If you ask anyone that played in the Metro League in the 90’s or early 2000’s about Aloha High School football, they laugh. It was a guaranteed win when playing them, and they were essentially an afterthought. Those days are long gone, as Aloha is a name that commands fear and respect. What Chris Casey has done is nothing less than remarkable. Coming off a State Championship season, Aloha might even be better this year. The first name that everyone talks about is Thomas Tyner, and for good reason. Jordan Johnson, head of scouting and analysis for NEI, has him not only the #1 recruit in Oregon for the class of 2013, but the #1 recruit overall in the state this year. Though the sidelines will be packed at every Aloha game with college coaches watching Tyner, there will be a plethora of other top flight kids for them to see.
Bryson Sullivan is one of them. At (6’4”, 255lbs) he’s a big target at TE. Only going into his junior season, it’s scary to think how good Bryson will end up being. But he’s not a project, he was a 3rd team all leaguer as a sophomore on both sides of the ball. In a Barton Football 7on7 passing league all winter and spring at OSU, Bryson consistently went against and dominated top talent from Oregon and Washington. He looked great at recent events in July, and is primed to have a breakout season this year. A future major D1 player, Bryson recently visited with Mike Riley and the OSU staff at a fall practice and is now high on their list of recruits for 2013. Brayden Kearsley is another junior to be that is one of the best in the nation. He was a 1st Team All League player on both offense and defense as a lineman, as well as being named to the 1st Team All State roster as an offensive lineman as a sophomore!
Brayden has already committed to BYU, otherwise he’d be a kid with 20+ offers right now. He’s got great size(6’5”, 300lbs), great feet, great technique, and is extremely intelligent. But what’s most impressive about Brayden and extremely unique is his mentality. He’s a tough kid who loves to compete and hates losing. Off the field he’s friendly and humble, but on the field he’s a warrior. If Brayden keeps working and stays healthy, he’ll end up being a 10 year NFL veteran someday.
Sheldon Prince is a kid who is flying under everyone’s radar. He’s got all the tangible and intangible quality’s you look for in a DB. The first thing that stands out about him is something that can’t be taught; speed. He is a state champion in track, running a 10.8 100 meters. At (6’, 185 lbs) he’s a big corner. Not only big, he’s also long. When he stands still, his long arms and hands almost touch the ground. That is a great thing for a DB in press coverage. His body can be away from the WR allowing cushion to see where the WR steps first. But the long arms allow him to disrupt the WR off the line, slowing down how fast he gets to the top of his route. His size and style of play are eerily similar to James Dockery, who just finished starting his 3rd year at OSU as a DB. Look for some great individual matchups with Sheldon and opponents top WR’s this year.
Ryan Russo (5-9 170 SB/DB Sr.) is another big contributor to the Aloha “machine’. With so many big names on the roster, it’s easy to see how some people could overlook him, but we haven’t, and neither have opposing coaches. Ryan could have the biggest year of all the above mentioned players. With teams loading up to stop Tyner and the run and offenses not throwing Prince’s way, a lot of action should be coming to Russo. He’s also a speedster, and was part of Aloha’s state championship 4×100 team (11.1 100 Meters). His size will affect the big D1 schools from recruiting him, but somebody will decide to go on him and be happy they did.
