Linemen Take Center Stage as Showcase Football Wows Players, Spectators in Arizona.
Showcase Football rolled into Maricopa, Arizona with a bevy of buzz and expectation and based on the reaction and feedback of the players and spectators those expections were not high enough. “I’ve never been to or seen an event like this” one parent shared. “What an unbeliveable environment, great coaching and fierce competiton. We just loved it. This is amazing,” said Jlyn Jackson, a mother that flew with her family from Texas so her son Chance could participate.
While the weather was suspect the OL/DL session was anything but. Players checked in early with measurements and photos, did some combine testing after warming up and then came the smoke. After going through individual drills, the competition phase kicked off and was led by ‘22 OL Orem (Utah) Vae Sofiua. Measuring in at 6’5 285 he was relentless all camp long and destroyed whatever was in his path while walking away with OL M.O.P honors. other top performers included ‘22 Monument (CO) Palm Ridge OL Alec Faulk who used his length and footwork to mirror defenders, ‘22 Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Ridge center Alexis Sanchez displayed aggressiveness, the aforementioned ‘22 Chance Jackson from The Woodlands College Park (Texas) played with natural leverage and nastiness at the point of attack, 6’6 Jai Rodriguez out of Phoenix (AZ) Desert Valley was suprisingly nimble and two young prospects, the first of which from nearby Queen Creek (AZ) Basha Ryan Blum that flashed some devastating power and last but certainly not least all the way from St. Peter’s (MO) Lutheran St. Charles 2024 OL Talan Chandler showed impressive athletic ability, technique and a hgih football IQ.
The defensive linemen award went to Phoeniz (AZ) Chandler ‘22 hybrid Zone Wierenga who was unblockable at times because of his strength, quickness and sturdiness. Other Defesive bigs stood out include ‘23 Las vegas (NV) Desert Pines DE Idgerinn Dean who was twitichy off the snap and showed good power, Glendale (AZ) Mountain Ridge interior tackle Andy Sanchez was disruptive in team drills and ‘24 Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic DE Elijah Rushing displayed his stoutness and athletic ability to go along with his 6’5 frame.
The linebacker and running back groups were up second and they did not disappoint. ‘22 Mesa (AZ) Red Mountain LB Parker McClure claimed the LB M.O.P award. He was excellent in drills, showed leadership in group activities, made plays in “inside run” and was a standout in pass coverage. Other ‘backers who impressed were ‘22 Phoenix (AZ) O’Connor Brevin Czosnyka who showed he can run with anyone and doubled as DB, Jack Johnson from The Woodlands College Park (TX) and ‘24 Phoenix (AZ) Desert Edge stud, Jaylen Dawson who was a handful in pass rush situations and coverage.
The running backs had a nice crop of talent but Salt lake City (UT) West ‘23 RB Sesi Vailahi ran away with the M.O.P award. He was slippery in the “cat & mouse” drill, was a tough cover in 1on1s and just found himself on the field to make plays throughout the event. Other top performers include ‘23 San Antonio (TX) Reagan RB Carson Green with his hands, quicks and change of direction and maybe the biggest surprise of the event in Tucson (AZ) Ironwood Ridge RB Brysen Barrios. He dazzled with his speed, soft hands, toughness, jump cuts and footwork.
The wide receivers had a host of standouts but ‘23 San Antonio (TX) Antonian WR Ricky Gonzalez snatched the M.O.P award with his superior routes and ball skills. Gonzalez was smooth and shifty with seapration agility and a dawg mentality at the catch point. Other top performers include, ‘22 Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe wideout Terryon Rowe who lit the field up with a spicy post route to end the 1on1 session that has since gone viral, ‘22 Corona (CA) Centennial WR Travon Smith tested well and made plays in the 11on11 team drills, though he exited early after being poked in the eye, ‘23 Phoenix (AZ) Brophy Prep Layton Duncan displayed his soft hands and ‘22 Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe WR Jordan Hufff flashed in 1on1s creating space and finishing at the highest point.
The defensive backs were led by a young pup in ‘23 Rancho Cumcamonga (CA) Etiwanda DB Josiah Walsh who read routes beautifully, stayed on top of WRs and maybe gave up one catch the entire 1on1 session. Other standouts include Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic ‘22 DB Cruz Rushing, ‘22 ATH Amier Boyd from Phoenix (AZ) Mountain Pointe, The Woodlands College Park Joseph Golden, Miles Lockhart from Queen Creek (AZ) Basha and ‘25 Davoderick Roberts out of national powerhouse Duncanville in Texas.
The quarterbacks earned they way back for day two and did a great job of taking care of the ball, collectively. The M.O.P award was captured by ‘23 San Juan Capistrano (CA) JSerra quarterback Jaxon Potter who was steady and consistent all weekend long but probably had the best throw in team drills on a 20-yard in-cut right between the target’s number. Other standouts include ‘24 Queen Creek (AZ) Basha QB Demond Williams, Tucson (AZ) Salpointe Catholic QB Dylan Dreis, ‘22 Las Vegas (NV) Liberty QB Josiah Vitale, ‘23 Phoeniz (AZ) Mountain Pointe QB Chris Arviso, ‘24 Sacramento (CA) Folsom QB Austin Mack continues to improve and a pair of 2025 Quarterbacks in JP Mialovski and Kalen Fisher.
“This was a great weekend of competition that brought out the important traits that will convey to the football field. I was able to evaluate the the competitive and mental toughness as well, and that’s something college coaches and recruiting staff are always inquiring about when we get a chance to see these kids in person on their behalf,” said scout Kyle Morgan from Catapult who services 200+ colleges.
