Kenton 7on7

Drove to Kenton High School this morning to watch a little 7on7 action. Not as many teams as Coach Mike Mauk had planned for, but football just the same. Like I have always said, if you have a chance to get better, go for it. Whether competing in shorts and a t-shirt or in full pads, practice is practice.

Kenton may surprise some people this year. State runners-up last year, but losing Missouri bound Maty Mauk will be huge. Coach Ben Mauk has worked really hard with  junior to be Grant Sherman. A long, slender  quarterback with deceptive strength, Grant has worked hard in the off season and  could be a pleasant surprise.  Kenton junior linebacker, Matt Barr, caught my eye today. I had heard good reports on him. Listed at 6'1-195, he runs well and changes direction. Also watched Noah Furbush. Also a junior and listed at 6'4-215, he runs well and is very athletic. At the next level he could play three different positions, but for now I like him as an edge player.

For the second week in a row, I was able to see Charles Holland (2014) make some really athletic catches. Having watched him for two years, I really like his physical presence and awareness as a wide receiver. Needs to continue to get stronger and continue to develop a better burst. Separates okay, but can climb to make catches. Playing for Columbus West HS, Charles needs to put big numbers. Has a little of a wide receivers swagger, maybe too much at times. For me, if he really focuses on getting better, he could devlop into one of the better wideouts in his Class of 2014.

Ramroth "Rammy" Finnegan, a junior from Columbus Whetstone continues to get better and better. He attended my underclassmen camp two years ago as a freshman. Of course, he is a favorite, but mostly because he is really coachable. I have written about him before. Continues to get bigger and stronger. Like his enthusiam and ability to lead. Really feel that has the potential to one of the top six QB's in his 2014 Class, which includes DeShone Kiser, Chris Durkin, Jeremy Holley, and Cody Calloway among others.

My guys from Upper Sandusky did a good job. Because I travel so much on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,  I really do not know many of the players. They are not big athletic guys, but they work hard. Coaches work hard and are dedicated, but the Rams have some players in their program who work hard until it becomes an "inconvenience." Then they have many reasons not to stay with the program. Trust me, I do not have the answers. Plus the fact that they need to play equal competition. Hopefully, this fall will ghet them over the "inconvenience" tag.

Finally, I always enjoy watching Ada head coach, Mike Fell do his thing. Players are well coached. They play hard and understand the game. Fell just has a way of communicating with kids on the field. Of course, winning alot of games helps.

As I was watching the games this morning, a guy said, "it is going to be long day." Looked at him and said,"Not for me." About 30 minutes later I was getting a smoothie at McD's and on my way to my office.