Tatum Taylor (5-11 165 Jr. ATH ODea HS) |
(Tere’ Calloway (6-0 190 Jr. RB/DB Seattle Prep) |
(Isaiah Brandt- Sims (6-0 175 So. ATH Wenatchee) |
Our last NEI/Barton Elite Event in Seattle had maybe the top group of talent ever assembled for a day session in Northwest history. It was a who’s who of the best athletes in the region. Max Browne, Peyton Pelleur, Kahlil Dawson, Darrin Laufasa, Titus Makasini, and 6-8 350 pound Cody O’Connell of Wenatchee.
Adding to this list we saw a trio of backs that could rival almost any other state’s top kids. Tatum Taylor (5-11 165 Jr. ATH ODea HS), Tere Calloway (6-0 190 Jr. RB/CB Seattle Prep), and Isaiah Brandt-Sims (6-0 175 So. Wenatchee) could be three of the fastest and most talented high profile recruits to come out of the State of Washington maybe ever.
Taylor is one of the fastest kids in the country and recently ran the fastest 60 Meter dash in the United States (6.79). This all coming after a season that saw him earn Conference MVP Honors, and lead his team to the state title game losing to Nationally ranked Bellevue.
Tatum led his squad to a (13-1) record while rushing for 1,113 yards on 100 carries and 23 total Tds. He went for over 1700 All purpose yards and currently holds offers from Purdue, Washington St, and Wyoming. Taylor says,” Right now Im trying to get as fast as I can and hopefully qualify this Summer during the Olympic trials”. He added, ” I will continue to train all spring and summer and really want that state title next season in football”.
He’s a soft spoken kid that’s an absolute assassin on the field. He will chew you up and spit you out, and then do it again before you know what has happened. He played both ways earning Conference MVP honors on offense and 2nd Team all league honors on D. He also returned 4 kicks (2 punts) for Td’s earning returner of the Year honors.
Long story short there isn’t much the kid can’t do. Its been great having him out at our elite events, and we feel he will be a 20+ offer athlete before he is done. You can’t speed to the extent that he has it, so its something that sets him apart from other elite competition.
Taylor’s best friend is Seattle Prep’s Tere Calloway who also is one of the Northwest’s top athletes. Calloway recently hauled in his first Division 1 offer from Purdue, and looks like one of the top corners in the western region.
Calloway is a ridiculous athlete on both sides of the ball and a kid that just gets it. From a young age he said to me, ” I want to be the best defensive back around and that’s where my focus lies”. He wasn’t a kid that was obsessed with offense even though he was better at that then everyone else to. This past season he ran for 1179 yards on 109 carries and 20 Tds. His 4.45 hand (40) and 37 inch vertical help make him one of the most sought after corners in the Northwest to go along with Graham- Kapowsin’s Kahlil Dawson.
Tere’ earned first team all league honors on D, and 2nd team honors on O even with those absurd numbers. At our last elite event Calloway was dominant among DB’s and spoke like a veteran athlete that knew what he wanted out of life. ” I want to play college football at the highest level, and earn an All American Invite to next years event”.
His ultimate goal this year is to lead his team further along in the state playoffs then a year ago. He helped his Panthers (9-2) get to the state quarterfinals before falling to Kamiakan. The only other loss came to best friend Tatum Taylor and ODea 21-20.
To round out the elite three we look at a sophomore that may be one of the most phenomenal Football/Track athletes in the country. To put his speed into perspective we look at last years 100 (10.74) & 200 (21.29) Meter Washington State Championships that saw Brandt- Sims win both state titles as a freshman. This may rank as one of the greatest accomplishments of any athlete at any sport in Washington High School State history.
Its hard enough to win those titles as a senior much less a freshman so to say his speed is “sick” would be accurate. Last season Brandt-Sims compiled over 1700 All purpose yards and 17 Total Tds. He rushed for over 1100 on the ground, and had 30 receptions for over 450 yards. His game breaking speed lead him to the Army All American combine as a sophomore, something very few athletes do at such a young age. NEI was the only regional outlet covering the event so it was great to see Isaiah in that setting.
When referencing the up coming season Brandt-Sims says, ” We want to finish the season with a winning record and make a run in the playoffs. He added, “Personally I would like to go for over 1000 rushing, and 1000 receiving yards and make an impact on defense where I will see the field more”.
Wenatchee was competitive almost every game and finished (5-5). They could easily have been 8-2 or something like it, losing to some tough opponents.
We will look forward to covering all three of these elite athletes at our camps and combines during the off season, and will continue to help promote our Northwest talent through NEI and the Barton Football Academy. Our 12 city tour is just around the corner and we are excited to work with the top talent in the region or in this case the country.
Great work to all three of these outstanding student athletes. They continue to make the Northwest proud on every level.
Tatum Taylor Highlights..http://www.hudl.com/athlete/482288/tatum-taylor
Tere’ Calloway Highlights..http://www.hudl.com/athlete/396024/tere-calloway
Isaiah Brandt-Sims Highlights..http://www.hudl.com/athlete/812795/isaiah-brandt-sims
