CFI Classic Jamboree Observations & Team MVP's

This past Friday, August 11th, Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) hosted the CFI Classic Jamboree at Rocky River High School. Eight teams in total were in action: Bessemer City, Hickory Grove, Berry, Harding, West Forsyth, North Mecklenburg, Parkwood, and Rocky River. Here we will have observations for each team, and their MVP selected by Charlotte Football Insiders.   Hickory Grove   Team MVP - RB [player_tooltip player_id='1174849' first='Anthony' last='Hawkins']   Observations: Hawkins was able to break off a couple of big runs against Bessemer City, but could not get into the end zone as the Yellow Jackets had a lot of time of possession in the scrimmage. Hickory Grove should have another strong season in Division 2 of the NCISAA once again - physically they were the same size, if not bigger than the Yellow Jackets at most positions. Hawkins is coming off a major breakout sophomore season where he rushed for over 1500 yards and had double-digit rushing touchdowns on the season. The Hickory Grove defense did limit big plays, but they did have some trouble getting off the field on 3rd down in this scrimmage.   Bessemer City   Team MVP - RB/LB Mason Chastain   Observations: The Yellow Jackets did "win" the scrimmage by a 7-0 score, but probably the most impressive thing was their ability to run the football and control the clock. Mason Chastain had a good bulk of the carries for the Yellow Jacket offense and consistently picked up 4-5 yards on each carry of the football, methodically moving the chains. He also played a disciplined game at the linebacker spot and should be one of the key players week in and week out for the Yellow Jackets all season long. Defensively they did a good job in getting off the field quickly - Hickory Grove never really established a rhythm offensively, and that was a compliment to their defense playing solid, disciplined football at all three levels.   Harding   Team MVP - ATH AJ Jenkins   Observations: It was a tough go of it for the Rams against their rival Berry, but one bright spot was ATH AJ Jenkins, who was playing all over the field at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, and at some defensive back on defense. AJ was able to make some things at the QB spot by running the ball on some designed runs and provided some insight into what the Rams will try to do on offense early in the season. Defensively, the Rams were able to get some early pressure on the quarterback in the passing game which was another bright spot, but they also gave up some big passing plays later in the scrimmage.   Berry   Team MVP - QB Tanner Bushee   Tanner Bushee is the new quarterback at Berry by way of Vermont, where he was a 1st Team All-State selection per his Twitter profile. He showed poise after taking a couple of big hits early in the scrimmage, and coming back and finding WR Jaidyn McKinnon for two touchdown passes, helping lead the Cardinals to an impressive 21-0 victory. Mckinnon showed some good speed in space, running away from defenders and creating separation on those two TD catches. Defensively, Berry has some good size up front on the defensive line, and some linebackers that got to the football fast. They forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown for their first score of the night, notably. This is a team that could sneak up on some people if they are taken lightly.   North Mecklenburg   Team MVP - DL [player_tooltip player_id='719690' first='Charles' last='House']   Facing a team that had three Division 1 recruited offensive linemen, House was able to hold his own in his matchups while facing some increased attention in the blocking schemes. This was a matchup that I was excited to see given House has been recruited by some big-time programs and holds some strong offers currently. Defensively, the Vikings were able to get some key stops but gave up a TD pass on 4th down for the 7-0 difference in the scrimmage. Offensively, there were some bright spots when the Vikings got the ball out quickly to some of their skill players in space. [player_tooltip player_id='402291' first='Khalil' last='Price'] had a huge deep ball catch late in the scrimmage to give them a chance at a late win, but they were intercepted in the end zone on the last play of the scrimmage.   West Forsyth   Team MVP - OL [player_tooltip player_id='619905' first='Desmond' last='Jackson']   [player_tooltip player_id='619905' first='Desmond' last='Jackson'] is a North Carolina OL commit who was very technically impressive playing left tackle throughout the duration of the scrimmage. He did not give up any pressures and came off the football very well in the run game. As a whole, the Titans' offensive line was the big story in my opinion for the night. They gave their quarterback plenty of time in the passing game to go through their progressions and execute their offense. More impressively, the Titans' top 3 running backs did not play per their coaching staff due to some nagging injuries, and they were still able to run the ball pretty effectively. The Titans have to tighten up some timing in the passing game, but once these guys get to conference play, they are going to really be a problem. Defensively they were fast to the football, a lot of players rotated in so it led to some mistakes and North Meck was able to catch them a few times, but overall I'm sure they were happy with their performance.   Rocky River   Team MVP - DB Karon Gray   In talking about the Ravens before the jamboree, their defense was noted as their strength. That held true as Karon Gray intercepted a Parkwood pass and returned it 60 yards for a Pick Six touchdown and a 6-0 lead. For the majority of the scrimmage, they were able to get pressure on the quarterback and stop the run relatively well. Toward the end of the scrimmage though, they gave up a late touchdown pass and ended up losing 7-6. Offensively, the Ravens were able to move the ball at times on the ground, but they got behind the chains at times with some penalties and the passing game wasn't clicking on all cylinders just yet.   Parkwood   Team MVP - WR Quinn Mushington   In Head Coach Sam Mobley's debut, his team showed some heart as they didn't quit and were able to score on a late touchdown pass to Mushington who made an impressive diving catch in the back of the end zone for the 7-6 scrimmage victory. Parkwood rotated two quarterbacks and it will be interesting to see who they ultimately choose as the starter, as both players had some positives and negatives in their performance. Defensively, they did not allow the Rocky River offense to score, and they were able to get off the field in key 3rd down situations, which has to make them feel good going into Week 1.

This past Friday, August 11th, Charlotte Football Insiders (CFI) hosted the CFI Classic Jamboree at Rocky River High School. Eight teams in total were in action: Bessemer City, Hickory Grove, Berry, Harding, West Forsyth, North Mecklenburg, Parkwood, and Rocky River. Here we will have observations for each team, and their MVP selected by Charlotte Football Insiders.