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Standout Players From Football Hotbed Exposure Showcase: 7v7 Tournament

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Marcus Benjamin @_benjaminmoney

The culmination of the National Football Hotbed Exposure Showcase held at St. Thomas Aquinas High School last weekend was the seven on seven tournament.  High school players were divided into four teams and competed against each other for the championship.  Here are some of the many standout players who excelled on a high level Saturday and deserve more stars and offers.

 

Quarterbacks

Kemani ‘Showtime’ Brown – Miami Northwestern – Showtime proved that he can be a starter on a number of different teams in South Florida with his Quarterback MVP performance Saturday.  The 2020 QB was able to make throws on the run and directed receivers with positioning. He lead the Red Team to the tournament championship where he made every important throw when his team needed him the most.

Nick Scalzo – Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) – At one point I questioned whether Scalzo would record an incompletion.  The three star Kentucky commit established a solid connection with receivers Donte Banton and Tyrique Stevenson and practically seemed unstoppable at one point.  They somehow went away from those combinations that were working and did not get to the championship final.  Scalzo scored touchdowns with every type of throw and will pick apart defenses this fall.

Deon Jones – Miami Norland – The Co-Quarterback MVP with Brown, Jones rarely made a bad throw all day.  He many times threw receivers open and was calm and poised until he found an open receiver on other occasions.  Jones has a strong arm and will challenge rivals Miami Carol City, Miami Central, and Miami Northwestern for the district title.

 

Running Backs

 

Terron Brooks – Fort Lauderdale High – The back was simply the best in all drills according to all the coaches on site.  The 2020 player had a workmanlike effort and was efficient with his route running. The running back MVP caught every ball I saw thrown his way and with his low center of gravity, he will be tough to bring down once the pads come on.  

 

C’quan Jnopierre – Fort Lauderdale High – Ran sharp routes for the Black Team and was a reliable target.  The 2020 running back has good size and will be a valuable asset for the Flying Ls of Lauderdale.

 

Wide Receivers

 

Troy Stellato – Cardinal Gibbons – Stellato was the talk of the tournament with one amazing diving one handed catch for a touchdown.  Stellato has incredible when the ball is in the air and uses his size to shield defenders away from the ball.  He also beat a defender on a go route on his first play in the tournament in route to the WR MVP award. I will imagine that the 2021 receiver will earn at least a four star rating when it’s all said and done.

Donte Banton – Deerfield Beach – Every aspect of the 2019 receiver’s game was impressive.  He is one of the fastest receivers in South Florida and simply could not be stopped Saturday.  He has great hands and displayed great ability to make defenders miss in the open field. He has good size and can out muscle defensive backs for the ball in the air.  Truly an underrated prospect that should gain more offers this fall.

 

Samir English Brown – Cardinal Gibbons – Really shifty and can simply get open.  This 2020 receiver is yet another weapon that Gibbons has in its arsenal.  Defenders will have fits attempting to cover this young talent.

 

Dashaun Davis – Deerfield Beach – Consistently beat his man in one on one drills and is one of the key reasons the Red Team emerged victorious.  The Appalachian State commit of the 2019 class can beat you deep and can make tough catches in tight spaces.

 

Jake Harrington – Cardinal Gibbons – Harrington has great body control and deceptive speed.  The 2021 talent is part of a young receiving corps at Gibbons that can take it the distance at any point.

Kevin Felder Jr. – Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) – Easily beat a defender deep on a go route that had many raising eyebrows.  The 2019 prospect has the speed to score touchdowns and playmaking ability to help teams win on the next level.  

 

Terry Melvin – Coral Glades –  The big target was intrical for Kemani Brown and the Red Team’s championship run.  The 2020 talent has plenty of upside and should develop into a great pass catcher.

 

Kevin Ross – Miramar – Ross is an elusive slot receiver who displayed his quickness and agility at the showcase Saturday.  The 2020 receiver is an absolute burner with reliable hands. He made some key catches for the Red Team down the stretch.

 

Defensive Backs

 

Tyrique Stevenson – Miami Southridge – Arguably the best athlete on the field.  Quarterbacks did not throw the four star’s way on defense all day.  When the four star was on offense, he played the position as if it was his natural position. The 2019 safety MVP made one handed catches and defended passes with the best of them.  There was simply nothing he could not do.

 

Phillip O’Brien Jr. – Cardinal Gibbons – Arguably the best one on one cover corner of the day.  This 2021 defender has great range and recovery speed and was rarely beat at all.  The former receiver seems to be making the transition to defense very nicely as he took home Cornerback MVP honors.    

James Williams – Miami Pace – Just an amazing athlete.  Has the versatility to play a number of positions on offense and defense.  The 2021 Miami commit has potential to be a five star player down the line.

 

Corde St. Louis – Cardinal Gibbons – St. Louis continues to develop to be a strong defensive back.  He has the ability to play corner, safety and nickel corner. The transfer from South Broward is going into his sophomore season and is already displaying great football acumen and will only continue to get better.

 

Linebackers

 

GeMon Eaford – Deerfield Beach – Amazing range for his size at 6’1” 220 pounds.  The four star 2019 linebacker was never intimidated by the immense amount of talent on the field as he looked excellent in drills and live play.  He claimed the linebacker MVP award Saturday.

Antoine Williams – Antioche (TN) – Made big plays on both sides of the ball.  This 2019 athlete should be on every college team’s radar looking to add linebacker depth.  He is simply a playmaker that would not be denied Saturday.

 

Eugene Louis-Jacques – Cypress Bay (Weston) – Displayed his speed and range in one on one drills.  The 2020 defender has great recovery speed and I anticipate that he will make a boatload of tackles this season.

 

Other Standouts

 

Fred Eaford, WR, Deerfield Beach (2021)

Robert Floyd, WR, University School (2021)

Deajaun McDougle, WR, Deerfield Beach (2020)

Randy Ramanan, WR, Coral Springs (2020)

 

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Marcus Benjamin works as the senior writer and editor for FootballHotbed.com. He attended Florida A&M and Florida Memorial University completing a bachelors degree in communications in 2010. He's covered high school football in the South Florida area since 2010 for the Miami Herald, Miami Sports Tribune and ShawSports.net. He is married and lives in Fort, Lauderdale, FL.

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