The Bay Area and Northern California in general did very well when it came to the top honors at The Nike Football Opening Oakland Regional on May 17 in San Leandro. However, when 500 football players from throughout the country get put through the paces in front of some of the top evaluating coaches and recruiting analysts in the country, the list of those that impressed goes pretty deep.
Our first feature on The Opening Oakland focused on the three Bay Area boys that got invites to The Opening finals July 7-10 at the Nike World Headquarters in Oregon: Junior Camilo Eifler of Bishop O’Dowd, sophomore Najee Harris of Antioch and junior Jordan Parker of Pittsburg.
Another standout that got some props in the first feature earlier this week was McClymonds junior quarterback Kevin Davidson.
Davidson didn’t get an invite but he impressed Student Sports football events director Brian Stumpf.
“You’ve got to give Davidson some love. No, he didn’t get an invite but he had a great day and got MVP (quarterbacks) for the camp. He’s worked really hard on his body. The first time we saw him two years ago he was a pudgy 14-15 year old. He could always throw it pretty well. He’s a drop and throw, pro style quarterback. Now, he’s getting to the point where his feet are getting better and he’s setting up better in the pocket. A few more camps for the coaches to see him and he’s probably going to get that offer he’s looking for.”
Davidson also made a solid impression on Trent Dilfer, the ESPN analyst and former NFL Super Bowl winning quarterback that is in charge of evaluating quarterbacks for The Opening and has the final decision on invites for the signal-callers.
When Davidson found wide receiver Kevin Kassis twice in a row on post patterns where he threaded the needle against the defensive back that enabled Kassis to make two extraordinary shoestring catches, Dilfer high-fived Davidson and gave some props to Kassis.
Kassis, a junior from Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, got his own kudos from Matthew Hatchette, a former NFL wide receiver and current high school coach and actor. Hatchette is in charge of wide receivers at The Opening.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Davidson confirmed to Prep2Prep in a Twitter message he would be going to Oregon for the final Opening Regional on June 14 at the University of Oregon. It would not be a surprise if he gets a coveted initiation to come back to Oregon in July for the finals.
As for Kassis, this wideout might only be 5-foot-11, 170-pounds but he can catch footballs, and he caught the eyes of Hatchette and the other receivers coaches enough times to advance to the final drills.
Analysts’ insight
Junior Boss Tagaloa of De La Salle was not the defensive line MVP. That honor went to Elijah Parks of Central-Fresno, but Greg Biggins, the National Recruiting Analyst for FOX Sports/Scout.com, still liked what he saw in the performance of the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Tagaloa.
“Boss is awesome,” Biggins said.
Not only does Biggins like Boss, so does Alabama, other major programs like Michigan, plus eight Pac-12 schools including Cal and UCLA. More than 15 major colleges have offered Tagaloa.
One player that Trent Herzog liked was junior Lamar Jackson of Franklin-Elk Grove. Herzog, the Casa Grande-Petaluma head coach and the West Coast Scout for XOS Digital, who is also a member of the Army All American Game selection committee, said after the camp that he was inviting Jackson to play in the Army All American Game.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Jackson, who can play quarterback, running back or defensive back, was invited as a DB by Herzog.
Riordan junior linebacker and running back Jamarion Caston also caught the eye of Herzog.
“I liked everything about him,” said Herzog about the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Caston. "He’s aggressive, passionate, tough and athletic, and he moved well."
Another CCS star got high marks from both Herzog and Inderkum-Sacramento assistant coach and running backs coach at The Opening Terrance Leonard, and that was Valley Christian junior running back Morian Walker.
A sophomore quarterback that is coming along nicely and got some good marks from the coaches and analysts was Phillip Tran, who is transferring from Fremont to Mitty.
“The coaches told me I got a lot bigger from last year after scaling in at 6-2, 217,” Tran wrote in a direct Twitter message. “They told me now that I have a bigger frame (and) having more balance on my mechanics will help my game more.”
Honor Roll additions
Several other local players in the Prep2Prep coverage area made favorable impressions:
Quarterbacks:
Montel Aaron, Antelope, 2016
Running backs
Tamarick Pierce, St. Mary's-Berkeley, 2016
Tight ends:
Josh Falo, Inderkum-Sacramento, 2017
Jimmy Jaggers, Roseville, 2017
Offensive line:
Aaron Banks, El Cerrito, 2017
Clayton Demski, Marin Catholic-Kentfield, 2016
Caden Johnson, Ukiah, 2016
Jalen McKenzie, Clayton Valley, 2017
Defensive line:
Tharon Cornist, Vanden-Fairfield, 2016
Alex Glover, St. Mary’s-Berkeley, 2016
Defensive backs:
Nigel Center, McClymonds, 2016
Trey Hoskins, Dougherty Valley, 2016
The Hawaiian Punch – and an insider’s view
I’ve been roaming the sidelines covering hundreds of football games for over 25-years and have never taken a hit. Guys have rolled up on my feet but I’ve always escaped without taking something direct. I’ve also never been plunked by an errant football.
Both of those scenarios almost changed at The Opening Oakland in San Leandro, and in both instances it was courtesy of a young man the camp coaches, particularly Hatchette, dubbed “The Hawaiian Punch.”
While on the sideline watching the wide receivers work against the defensive backs I came as close as ever to getting rolled up on my legs. Kalakaua Timoteo ran out a pattern and the DB assigned to him made a little too much contact. That’s when the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hawaii-committed Timoteo from Mililani (Hawaii) basically tossed the defender aside – and right at me.
Not wanting to press my luck I moved to the end zone to get an up and close observation at how Stumpf, Dilfer and Hatchette evaluate the players and their reactions to the players' performances.
Standing under the goal posts I watched Timoteo make a spectacular catch with the defender all over him. As he came toward the back of the end zone he leaped up and spiked the ball over the 10-foot crossbar and threw a spiral right past the top of my head.
“The Hawaiian Punch has arrived,” roared Hatchette as the young man ran past me to see if I was still in one piece. Later, and after he made the wide receivers finals to the surprise of no one, Timoteo came up to shake my hand and apologize again.
Besides being a solid pass catcher this junior is already a performer.
MVPs
The following players were selected as the position MVPs for The Opening Oakland.
Top SPARQ score of 116.85 – Camilo Eifler, Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, LB, 2016
Linebackers – Camilo Eifler
Quarterbacks – Kevin Davidson, McClymonds, 2016
Running Backs – Najee Harris, Antioch, 2017
Wide Receivers – Kalakaua Timoteo, Mililani (Hawaii), 2016
Defensive Backs – David Long, Jr., Loyola-Los Angeles, 2016
Offensive Line – Frank Martin, Mater Dei-Santa Ana, 2016
Defensive Line – Elijah Parks – Central-Fresno, 2016
