7 on 7 Standouts: Half Hollow Hills East and St John The Baptist
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Last week I had the opportunity to watch Half Hollow Hills East and St John the Baptist at both the St Anthony’s 7v7 and the Stony Brook 7v7 tournament. These two teams were very impressive, as Hills East made the…
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Continue ReadingLast week I had the opportunity to watch Half Hollow Hills East and St John the Baptist at both the St Anthony’s 7v7 and the Stony Brook 7v7 tournament. These two teams were very impressive, as Hills East made the Stony Brook tournament final and St John the Baptist looked terrific against powerhouses within St Anthony’s and Sayville. Checkout some of the top players from these programs at these events
Half Hollow Hills East
One of the biggest improvements I’ve seen in Heymans game has been the IQ and decision making he’s developed. Last summer I saw some forces and questionable throws in certain situations. This year it’s completely different, as Heyman is much smarter and also is making better reads. At the 7v7 at St Anthony’s the deep ball was on display. Heyman was firing the rock downfield and he was hitting Lucas Martin Lucas Martin 5’11” | 170 lbs | ATH Half Hollow Hills East | 2026 NY and Max Futter Max Futter 5’10” | 180 lbs | K Half Hollow Hills East | 2024 State NY right on the money. In the Stony Brook 7v7 semi-finals, Heyman made a ton of high percentage throws, hitting his receivers on short and intermediate routes. He consistently marched his team down the field and put his players in a position to succeed.
Very few RB’s in the class of 2026 on Long Island can accelerate like Daniel White Daniel White ATH Half Hollow Hills East | 2026 State NY . He ran some deep routes at the St Anthony’s 7v7 and he burned whoever attempted to cover him. He did a good job tracking the ball and hauling in passes as a deep threat. White continued to show his ability to run short and effective routes. When he puts his foot into the ground, he truly explodes into the other direction. His overall explosiveness has become tremendous and I can’t wait to see how hard he hits the hole behind a great Hills East offensive line.
I finally got to see Max Kulberg Max Kulberg 6’0″ | 220 lbs | LB Half Hollow Hills East | 2024 State NY in action at multiple 7v7’s last week and the linebacker for the T Birds will be a big time player this year. I loved his tackling ability last season and how hard he hit, but his pass coverage keeps on improving. He gets into these players’ hips and utilizes his strength and agility to his advantage. He does well in man coverage and is always around the ball. He has great hands on defense as he came away with an interception for his team. But being around these offseason events, you can see the leadership, character and work ethic Kulberg possesses. He instantly impacts his team and makes others around him excel.
Highlights
St John the Baptist
This season people are gonna see how exciting of a player Michael Wheat Michael Wheat 5’9″ | 185 lbs | ATH St. John The Baptist | 2024 State NY is on the football field. He projects best at defensive back for the next level and I could see him being a great safety. He’s a tenacious and skilled player who brings a lot of speed and toughness to this St John’s defense. He’s a great leader for this secondary and he also showed that in man coverage he can do more than just hold his own. Wheat is as good of an athlete we will see in the AA this year. I’m interested to see how they’ll use him on offense and if they’ll let him be a work horse type running back.
Highlights
When it comes to having the best touch, Kevin Pilewski Kevin Pilewski 6’3″ | 180 lbs | QB St. John the Baptist | 2024 State NY is right there with the top quarterbacks here on Long Island. The smooth senior showed last week how efficient he was at dropping dimes in the perfect place. The chemistry he’s built with D.J Lisbon has been very evident. Those two always look like they are on the same page. His ball placement on deep throws were excellent during the 7v7 against St Anthony’s. Pilewski has developed his accuracy and timing a ton since I saw him in January and his flow and confidence were great during these 7v7’s he played in.
You have to put him in the conversation with the top receivers on Long Island. At 6 ‘4 and the elusiveness Lisbon has is special. His footwork has gotten noticeably much better and Lisbon’s release was great against some talented defensive backs from Hills East and St Anthony’s. He was catching passes all over the field and of course he impressed in the red zone. Lisbon leaped higher than his defender and came down with a difficult catch against Sayville. If he’s consistent this year, it’s going to be scary for catholic league teams. Look out for Lisbon to put up good numbers and make some highlight reel plays.
Highlights
You can easily make an argument that Chris King is the top cornerback in the catholic league from Long Island this year. He has great size and he’s an aggressive corner. I liked him in press coverage as he’s not afraid to get physical. He also has the speed and change of direction to give receivers a hard time. His hands and ability to make plays on the ball have separated himself from the rest of the pact this summer. He’s always assigned the number one receiver and he’s a player that loves the pressure and he brings the intensity every time he steps out onto the field. I’m very excited to see him at receiver this year if he plays on that side of the ball.