Monday, September 19, 2005

Monday Musings 9/19/2005

Good Monday morning (afternoon) to everyone ...

I only have enough time for sort of a rapid fire post today, so here goes ...
  • This blog is mostly about prep football, but I'll start today with the NFL. Did anyone (other than you Raiders fans) feel bad seeing Randy Moss get a bad OPI call against him last night? We reap what we sow, Mr. Moss.
  • We had a surplus of Feats of the Week this week and not enough space (we're only allowed approx. 180 words) to list them all. So, here are some we wanted to list but could not ...
  • McLaurin (Miss.) senior running back Kevin Quick rushed for 409 yards on 33 carries with six touchdowns in a 42-35 win over St. Andrew's (Ridgeland).
  • Senior H.B. Banjoman of Warren County (Front Royal, Va.) scored seven touchdowns and rushed for 366 yards in a 49-26 rout of Randolph-Macon Academy.
  • Senior Matt Winger of Atholton (Md.) rushed for 341 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-22 win over Rockville.
  • Tom Jaworski of Creighton Prep (Omaha, Neb.) notched victory No. 300 in the Junior Jays' 14-7 win over Omaha Westside. Jaworski became Nebraska's all-time winningest coach last season.
  • CM Russell (Great Falls, Mont.) coach Jack Johnson is still awaiting win No. 300. The 35-year coaching veteran, who has led the Rustlers to 12 state titles and six runner-up finishes, entered the season with a 299-80-1 record. But CM Russell is off to a 0-2 start with losses to Butte (14-9) and Helena Capital (7-3) over the weekend.

Early PrepNation 101 National Player of the Year Race

Today, I give you the first weekly update on the top contenders for the PrepNation 101 Offensive and Defensive National Player of the Year award.

  • Percy Harvin, WR/DB, Landstown (Virginia Beach, Va.): Rivals.com No. 1-rated national recruit has cemented his reputation as America's top playmaker. Harvin has scored 12 TDs while playing mostly in just the first half of in three very lopsided Landstown wins. The breakdown: 5 TDs receiving, 2 TDs rushing, 2 TDs on INT returns, 2 TDs on kickoff returns and 1 TD on a punt return. Stock: RISING
  • Dexter Taylor, QB, Warren Central (Indianapolis): The top option quarterback in the country, period. Is averaging 21 yards per carry five games into the season with his 954 yards on 45 carries. Like Harvin, Taylor has played sparingly in the second half of WC's five games, but still has 13 rushing TDs and two more TDs passing. Stock: RISING
  • Mitch Mustain, QB, Springdale (Ark.): Has more than lived up to his billing as one of the nation's top passers in leading the Bulldogs to impressive offensive outbursts against then-ranked Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.) and Jenks (Okla.). Though he passed for four TDs against Jenks and rushed a TD against Evangel, the stats don't do Mustain justice. His mastery of Springdale's spread offense transcends the numbers. Stock: RISING

These three players have clearly seperated themselves from the pack ... I will add more contenders as the season goes along, including a batch of defensive contenders as they distinguish themselves. If you have a player you think should be considered (offense or defense), please email me at PrepNation@aol.com and we might add him to the "watch list."

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Last thoughts of the day -- Bellevue (Wash.) was even more impressive than I previously gave them credit for. I remember catching heat when we ranked the Wolverines in our preseason Top 25 LAST season. But coach Butch Goncharoff's system is clearly, oh let's call it "De La Salle-esque." It's all about consistent execution at the high school level, and Bellevue flicks the switch better than just about anybody I've seen.

MAILBAG: Please, whatever you do, DON'T keep your opinions to yourself. Email them to me at PrepNation@aol.com. I will include a mailbag feature on this blog as the emails come to me. You don't have to write me a book, just a short comment, question or suggestion and I will be happy to share your thoughts and my reply to the world. Thank you!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for showing Warren and Dex some love. Go Warriors!!!!!!

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