GAMECHANGERS: South Middle School Showcase MVPs
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This content series is sponsored by GameChanger – The Official Scorekeeping, Stats, Team Management & Technology Partner of Prep Redzone. Around 100 middle schoolers made their way to Fort Worth on Sunday and we got a good look at what the future…
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Around 100 middle schoolers made their way to Fort Worth on Sunday and we got a good look at what the future of Texas football holds at the South Middle School Showcase. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on the best of the best at each position. After discussing with our positional coaches and writers in attendance, these seven earned the title of the best of the best in Fort Worth!
We had a good group of quarterbacks on Sunday morning but Bridgeland signal caller Donovan Warren Donovan Warren 6’0″ | 140 lbs | QB TX was the most consistent from start to finish. When Warren started spinning the ball around, it was impressive to see the accuracy and zip he had on passes all over the field. It also didn’t matter if they were going into the air or had it at their back, he adjusted and kept that accuracy and overall arm strength on his throws. When it was time to go into competition and 1 on 1’s, Warren routinely put the ball where only his receiver could make a play on it. Warren was impressed from the start of the camp and he has a bright future moving forward.
Highlights
As an Oklahoma guy myself, I was fired up to see Washington 2028 running back Josiah Dickerson Josiah Dickerson 5’6″ | 155 lbs | RB OK in attendance on Sunday. He camped at two PRZ-Next camps last year and has taken his game to new heights this time around. He set a PR for the 40-yard dash with a 4.59 and impressed every coach and writer in attendance. Dickerson looks the part physically and continues to really impress. Washington has been one of the top small school programs in Oklahoma and they’re getting a serious baller with Dickerson entering high school this fall. Dickerson already looks like he’s ready for the varsity level and will look like he belongs.
Highlights
Following the camp, the overall offensive MVP was announced and Life Oak Cliff wide receiver Sukora Cooper Jr walked away with the honors. Cooper is just a seventh grader and the wide receiver position was probably the most stacked position group on Sunday. Despite being younger than the majority of players at his position, Cooper showed out from start to finish. Cooper tested well and then absolutely got after it when it was time to compete against other players. Cooper already has a knack for making big plays and he showcased good body control throughout the camp. Even when he had a defender draped on him, he reacted well.
Power and violence. That’s what Euless eighth grade offensive lineman Semisi Naupoto Semisi Naupoto 5’11” | 245 lbs | OL TX showcased throughout the morning and afternoon in Fort Worth. When I watched the offensive linemen and defensive linemen go head to head, Naupoto had the greatest rep that I saw on Sunday. Naupoto had perfect hand placement, locked up his defender and tossed him down like a rag doll. And this was a defender that was just as big as he is. Naupoto was one of the more physically impressive looking athletes when the day started and then when the campers started competing, you saw that strength that Naupoto already has when he went to work.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage you have Ridgeview seventh grader Jarell Scott Jarell Scott 5’9″ | 240 lbs | DL TX walking away with the MVP for the defensive linemen. I got a chance to watch Scott take rep after rep during the 1 on 1 portion of the camp and Scott went to work. Just in seventh grade, Scott already takes coaching incredibly well and used what our coaches taught to succeed while competing. Scott showcased several different moves that beat his man and got him into the backfield. As Scott continues to grow and develop, he has the chance to be a really impressive interior defensive lineman. He had a nasty streak while competing and it showed.
Highlights
When it comes to linebacker MVP, we’re going with Eli Hendrix Eli Hendrix 5’9″ | 160 lbs | LB Celina | 2029 TX even though he was listed at running back. He also took reps at linebacker and really looked the part. He tested incredibly well and just looks like a future linebacker or even hybrid safety. The one constant thing we heard from coaches was surrounding how Hendrix is just in seventh grade and already looks the part physically. It’s going to be interesting to see how he continues to develop. Hendrix looked good on both sides of the ball on Sunday. But the consensus from the writers in attendance was that Hendrix looks like a potential star on the defensive side of the ball.
Highlights
The overall defensive MVP from Sunday’s camp came in the secondary. Life Oak Cliff DB Dana Edwards II Dana Edwards II 5’4″ | 130 lbs | DB TX was one of the more impressive players in attendance from a competition standpoint. Anytime we have these camps, the defensive backs are always outnumbered by wide receivers and that means they get thrown out there more and can easily get worn down. That did not happen to Edwards. From the start of 1 on 1’s, Edwards was ready to compete. Edwards is also a teammate of wide receiver MVP Sukora Cooper Jr and the two of them walked away as two of the best overall players in attendance at the camp on Sunday in Fort Worth.