Some notes from Omaha's MG Jamboree

[Ohio Pete]

Anyone happen to attend?

 

From OWH some notes about in-state football players:

Football: Burke, North look sharp at Jamboree

BY NICK RUBEK

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

Seven of the eight teams at Saturday’s camp come from the Omaha Public Schools: Central, North, Burke, Northwest, Benson, South and Bryan. The other was Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, coached by former UNO standout running back Justin Kammrad.

 

The most impressive teams Saturday were definitely Burke and North. Both looked good in their two scrimmages, the Bulldogs behind a physical line and plenty of enthusiasm and North with a stable of backs and receivers with blazing speed.

 

Burke got good play from quarterback Jimmie Forsythe, who is entering his junior season. Bulldogs coach Paul Limongi called Forsythe a “special, special kid” and one “that will be a hot topic next year.”

 

Burke running back Stephon Washington also stood out, just seven days after another standout weekend at the state track meet. Another impressive player was Lavant Moore, a 6-3, 180-pound wide receiver.

 

For Omaha North, Radell Nared and Thomas Hodges, who finished 1-2, respectively, in the 100 meter race at the state track meet, caught some attention Saturday. The two joined fellow sprinters Recheim Logan-Martin and Kendall Anderson on the winning 400 relay team. All four are out for football and targeted to play running back or receiver.

 

They, along with fullback/defensive line prospect Ron Coleman, should again give the Vikings a dynamic stable of skill position players.

 

Coleman could be the state’s best player.

 

A short article on an interesting in-state prospect:

Recruiting Notebook: Central lineman among Omaha-area players who showed their stuff

 

Call him The Big Work in Progress.

 

By all accounts, Omaha Central senior-to-be Chris Reed isn’t there yet.

 

But at 6-foot-5 and quickly nearing 300 pounds, he packs big potential.

 

Those talking to the offensive tackle include Nebraska, where Reed says he will attend camp in two weeks. Offensive line coach Barney Cotton has been in contact, telling Reed he’s looking forward to working with him.

 

Other colleges that have called include Ohio, South Dakota, North Dakota and Drake, which is wooing him in track. Reed won the Class A shot put title last weekend.

 

He’ll also go to a football camp at Iowa this summer but admits he has been a Husker fan.

 

Reed was one of several potential Division I prospects at the MG Jamboree on Saturday. The four-day camp wrapped up at Central with scrimmages between eight Omaha-area teams.

 

Reed, fresh off his victory at the state track meet, was back on the football field with his Eagles teammates.

 

And there was some obvious rust.

 

“He didn’t play very well today,” Central coach Jay Ball said. “But in his defense, he’s been throwing a 12-pound ball for a while.”

 

After moving from Spirit Lake, Iowa, to Omaha, Reed played sparingly for the majority of last season, but he gained more time down the stretch for the Eagles.

 

Both of his parents graduated from Central, and Reed lived in Cedar Rapids before moving to Spirit Lake.

 

He has put on nearly 60 pounds in the past year, adding 10 feet to his shot put mark this season. Reed said he started lifting for the first time last summer and was surprised with the results.

 

He moves well with the extra size, but as Ball puts it, “there’s a long way to go.”

 

Ball wants his lineman to work on fundamentals, which the coach said will go a long way in helping bring out the potential.

 

“What everyone has to understand is he’s not a D-I prospect off that junior film,” the coach said. “To expect to make some major jump, there’s got to be a lot of work.”

 

New day at Northwest

There were a lot of firsts Saturday for new Northwest coach Damon Benning. There was the first play he called, the first team huddle and the first “good game.”

 

After scheduling conflicts forced the Huskies to practice in the evenings by themselves throughout the camp, Benning and company were in attendance Saturday.

 

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Benning said, “but I’m encouraged by the guys. We aspire to be where some of these storied programs are moving forward.”

 

It’s easy to be encouraged when you’ve got a running back like senior-to-be Antaries Daniels, a possible Division I recruit. Daniels looked the part of a big-time back Saturday. On the final play of the day for the Huskies, Daniels spun out of a tackle in the backfield and sprinted 30-plus yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.

 

Daniels has enjoyed his first week under Benning.

 

“We got some good stuff out here,” Daniels said about his team’s performance Saturday. “Coach put a lot of thought into this offense. We are running a zone offense so I can read my holes better, and give me a chance to play different positions.”

 

Daniels also saw time at wide receiver Saturday.

 

He’s hearing from Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Northwestern, Ohio and North Dakota State. Benning said Daniels will go to camps at both NU and Oklahoma this summer. Antaries said he will also attend a camp at Kansas.