Special Events

Dipping Beneath The Radar
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This week's Premier Showcase Summer Reunion was more than just an opportunity for the proven stars to shine once again. The event run by TEST Football Academy provided a chance for some of the lesser known stars of tomorrow to test themselves among the elite. Quite a few prospects took the field at Ridge High School and evidenced why college coaches should take a closer look at this assembly of talent.

Highly touted recruits such as Rutgers bound Logan Ryan, future Temple Owl Jerry Watters and Virginia commit Justin Renfrow put on stellar performances once more. However, they were joined by some other names who are just starting to pop up on the recruiting circuit.

Scotch Plains High School was represented well by cornerbacks Kenny Azard and Anthony Taylor. Both are under the radar kids from the class of 2009 and should get more looks through their senior seasons. Taylor did a particularly good job defending some of the top receivers on the day.

Rahjon Jones has a frame that will draw recruiters to Barringer like flies in the fall.

Barringer's Rahjon Jones is a player who is under the radar to recruiting sites, but apparently not to recruiters. The 6-foot-3, 282 pound defensive tackle says that he has picked up offers from West Virginia, USF and Temple since we last spoke to him. He is a raw, but physically imposing athlete who colleges will undoubtedly be watching as the season progresses.

Westside defensive end Brandon Lighter and Union defensive end Keith Wallace each made their return to the Premier Showcase. Both players went on to show significant improvement since their first trip up to the showcase this past February.

Notre Dame linebacker Christian Reed did a decent job of keeping up with Rutgers bound Paul Carrezola during the one-on-one portion of the event. Reed, who has fared well at past events and looks good on tape, is a bit of a tweener, teetering on the fence between linebacker and defensive end. Nevertheless, he played with a very high motor as he shadowed Carrezola, who has been unstoppable in 7-on-7 action this summer.

Defensive lineman Jamari Miller made the short trip up from Plainfield and made his presence felt in the trenches. He is also a bit raw but could develop into a steady college player.

The Showcase also had its share of underclassmen who were able to turn a few heads. Camden Catholic's Terrence Casper proved again why he should start reeling in offers in September. The 6-foot-6 Casper gobbled up nearly every pass that came his way.

Yet, Casper wasn't the only young receiver to gain notice. Union's Eljah Lee and North Brunswick's Glenn Edwards also took it to the defensive backs. Both were very speedy receivers who ran nice routes, which included quick bursts off of the cut.

Camden's Syteek Farrington also hauled in quite a few footballs while Roman Catholic's Eric Fraga showed promise at the wide receiver position despite only being a sophomore. Fraga is part of the class of 2011 and is already getting a start on catching the eye of college coaches.

Following this past February's Premier Showcase, many of the participants saw their recruitment begin to take flight. The collection of talent at this Monday's event is likely to experience the same effect.