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2023 BuxMont College Showcase

Tagged under: District 1, News

| May 26, 2023

 

Souderton– Wednesday night, Souderton Area High School hosted the first-ever BuxMont College Showcase, which was comprised of 51 student-athletes from Souderton, Pennridge, Quakertown, & North Penn high schools. The event was anchored by 10 coaches from the four different staffs along with four graduate volunteers from Souderton & North Penn who helped with running drills.  In totality, 34 coaches from over 30 colleges were on hand for the event.  The evening kicked off at 5:30 pm with the opening of registration and ended at 8:00 pm with coaches and student-athletes mingling on the field though it was cut a tad short as a surprise rain shower doused those of us in attendance. I think the competitors and coaching staff enjoyed the cool-off after such a great effort.  The evening seemed to flow rather nicely as each event went on. There was an all-hands warm-up, followed by speed testing & position drills which both ran concurrently. Attendees seemed to pick up the instruction rather quickly which made each group get plenty of reps. After individual work came the group period where I got to enjoy some great OL/DL competition and see some of the top talent in Suburban One League throw and run routes on air at every level.

I came away quite impressed with what I saw and look forward to attending next year’s showcase.  Pennridge Junior WR/DB Jake Basquill who had some really nice catches on the night had this to say on his opportunity, “I really enjoyed the experience of coming together with local rivals to compete. I think it was a fantastic opportunity for us to put ourselves on display before the season.” He finished by saying, “I really appreciated the opportunity all the coaches brought forth not just for me but everyone that participated. I also want to thank the high school and college coaches that were in attendance for making the experience one to remember.” Sentiments such as this were echoed all over the field by multiple participants.  Even the coaches who came to evaluate had positive things to say.  The Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator of Chestnut Hill College mentioned to me, “Overall, it was a good event put on last night by the BuxMont schools and coach Fargo for organizing.”  I wanted to know if anyone caught the coach’s eye and he responded, “Being that I’m at a Sprint program, a lot of guys caught my eye that could fit Chestnut Hill.  I really like Max Morris from Quakertown.  he will be high on my list to try and get.”  

 

Mayhem’s 10 Takeaways & Opinions

Speed was evident.

    1. Souderton has some dangerous weapons & serious speed at wide receiver and in their secondary. Junior Danny Dyches WR/SAF is tall (6’4’’) and fast (Sub 4.6) with an outstanding catch radius to go with his Solid 186-pound frame. Sophomore WR/CB Mateo Barrera stands 5’11 165 pounds and ran sub 4.5 which was close to one of the fastest times of the evening while also catching almost everything that flew his way.

2. North Penn is going to have a serious 1-2 punch in junior RB/LB Amir Major and Sophomore RB/DB Chris “CJ” Scruggs. Think thunder & lightning, both backs impressed me with their catching ability and speed as both finished in the top half of the speed testing portion and fluidly ran through drills with ease. Between Scruggs speed & Major’s speed/power combo, they are going to wear down some defenses this fall.

3. Quakertown has an array of weapons of its own. The Panther’s Junior QB Vincent Micucci has an arm for sure as he is one of the top talents returning in the Suburban One. During his junior campaign, he threw for over 1200 yards. what I was unaware of was his speed. I guess that explains his almost 400 yards rushing. Sub 4.7 which was easily in the top half of performers on a 6’2’’ 200-pound QB. I like his release and ball placement. Micucci’s weapons? Additionally in the top half of performers in the speed testing portion were Junior WRs Max Morris & Reagan Payne. Morris led his team last season in receptions & yards and is primed for another great season.

4. Pennridge juniors RB/DB Jacob Arteaga (Stride for stride until the end with Amir Major) & Aiden Bell round out the Top half of speed test competitors. Both were surprisingly fast (Sub 4.5- 4.7), and I look forward to seeing them translate their speed on the field this fall for new head ball coach Kyle Beller and the Rams.

5. The OL/DL competitions were probably my favorite event. The most dominant lineman that impressed me the most during the period was Souderton Junior Kahlil Williams who was flat-out dominating on both sides of the ball. Yes, he’s only 6’1’’ & 240 pounds but he plays like he’s 280. Think of a lighter version of Calijah Kancey. I expect his stock to rise as his senior year progresses, especially if he can start adding “good” weight. Imagining what this young man would be like at 250-260 is scary. I caught up with Kahlil after the Showcase and this is what he had to say about his experience, “It was a great competitive scene and I’m just grateful to be able to excel in that environment. I was able to deliver a strong performance against guys in our conference and get a feel of the season next year. Overall great experience.” 

6. Defensively Pennridge Junior Chase Washington was a menace and was my second choice for most dominant. Another undersized Defensive lineman who plays well above his listed measurables. At 5’11’’ & 210 pounds, he’s just too fast and strong. He uses his speed to win battles upfront and his raw strength aids in his attack though it’s usually not needed as he’s already in the backfield. Last season he lined up in the middle and on the edge. I personally like him the most coming off the edge. He’s got an explosive first step and most tackles in the Suburban One aren’t winning that battle. I look forward to seeing Chase’s senior campaign as new head coach Kyle Beller begins a new Chapter on the Ridge.

7. Defensively North Penn Junior DE Connor Adams got after it. Connor played most of last season at 6’3’’ & 165 pounds! He checked into the showcase at a solid 203 pounds and looked like he gained a step. He’s stronger, faster, & more confident. I see big things coming from him this upcoming season. During 1-on-1’s he showed a great first step and used a great spin move on someone who had a 50-pound weight advantage and couldn’t contain Adams as he easily got to the QB. When asked about his experience Connor said, “I thought it was awesome, I think it was a great way for players in our area to display their talents and abilities to coaches without having to travel crazy far for a camp, that you also have to pay for. I thought I performed pretty well, I felt great doing the drills, and the pass rush went great. Afterwards, I did feel like I could’ve done better but all that means is that I got to keep grinding and working hard. But I 100% believe that I was a top performer at the showcase.”

8. I’m obsessed with Danny Dyches. The Souderton Junior stands at an imposing 6’4’’ & weighs a solid 186 pounds. He averaged an impressive 16.15 ypc last season on 40 balls for 646 yards & 5 TDs. Everyone around Danny including myself expects big things from him this fall. He has a huge catch radius and ball instincts. He’s very athletic and has great hands. Head coach Ed Gallagher

9.  Quakertown Junior linemen Brian Hendrzak & Keondre Lopez impressed me big time. Hendrzak stands 6’1’’ & 265 pounds and threw his weight around in the trenches. Besides Williams and Washington, he contained almost everyone he faced. Lopez is only 5’6’’ but weighs 230 pounds. He has a low center of gravity which gives him an advantage over those defensive linemen who get caught too high out of their stance. He’s got good strength and went toe to toe with some guys who definitely had a 20–30-pound advantage. Junior DE Anthony Ferrugio is another edge rusher who seems poised for a big year. I didn’t get a lot of time to evaluate but the few times I did see him, he was making plays in the backfield.

10. Other players to keep an eye on from each school that hit my radar.

Souderton– Ben McMackin, Ryan Sadowski, Jayden Brgey, & Houston Marshall

Quakertown– Edward Bittner, Cody Jefferson, & Evan Hilton

North Penn– Matt Bucksar, Aidan Eves, & Rashad McNeil (DNP)

Pennridge– Sam Kuhns, Joe Gregoire, Noah Keating, Pat Burdick, Scott Mueller & Jared Decker

 

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