2011 CHAMPIONS- Skyview HS
Tournament MVP- Reiley Henderson
Skyview- The kids from Vancouver did a remarkable job playing as a team all week and beating (Team Washington – NEI North) from our Las Vegas National 7 on 7 tournament. Reiley Henderson (5-10 180 Jr. WR/CB) played out of his mind, and has been named our 7 on 7 tournament MVP for his outstanding performance. We have reported on Henderson multiple times over the last few months, as he broke out in Las Vegas with NEI-South and continued his onslaught this past weekend at “The Battle In Seattle”. Reiley is considered potentially the top DB in the northwest, but has yet to be offered a scholarship. He is a kid that will have multiple offers before he is done, and he showed why absolutely dominating his opponents.
Forrest Russell (5-7 150 Jr. WR) did his thing, breaking off some of the top defenders in the NW while playing outstanding defense. Russell is another Barton product and one of the top receivers in the state of Washington. Ask QB Jordan Berni (5-11 175 Jr. QB) if working with top QB coach in the country helped with his progression. Berni played lights out and showed a competitive side needed to compete at the highest level. Both Barton and myself were extremely impressed with his character, as we see him as a kid that could join the state’s other top QB’s in the Barton Football Academy.
Spencer Miles (5-11 165 Jr WR) was a kid that played great last season as the team’s #3 wide out and continued that trend over the weekend. Daniel Thompson (5-9 165 Jr. DB) stepped up big and made multiple big time plays, primarily on defense. Look for him to be a big contributor in the Skyhawk secondary, while sophomore Jacob Dennis (5-9 160 So. WR/DB) had an impressive two days playing bigger then his size, while being one of the younger athletes. John Peterson (6-6 215 Jr. TE) was also a key contributor as a talented renegade from Bishop Blanchet.
Just like last season Skyview defied the odds, and won out against some of the Northwest’s top athletes. Look for the Storm to be ranked as one of Washington’s Top 4a Teams going into 2012 as they bring back a solid line as well.
Skyview Team
Team Washington- The All Stars from the Evergreen State played very well, and could have definitely won the tournament. There was literally a point separating the two but the Washington All Stars came up just short. Billy Green (6-2 190 Jr. QB) of Kings HS Quarterbacked the team and played outstanding, as he continues to see his stock rise on the recruiting front. Nic Sblendorio (6-0 190 Jr. WR/S) of Skyline is potentially the top receiver in Washington, and is just a killer from his wide out position.
One of the Nation’s fastest athletes, Tatum Taylor (5-10 160 Jr. ATH) of ODea was dangerous any time he had the ball, but you saw that multiple defenders knew where he was at all times. Taylor won the 3A WA State Title in the 100 Meters earlier in the week, and then showed up at the event and showed off his game breaking type ability. Taylor is a kid with 7 major offers and counting.
Tatum’s best friend Tere’ Calloway (5-11 190 Jr. ATH) of Seattle Prep is someone sitting on 13 offers from all over country, only missing two major conferences in that mix. Calloway balled on Saturday, but missed Sunday and it was apparent they could have used him.
Micah Breland (6-2 225 Jr. LB) of Foster HS felt right at home at his own school, and Calvin Chandler (6-2 205 Jr. WR/SS) of Bellarmine Prep
looked fresh and ready to get into 2012 after his recent Wyoming offer.
Trevor Barney (5-9 170 Jr. WR) also of Skyline, is a kid that is considered one of the top receivers in Washington and did it every which way. Barney has the skills to go for over 1000+ yards, he was one of the most impressive players I saw all last season.
The Federal Way kids showed up big in Vegas and did the same here. D Londo Tucker (6-0 175 Jr. DB), JJ McNeal (5-8 180 Jr. SS), Ezekiel McNeal (6-0 165 Jr. ATH), and Marcel Morris (6-0 170 Jr. WR) represented well, while receiver Mike Tate (6-1 175 Jr. WR) did work all Saturday after a big week that saw him garner Portland St and Montana offers.
Team Washington
Kennedy (Seahawks)- Other then Skyview, this was definitely the team that was most impressive. Top athlete Conner Richardson (6-2 220 Jr. QB) is quietly becoming one of the most polished looking QB’s in Washington. He has had as good an off season as any quarterback in the Pacific Northwest. His leadership abilities are off the charts, and he should be considered a favorite for conference player of the year honors.
His favorite receiver Drew Thompson (6-2 175 Jr. WR/S) has really come on strong. Thompson was one of the most impressive performers at the entire tournament, and his one on one battles with Oregon top safety Dallin Leavitt were epic. Thompson’s a fierce competitor and is not afraid to scrap when need be.
