Jamestown fullback Stas Szczepanski isn’t your typical football player. He’s also not your typical running back. At 5-9 230, the junior ball carrier is a load on defenders looking to tackle him. He’s not the shifty, speedy, skill player that The 757 is known for. He’s a brute, and there are college coaches looking for just that type of back.
The Peninsula District has another coaching opening. Coach Melvin Moore confirmed that he has decided to leave Menchville High School after coaching there for two years. That leaves Menchville and Warwick with coaching vacancies, in Spring practice season with recruiting visits by college coaches ready to start up on next week.
Tallwood safety Christian Byrum has been on a hot streak. Byrum picked up a pair of offers late this week, which puts him up to six now, with many more schools showing interest in the 6-1 195 pound athlete.
Hampton University’s football program is intently on the rise. After a 3-7 season in 2012, the Pirates return 18 starters for the fall and they’ve turned their eyes toward The 757. Friday’s combo of Coaches Clinic, Junior Day, Open House, and Spring Game was a great way for the Pirates to tell the football fans and community that HU is back.
Bethel lineman Ricky Walker continues to pile up scholarship offers. The big man has been on a hot streak this year, going from a handful of offers to now holding 14, with plenty of great options.
Old Dominion continues to play the recruiting game aggressively when it comes to local talent. Early on, Coach Bobby Wilder said that he’d love to be the #3 preference for local recruits, after Virginia Tech and Virginia. Now that the Monarchs have achieved that, Wilder isn’t slowing down. He and the staff at Old Dominion now have their eyes on the recruits that Tech and UVA prize.
Tallwood safety Christian Byrum (JR FS 6-1 195) is getting ever more popular with the college coaches. He landed his first offer earlier this year, and since that time he’s been gaining more interest and making college visits. He holds four offers now and is looking to continue his hot streak into the Spring.
Over the weekend, it was announced that Warhill’s head coach of five years, Billy Jarvis, is moving on. Jarvis guided the Lions from a “wet behind the ears” second year program, to a team that’s been in the playoffs in the past two years.
The college attention rolling toward Ocean Lakes Class of 2015 wide receiver Jaason Lewis isn’t slowing down. The naturally gifted wide out with dependable hands and lightning speed is hearing from colleges around the nation as they catch on to the talented players that are coming out of The 757. Lewis picked up another big time offer earlier this week. His college decision is going to be a tough one once he gets around to it. After all, Lewis is still just a sophomore.
When some high school athletes graduate and they have not been courted to play at the collegiate level, their careers are finished, but that’s not the case for Xavier “Zay” Freeman. College football and wrestling are still a big part of his future, he hopes. Earlier this week Zay received his letter from Virginia Tech that he had been academically accepted for enrollment there. He has hopes to walk-on to the football team and wrestling squad too.