best high school player you saw ??

SWFLguy · #1 (**permalink**) Wed Aug 03, 2005, 04:50pm

I was thinking about this while at a lull
in my local association rules clinic last night--
the best high school players I saw in a game
that I officiated:
Dorsey Levens--- played at Syracuse Nottingham HS--saw him score 5 TD's in the first half--coach sat him the 2nd half--NFL player
Damion Rhodes-- a star at Fayetteville-Manlius HS outside of Syracuse and a NY State track star-will be starting tailback for Syracuse
Mike Hart-- played at Class D Onondaga HS south of Syracuse--I only saw him as a 9th and 10th grader-- led his school his last 2 years to NY State Cahmpionship--probably the most skillful running back
I ever saw-- wil be starting his 2nd year at Michigan
I'm curious if any other posters here have input.

Mike L · #2 (**permalink**) Wed Aug 03, 2005, 05:49pm

Reggie Bush, 3 games. Watching him run thru and around everyone else on the field made me think of Barry Sanders. How could a defender set up in front of him and then in a blink of an eye Reggie would "jump" a couple yards to the side and still be going forward full speed? Heck of a defensive back too.
Got to work games with Kellen Winslow Jr too. Million dollar ability, ten cent head, big time trouble maker on the field.

michaelpr · #3 (**permalink**) Wed Aug 03, 2005, 09:11pm

Tony Gilbert - Central Macon - UGA - Jacksonville Jags
George Foster - Central Macon - UGA - Denver Broncos

alabamabluezebra · #4 (**permalink**) Wed Aug 03, 2005, 09:52pm

Justin Tuck - Coosa Central - played at Notre Dame, drafted by NY Giants. Justin was a man among boys when he played high school.

JaMarcus Russell - Mobile Williamson - currently at LSU. Scored five touchdowns in a second round playoff game (3 passing and 2 rushing).

Gabe Gross - Dothan Northview - played QB at Auburn before settling on baseball. Fastest white boy I've seen. Great Leader.

cowbyfan1 · #5 (**permalink**) Thu Aug 04, 2005, 05:10am

In my short career it is hard to determine the best. The one that has done the most so far is Kejuan Jones who is at OU. The other one is Robert Meecham who is Tenessee but his collage career is not as noted as Jones (not that Jones has been all that really), least as of yet.
Like I said it is tough to say at this point as the oldest players I have seen would be Juniors for the most part.
I wish I could say I have been around long enought to say Troy Aikman but that is another story...

irefky · #6 (**permalink**) Thu Aug 04, 2005, 09:12am

Tim Couch, Leslie County High School, Hyden, KY
University of KY
1st pick of the new Cleveland Browns, still don't think they have recovered from that one!

Tim will make a come back, he's had multiple arm problems that they have re-built.

JDLJ · #7 (**permalink**) Thu Aug 04, 2005, 09:54am

The best player I ever saw was Tony Van Zant. He was the Parade Magazine Player of the Year and was highly recruited by Michigan and Missouri. He had size and speed and you would swear he had grease on his uniform the way tacklers slipped off of him. He blew out his knee playing in an all star game after his senior year in high school and never was a factor after that.

grantsrc · #8 (**permalink**) Thu Aug 04, 2005, 10:24am

I didn't work the game but some guys from my association did. Joe Mauer, without a doubt. Played QB at Creitin-Durham Hall in St. Paul, drafted by Minnesota Twins and is now their starting catcher. He had a cannon of an arm. I think he played against Marion Barber III, played for U of MN, and was just drafted this year by the Cowboys.

I umpired a baseball game in which Mauer played. Great kid and athlete.

jsteve01 · #9 (**permalink**) Thu Aug 04, 2005, 01:19pm

Raghib "Rocket" and Quadry Ismail - Wilkes-Barre PA. Rocket was the team's halfback and his brother Quadry was a split end. No other team had the speed to keep up with either of them. "Rocket" went to Notre Dame and the Dallas Cowboys. Quadry played for Syracuse and Baltimore Ravens.

Also, I played Free Safety on my high school team against QB - Ron Powlus. Ron was a great high school QB from Berwick, PA. I remember the snack stands at his home games were selling his autographs during his senior season. Ron played for Notre Dame and was later trying out for the Philadelphia Eagles. Ron is now a recruiting assistant at Notre Dame.

Tom.OH · #10 (**permalink**) Sat Aug 06, 2005, 04:46pm

Was not an official but Cris Carter was 10 years behind me at Middletown(OH) High School. Those diving catches he made for the Vikings, he was making them in high school!

Bob M. · #11 (**permalink**) Mon Aug 08, 2005, 06:34pm

REPLY: I've seen quite a few on the field including "Ironhead" Heyward and Tony Siragusa (yes...his head was that size in HS too!) But the greatest HS football player I ever saw never played a down beyond HS. He decided to forego the dozens of offers he had received to play major college FB as a running back and instead opted to play Major League baseball. Willie Wilson played a number of seasons as the CF for the Kansas City Royals. He was probably the most feared lead-off hitter of his day, along with Ricky Henderson. He was about 6'4" and had blazing speed. Amazingly, he was actually a catcher in HS. I've heard one NFL scout say that they would have taken him right out of HS if they had been able to. That scout also said that a number of his colleagues agreed that if Willie had decided to play college football instead of pro baseball, Earl Campbell wouldn't have won the Heismann trophy! The one game that I saw him play in HS, he was hurt and only played two downs: one that resulted in a 55 yard run for a TD, and the other a 65 yard run also for a TD.