ESA Rising Star Showcase Standouts

Instead of football in the St. Louis County on Saturday, players in the 314 went into the 618 territory for some friendly competition. The ESA Flight Academy held their 2nd rising stars showcase at the O’Fallon Sports Complex in O’Fallon, Illinois. This was a huge event where athletes in the St. Louis County and Illinois area compete and show off their skills. Many kids showed out as if they were suited up for game day. There was intense competition during the 1 on 1s and 7 on 7 events. These individuals stood out amongst the other kids at the showcase. These are the ESA Showcase standouts. [caption id="attachment_56993" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-56993 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4441-300x197.png" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Instagram[/caption] <strong>S Stephen Green Collinsville High School c/o 2021.</strong> They had a safety dominate receivers in 1 on 1s? Yes they did. Green did a tremendous job, and never backed down from competition. He was excellent in man coverage, and played through the hands of the receiver whenever the ball came down. Green refused to let any receiver catch the ball at all. He also showed out in the 7 on 7 competition, making plays in the cover 3 area. He is one kid to look out for in the 618. <strong>CB Zachary Smith Alt. Marquette Catholic c/o 2021.</strong> This guy stated that wherever you put him, he will make plays. And he kept his word. Smith had numerous pass break ups during 1 on 1s. He had a nice interception as well. Smith is a pure athlete with an ambitious drive, and it showed a lot on the field.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <img class="size-medium wp-image-56994 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4442-300x197.png" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>CB Demetric Ryan East St. Louis c/o 2021.</strong> This guy played with ruthless aggression, pressing receivers up on the line and letting them meet the parents on the sideline. Ryan also has good man coverage, and showed out during the 7 on 7 competition, breaking up numerous passes. <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="20251" first="Keontez" last="Lewis"] East St. Louis c/o 2021.</strong> This guy was one of the receivers from East Side that had put on a show. Lewis is an excellent route runner. He caught almost every ball thrown to him during 1 on 1s and 7 on 7. The kid is going to be a problem when East St. Louis plays in the spring.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="37634" first="Kameron" last="Gillespie"] Mccluer High School c/o 2022.</strong> Now we’ve heard this name before, but this guy showed out for the 314. He bullied most of the defensive backs during 1 on 1s, and he scored 2 Tds during 7 on 7. Since McCluer doesn’t have a season right now, Gillespie made sure he played as if it was game day on Saturday. This guy has a tremendous [caption id="attachment_57000" align="alignleft" width="254"]<img class=" wp-image-57000" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4444-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="254" height="167" /> Photo: Twitter[/caption] reach for the ball, and he is a hard route runner. <strong>WR Armani Turner Hazelwood Central High School c/o 2022.</strong> This is another familiar face that’s very underrated. Turner may be undersized, but he was one of the top receivers from the 314 that made 6 foot defensive backs look silly. During 1 on 1s and 7 on 7, Turner had put defenders in a blender off the line and showed off his speed into the end zone a couple times. Remember his name. <strong>QB Ryan Hampton Edwardsville High School c/o 2021.</strong> The senior quarterback was one of the<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>outstanding gun slingers in the showcase. He was very accurate in his throws during 7 on 7, connecting to numerous receivers. He has excellent vision, and knows how to read coverages. He will be a valuable quarterback to have at the next level. [caption id="attachment_57001" align="alignright" width="126"]<img class=" wp-image-57001" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4446-169x300.jpg" alt="" width="126" height="224" /> Photo: Twitter[/caption] <strong>RB Marquise Palmer Trinity High School c/o 2023.</strong> This was one of the running backs that stood out at the showcase. Palmer has hands and good route running as if he was a receiver. He had one amazing catch in 1 on 1s, and he also had a couple good catches during 7 on 7. Palmer also transferred over to the Illinois side and joined the East St. Louis Flyers for this upcoming season. He will be a force to reckon with.