Two other top Kennedy HS players that did well were the Conference leader in tackles from 2011 in Zach Nobmann (5-10 220 Jr.), and Sophomore two way athlete Colin Cosset (5-10 190 So. RB/ATH).
The Seahawks had the luxury of adding some of Washington’s top renegade kids which definitely helped. Asan Neil-Evergin (5-10 185 So. RB/DB) is Timberline’s top athlete and looks the part all day. Mikey Tupou (6-1 230 Jr. LB) was a first team all league LB from Ingelmoor and someone NEI backs up and down. Tupou has a non stop motor, and an incredible work ethic and should vie for defensive conference player of the year honors. Tupou’s teammate, Jacob Jones (5-9 185 Jr. RB/DB) showed up and did very well, as he will return after a 2011 season that saw him get hurt after averaging over 100 yards a game through the first six.
The last two renegades were two way standout Jimmie Davis (5-10 170 Jr. RB/CB), and top sophomore DB Jack Henning of Seattle Prep (6-0 170 So. DB). Davis will lead Kentridge this next season, and is dangerous on both sides of the ball. This group did very well together and almost made it to the title game
Kennedy Team
Alumni (Washington)- A team that had a ridiculous amount of talent but came up just short was one of our Washington squad’s lead by some graduating senior’s. Jeff Lindquist (6-4 225 Jr. QB), ranked the #4 QB nationally out of Mercer Island, QB’d the team. The University of Washington Commit got some good work in.
Two other senior’s that did big things last season were Wyoming commit Trent Sewell (6-3 200 Sr. Bothell), and record breaking RB Jordan Todd (5-10 190 Sr.) of Interlake.
Interlake brought out some outstanding talent to the event with juniors Kamana Adriano (5-11 170 Jr. ATH), Ryan Turman (5-11 190 Jr. WR/DB), and Dexter Glover (6-2 225 Jr. TE/DE) all being part of the roster. Adriano is one of the most exciting athletes in the entire northwest, and Turman is considered one of the top WR’s. Glover’s a big body and contributed a great deal.
On Sunday Dallin Leavitt (5-11 200 Jr. ATH/S) of Central Catholic in Portland joined the team, and showed why he is the #1 ranked Safety in the Pacific Northwest. The soft BYU commit has landed Hawaii and Wyoming offers recently, and seems to be on multiple Pac 12 radars. He managed to mix things up with receivers on multiple occasions and is just flat out really good.
The other standout on the same team was Andrew “Slim” Shadle of Bremerton (6-0 190 Jr. RB/SS). The do it all kid has attended most every Barton event with all of the other top athletes in the region, and could basically be considered one of the top overall kids to ever come out of the community.
A couple other athletes that competed and did very well were Canadian big man Blake Whiteley (6-5 220 TE) from Vancouver , and two of the younger talented Skyline kids in Sam Mix and Grant Evans.
Washington All Stars
Mt Si- A team we can expect a lot of in 2012 would be the kids from Mt Si. They return one of top Sophomore QB’s in Washington in Nick Mitchell (6-2 175 So.), and have an extremely solid perimeter. Mitchell threw the ball well all weekend, making him one of the breakout athletes of the 7 on 7 event. His D1 genes (brother Josh Mitchell-Oregon St) speak to his overall athleticism.
The Wildcats feature two of the best DB’s in the State in Hunter Malberg (6-1 180 Jr. FS), and Jimbo Davis (5-11 165 Jr. CB/ATH). Both kids are lock down defensive backs and make Mt Si an immediate threat to shut down most passing attacks during the season. The return of Trent Riley at Receiver/Safety make them even more dangerous.
They also return one of the top TE’s in Washington in Griffin McClain (6-5 245 Jr. TE/DE), and the speedy and very elusive wide receiver Tyler Button (5-7 150 Jr.WR/DB).
Mt Si played good, but they would have liked to play better. They will be one of the most dangerous teams at the 3a level during the 2012 season, and you can expect to see them air it out a great deal more with Mitchell back behind center.
Mt Si Team
Team Oregon 2013/2014- A group of Sophomores and Juniors formed a team from Oregon, and they managed to battle and do well for themselves. AJ Woodin (5-11 185 So. QB) the talented youngster from Southridge was up and down, but showed outstanding arm strength.
A kid that looked bigger and stronger then ever before was Tigard top sophomore Manu Rasmussen (6-0 160 So. SB/DB). He should start on both sides of the ball as a junior and should be one of the best players in the Pacific Conference. Other top receiver Jordan Morgan (6-2 180 So. WR/DB) of Southridge is always dangerous, and one of the state’s best players for 2014. It was good for him to see a DB like Reiley Henderson who was relentless. Morgan and Woodin have hooked up for countless Td’s through youth ball.
