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Northwest Best Fight To Stand Out At Loaded Seven On Event

While a lot of the NW best went out to gain attention at the New Level Athlete 7 on 7 in Vegas only a few were able to gain much notoriety with over 1000 athletes making the journey to Las Vegas this past weekend. It was hard to stand out with such a loaded group of talented kids.

Still many of the NW Boys hit their stride at the event. Here are just a few of the guys making the trip out. More updates to follow on the outcome of the events.

Northwest Best Fight To Stand Out At Loaded Seven On Event

 

While a lot of the NW best went out to gain attention at the New Level Athlete 7 on 7 in Vegas only a few were able to gain much notoriety with over 1000 athletes making the journey to Las Vegas this past weekend.  It was hard to stand out with such a loaded group of talented kids.

 

Still many of the NW Boys hit their stride at the event.  Here are just a few of the guys making the trip out.  More updates to follow on the outcome of the events.

Saturday Stand Outs:

Two of the top guys getting the attention of Rivals.com top analysts were Kolney Cassel of Eisenhower in Yakima, Washington and his Eastern Washington counter part Sophomore Isaiah Brandt-Sims of Wenatchee.  Here is a look at what our Adam Gorney had to say about this dynamic paiir.


ATH ISAIAH BRANDT-SIMS, 5-11/170, WENATCHEE, WASH. (2014)
Interest: Stanford, Washington and Washington State among others have shown early interest. 
Overview: Brandt-Sims holds three freshman state records in track so he has proven his speed can be an asset. It definitely was for Brandt-Sims at wide receiver as Washington team quarterback Kolney Cassel hit him multiple times in stride including one 40-yard pass that resulted in a touchdown. Because of his speed and elusiveness, Brandt-Sims could star at running back, receiver or on defense. There aren't many cornerbacks who can keep up with him once Brandt-Sims gets outside and in the open. 
 
QB KOLNEY CASSEL, 6-2/205, YAKIMA (WASH.) EISENHOWER
Offers: SMU has offered and many Pac-12 schools are showing interest. 
Overview: Cassel has one of the strongest arms in the entire tournament and he throws a tight, perfect spiral on almost every throw. The three-star is a pure pocket passer who likes to sit back and pick apart defenses with good vision and an outstanding arm. He had a lot of weapons on the Washington team and he definitely utilized all of them, spreading the ball around and being a playmaker. Cassel said he can throw the ball about 60-65 yards in the air and it's believable seeing how he tossed it around on Saturday. 

There were other Washington kids gaining attention too.  Among them were Tere Calloway or Seattle Prep and Kahlil Dawson of Graham-Kapowsin.


CB TERE CALLOWAY, 5-11/185, SEATTLE (WASH.) SEATTLE PREP
Offers: Colorado, Portland State, Purdue and SMU have offered. 
Overview: Calloway is a tough, fierce defensive back who goes after the ball, plays physically and competes on every play. He's a stout, strong, tough player who doesn't give receivers an inch. It seems as if there are times when a receiver has a step on him and might have him beaten but Calloway usually finds a way to make up ground and knock down the pass. 
CB KAHLIL DAWSON, 5-9/160, GRAHAM (WASH.) GRAHAM-KAPOWSIN
Offers: Wyoming has offered and Dawson is hearing from Washington State and others. 
Overview: Dawson is tiny but makes up for it by having great timing and a knack for making plays on the ball. He could run into trouble if he's in a one-on-one situation with a bigger receiver but he did a good job at key moments Saturday for the Washington team. Dawson had a knockdown at the goal line and also broke up a pass on the sideline. He should pick up some more offers moving forward. 

The Oregon squad came on Sunday and a few guys gained some National mentions including Wilsonville High's Johnny Ragin, Rex Putnam High School WR DeShawn Stephens, and stand out Connor Strahm of Sheldon High School.

It appears Team Washington was beat Sunday and Oregon won enough games to get  consideration for another event in the next month or so so that is terrific.

We are sure proud of the NW guys that went and who were able to do so.  These kids and many like them would go non-stop if they had the option to do so.


Editors Note

As these sort of events grow Nationally many wonder how expensive all this is and how kids and parents are expected to keep up.  No doubt this 7 on 7 Mania is moving into overdrive.  Great questions to ask.  

The key to any of these opportunities is cost versus benefit.  If the cost is too great and the benefits too few there are probably better things that could be done from the athletes perspective.

At the same time all of this is going on safety issues, insurance concerns, and issues of Street Agency are arising regarding 7 on 7 events with many coaches and State Associations divided.  

These are private events too and they take kids away from their teams and schools often creating issues and false expectations for kids and parents.

Only time will tell if the investment of time and money will pay off for these NW athletes.  The National pundits say this was the most talent they have ever seen at any one 7 on 7 event.  With so many kids and no college coaches in attendence it was harder to stand out as the media types could only cover a few kids and of course focused much of the attention on just a few kids already at the top of the National recruiting scene.

 

 

 

 

 

I am the Founder of the Northwest Prep Report. For 17 years I have led the way to the best of my ability to promote the best talent from the Pacific NW free of charge. It is my pleasure to continue to serve High School athletes from all over the Pacific NW and beyond. Formerly with Rivals.com my sites have now crossed over 8,000 stories, 7 MILLION Video Views, and 15,000 regular followers. Together with the best football people in the USA we pursue excellence for our NW athletes.

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