hairs at that point. In the past, the Tidewater has developed some true standout players, but for this year, we're happy as to where we stand.
LINEBACKER
Who we've got:
Mike Olson, Stone Bridge (2 stars, Wake Forest commit)
Connor McCartin, Fauquier (2 stars, Virginia commit)
Who the Tidewater's got:
Jerod Askew, Oscar Smith (4 stars, sixth-best linebacker in country)
Telvion Clark, Granby (3 stars, Virginia Tech commit)
Mike Privott, Lake Taylor (3 stars, Louisville commit)
Who Central Virginia's got:
Bradley Johnson, Dinwiddie (3 stars, Maryland commit)
Adrian Cavanaugh, Patrick Henry (3 stars)
The Scoop:
On any given year, it's tough to compete with the Tidewater at the linebacker position. Their linebacker products are lean, fast and tough as nails. Virginia Tech and Bud Foster have made a killing off of recruiting Tidewater linebackers, so it's no surprise to see them with three high-quality prospects this year. Having Olson and McCartin as commitments is quite an upgrade from last year when zero from this area went on to the Division I-A level. This has always been a weak point for Northern Virginia, but oddly enough, arguably the best prospect to ever emerge from this locale was linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Since Brooks left for UVA in 2002, the road ahead has been fairly tough for area linebackers.
SECONDARY
Who we've got:
Corey Lillard, Liberty (3 stars, Virginia commit)
Who the Tidewater's got:
Laroy Reynolds, Maury (3 stars)
William Marable, Norview (3 stars)
Lavonte Battle, Phoebus (2 stars, Virginia commit)
Who Central Virginia's got:
Jordan Love, Deep Run (3 stars, Georgia commit)
The Scoop:
Thank goodness for Corey Lillard. If the receivers and linebackers we're thought to be an area of concern for the area, this one is probably bigger. Lillard breaks a five year drought of no significant big-name defensive backs to ever emerge out of this area. The last one to do so was Chase Anastasio of Robinson back in 2003, and before him, there was future NFL player and Centreville native Marcus Hamilton along with Robinson's Cary Wade. Again, this is an area the Tidewater has mastered as their athleticism truly holds a big advantage in this department.
ATHLETE
Who we've got:
Damien Thigpen, Stonewall Jackson (4 stars, Tennessee commit)
Who the Tidewater's got:
Javanti Sparrow, Western Branch (3 stars)
Byron Parker, Tallwood (3 stars)
Who Central Virginia's got:
Quintin Hunter, Orange County (4 stars, Virginia commit)
Theron Norman, Hermitage (4 stars)
Antone Exum, Deep Run (3 stars)
Who Western Virginia's got:
Logan Thomas, Brookville (4 stars, second-best athlete in country)
David Wilson, GW-Danville (4 stars, fourth-best athlete in country)
The Scoop:
You can't say the word athlete without also mentioning Virginia. The two go together like spaghetti and meatballs and are two peas in a pod. The Commonwealth has produced just so many freak-athletic players over the past decade and a half, you could put them in a number of places on the field. This year, Northern Virginia is holding its end of the bargain with Thigpen, who's ranked fourth nationally in the 55 meter hurdles, and runs in the low 4.4's. In the past, this area has seen the likes of Brandon Hogan (Osbourn), Keith Payne (Oakton), Jeron Gouveia (Stone Bridge) and J.J. Dorsey (Handley) all be classified as athletes, and good ones at that. When stacked up against the rest of the state, it's very tough to say which area is best, but it's safe to say Northern Virginia does quite well for itself.
KICKER/PUNTER
Who we've got:
Grant Bowden, Westfield
Who Western Virginia's got:
Cody Journell, Giles (Virginia Tech commit)
The Scoop:
It may not matter much to some, but we sure as heck can develop great kickers and punters. With West Springfield's Tyler Bitancourt signing to play for West Virginia last year, make that five Northern Virginia area kickers in the past five years to play at the highest level. This year, we're home to budding prospect Grant Bowden, brother of current Virginia Tech punter Brent Bowden and former Florida State punter Chris Hall. While Bowden will likely get the most attention from this area, he won't be the first and certainly not the last.
BY THE NUMBERS
Top Prospects:
Tidewater: 17
Northern Virginia: 15
Central Virginia: 13
Western Virginia: 6
Average Stars per Prospect:
Central Virginia: 3.38
Western Virginia: 3.20
Tidewater: 3.12
Northern Virginia: 2.86
For specific questions or comments on Northern Virginia recruiting, please contact me, Derek LeComte, at GamedayRecruits@aol.com
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
:: Southeastern District Female Athlete of the Year - June 20, 2007:: Southeastern District Gears Up for Wild Week - May 14, 2007
:: Wildcats' Anticipate a "Reloading" Season - April 09, 2007
:: Baseball Team Preview - Wildcats - March 26, 2007
:: Hampton Roads Fall Sports Wrap-Up - December 06, 2006
:: Deep Creek Stays in Playoff Race with Close Win - October 30, 2006
:: Austin Taylor is a True Team Player - October 24, 2006
:: Golfing is a Family Affair for the Gilliams - September 17, 2006
:: Oscar Smith Dominates the Wildcats - September 16, 2006
:: Mike Morrison Loves the Rush of Competition - July 21, 2006
:: Morrison and Clark Win Gold at Nike Nationals - June 20, 2006
:: Janet Brown Loves to Compete - June 15, 2006
:: Hickory & Great Bridge Fall in Semi-Finals - June 10, 2006
:: Hickory to Play Stone Bridge in Semi Finals - June 07, 2006
:: Raulerson gives Hickory Region Softball Title - June 02, 2006
:: Southeastern District Sweeps Eastern Region - May 31, 2006
:: Bryan and Mitchell Seal Victory for Princess Anne - May 30, 2006
:: Morrison, Brown Lead Wildcats To Regional Titles - May 29, 2006
:: Eric Messmore Makes it Happen for the Wildcats - May 26, 2006
:: Lenda and Wildcats Win Southeastern Title - May 25, 2006
:: Hickory Upsets Nansemond River; Going to Finals - May 24, 2006
:: DC Girls and GB Boys Win Track Titles - May 21, 2006
:: Cox Boys & Girls Win Tennis Region Crown - May 20, 2006
:: Christine Pollard Ends Wildcats Shutout Streak - May 19, 2006
:: Suttmiller and 5th Ranked Wildcats Clinch Title - May 19, 2006
:: Madden and Roenker help Chiefs Clinch Title - May 19, 2006
:: Mike Morrison Soars 17 Feet, Wildcats Win Relay - May 11, 2006
:: Ian Lenda Leads Great Bridge to Title Run - May 11, 2006
:: Ellis, Landers, and 7 More Decide on College - May 05, 2006
:: Hampton Roads Athletes Make Commitments - April 27, 2006
:: Great Bridge Optimistic they will end Dry Spell this Season - April 18, 2006
:: Hickory and Great Bridge Come out on Top - April 05, 2006
:: Wildcats over The Bruins 4-2 - March 30, 2006
:: Great Bridge 5, Western Branch 3 - March 30, 2006
:: Coming soon - December 15, 2003