SoFLAfootball 7-on-7 Showcase

Sunday SoFLAfootball hosted a 7-on-7 showcase at Hillsboro El Rio Park in Boca Raton featuring some of the top players from Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade Counties. With the 2010 class closing in on signing day, it was a chance to get a jumpstart on finding the top players for the 2011 class as well as a few 2012 prospects.

The biggest surprise of the day at the showcase was Marcus Roberson (pictured) of St. Thomas Aquinas. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Roberson played safety for the Raiders this fall. On this day, it was his play at wide receiver that was most impressive. On Roberson’s first rep on offense during 1-on-1’s he promptly leaped high above the defensive back plucking the ball out of the air for an impressive catch. He displayed surprisingly good hands, showed excellent athleticism on both sides of the ball, and was very physical when he lined up at cornerback.

One of the marquee names heading into the event was Dwyer tight end Nick O’Leary. The hulking 6-foot-4, 225-pounder did not disappoint with his combination of finesse, brute strength, and ability to catch the ball in traffic. The first 1-on-1 battle of the day featured O’Leary, and instructions from the defensive backs on the sidelines to their teammate facing O’Leary were, “Don’t take him lightly, don’t take him lightly.” After O’Leary gave a juke to the outside before running a post for an easy completion the cry from the sideline was, “I told you not to take him lightly!”

Glades Central High School had a nice showing with four athletes in attendance and showed their future looks to be safe with a pair of 2012 prospects. The headlining Raider was 6-foot-6, 215-pound wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin took limited reps during the event due to fatigue from basketball, but still flashed why he is so highly sought after. Benjamin’s long stride eats up a cornerback’s cushion so quickly and much like O’Leary, he showed the ability to catch the ball in traffic.

The Raider that caught a lot of people’s attention was 2012 linebacker Dominique Gibson. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was extremely physical at the line of scrimmage and was able to stick to most receivers in coverage. Another 2012 prospect hailing from Glades Central was Jamie Wilson. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder flipped between defense and offense displaying excellent hands catching the ball. Raider 2011 linebacker Jamarious Rowley was solid, and showed a good feel for the game.

Tommy Shuler of Miami Central, Ezekiel Turner of Delray Beach Atlantic, and Robbie Anderson of South Plantation all rounded out an impressive receiving corps. Shuler was the quickest player on the field, while Turner showed a knack for finding holes in the defense and making the tough catches.

The lone running back at the event was Park Vista’s Tre Mason. Many left feeling the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Mason was the fastest player on the field during the showcase, drawing ‘oohs’ from fans on seam route he ran where he raced past the defense.

The quarterbacks featured Miami Central’s Rakeem Cato, Flanagan’s Matthew Vincent, South Dade’s Javoni McCray, and 2012 American High prospect Abe Coleman. Cato looked the most comfortable during the 7-on-7 portion, while McCray displayed the strongest arm of the four. Vincent was an all around solid quarterback with good size, and Coleman impressed many for only being a sophomore signal caller.

On the defensive side of the ball there were a quintet of cornerbacks that had strong days led by Boyd Anderson’s Harmon Brown. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Brown has good speed and was able to stick to nearly every receiver he matched up with. There also appears to be yet another in the long line of talented Blanche Ely High School cornerbacks with Courtney Hall. Hall flipped between corner and free safety, but has a knack for sticking to receivers. Courtney Bynes of Boyd Anderson came into the day mostly known for his abilities as a wide receiver, but Bynes impressed when he flipped over to corner. A pair of corners in Darrell Hunter and Shawn McClain representing Dwyer also had strong days.

Talent Takes in Showcase…

While the talent on the field was impressive, the spectators watching from the sidelines had a fair amount of talent as well. Delray Beach Atlantic and current Ohio State Buckeye commit James Louis attended with 2011 Atlantic linebacker Jephette Matilus and wide receiver J’Rod Beard. Both Matilus and Beard sat out the workout recovering from knee injuries. Louis gave his thoughts on who stood out to him, “I told you Zeke (Turner) was good, and I also really liked that kid from St. Thomas Aquinas (Marcus Roberson).”

St. Thomas Aquinas 2011 offensive lineman Bobby Hart took in the event and came away impressive with his new teammate as well. “I didn’t know he could play wide receiver. He said he played some at Boyd Anderson, but I didn’t know he’d be that good.”

Dwyer standout defensive end/outside linebacker Curt Maggitt sat out with shoulder surgery scheduled later this week. He liked the 2012 linebacker from the Muck, “The Glades Central sophomore linebacker (Dominique Gibson). He’s big.”

More Quotes on Who Stood Out…

Nick O’Leary: “I liked the sophomore from Glades Central (Gibson). He was tough in coverage.”

Kelvin Benjamin: “I liked the tight end from Dwyer (O’Leary) and that fast corner that kept wanting to go against me (Harmon Brown).”