The young Oregon team also had one of the top linebackers in the Pacific northwest in Nick Underwood from class 6a State Champion Lake Oswego. His side to side agility and overall speed is something that sets him apart from other backers, and you could very well see him running the ball this upcoming season.
Juniors for Team Oregon included Top TE Wyatt Houston (6-4 235 Jr. TE/LB) ranked the #2 TE in the state, and Jarrod Howard (6-1 175 Jr WR) from West Linn. Houston will most likely be the leading candidate for Oregon Class 3a Player of the Year honors (Horizon Christian) from his QB position. Two other top 3a kids that battled from Horizon were starting RB and one of the best kickers in the state Taylor Grimmett (6-0 175 RB/K), and big man Isaiah Hall (6-4 215 So. TE/DE). One of Washington’s top WR’s Caleb Taylor (6-1 185 Jr. WR/DB) of Kings was a huge bonus for the young Oregon kids, as he added some strength and size to the roster.
Overall the Oregon kids battled and should learn a great deal from the event. Everyone got good reps against the Northwest’s top athletes so the benefits for the top younger kids were huge.
Team Oregon 2013-14
Mercer Island- The key to this MI team will be stopping Risley Lesko (5-11 170 Jr. ATH) if you are the opponent. Lesko will step in and get the bulk of the touches this next season, and is dangerous any time you get him in the open field. He has game breaking speed, and will be off to the races with any type of room.
Brian Higgins (6-2 190 Jr. QB) will get the luxury of following in the footsteps of Jeff Lindquist, the #4 ranked QB nationally for 2012 who is headed to UW. Lindquist QB’d one of the other all star teams at the tournament, while Higgins looks like a kid that could have a very good season.
Two of Higgins favorite targets were Junior Zach Bucklin (6-3 240 Jr. TE/DE) and Brad Kimball (6-3 230 So. TE/DE) who are big enough to be solid athletes on the line, but athletic enough to be factors catching the ball.
Mercer Island will have a very interesting off season ahead, and they will rely on some of the same kids to play on both sides of the ball. Junior Brian Rauzi (6-1 200 Jr. LB) had a very good tourney, and the rest of the MI group did well. It will be an exciting 2012.
Mercer Island Team
Kamiak- A program on the rise that showed up and played close with almost everybody were the kids from Mukilteo. Brett Ludmeman (6-1 185 Jr. QB) is an outstanding overall athlete, and will get his chance this year to make a run with his Kamiak group. Brett is a talented baseball player that will get a chance to start this year at QB. He ended up getting an ugly ankle sprain that ended his tournament early.
Isaiah Lee (5-11 165 Jr. DB/ATH) and Tyri Bethea (6-0 170 Jr. WR/S) will be two of the top athletes in the conference, and played well all weekend. Bethea is their only returning all league kid from last season, and can ball with the best of them when given the opportunity. Lee has really stepped up and will bring back 3 Ints’ from a year ago, and also be one of the main guys on offense. Together these three athletes could make some noise.
One other kid that will need to step up and play a big role is Gabe Meshesha (6-1 185 Jr. WR). He will have to make catches and consistently be a viable resource for Ludeman. This Kamiak team did well, and is a program that we can all expect to be a factor in 2012.
Kamiak Team
Foster- Don’t sleep on the kids from Foster.They played with no fear and managed to compete with some of the top athletes in the region. They had the luxury of having the State’s #1 QB for the class of 2015, Ross Bowers (6-2 175 Fr.) from Bothell, play with them as a renegade and do very well. Bowers is a special young talent that is already being put on some big time D1 radars. His leadership skills and overall persona are something that can’t be taught. He is one of the top young QB’s on the west coast.
The Foster kids didn’t have their best player in Micah Breland who was playing for Team Washington, but give credit to all of the athletes that battled. They found the end zone on multiple occasions, and stayed in games against All star type teams. With Breland they could do well in 2012.
Foster Team
Sedro- Woolley- You can’t say enough about the kids from Sedro Woolley. Less then a week removed from the tragic loss of teammate and friend Austin Thomas all of the kids showed up and played with heart. The community really embraced one another, and flat out played hard.
There is no point in talking individuals here, because everything these guys do from this point on will be as a special group that will always have a common bond. It was inspirational to see what type of character young people can have when faced with real life adversity. All of the athletes from Sedro-Woolley should be extremely proud of themselves and the group they have coming back.
The Cubs will return a (7-3) team from a year ago and could do well on a state wide level. God Bless Austin Thomas and his family. He will always have a place in the hearts of the NEI/Barton Football Academy.
Sedro- Woolley
