Round Rock Dragon Stadium will play host to Pool B's morning first round of Austin's debut SQT. Here's a quick breakdown of players we expect to see, with a note on their potential 2012 regular season roles. - Staff
Round Rock Dragons (District: 16-5A, Cen-Tex North) Head Coach: Jeff Cheatham
Fanstand Skill Player Watch:
QB Tyler Gerds (’13)
ATH Sam Lawliss (’13)
RB Deandre Story (’14)
DB Brandon Bullock (’14)
DB Dakari Antoine (’14) DB Brandon Roberto (’13)
Notes: We saw Lawliss play quite a bit of QB last Summer session, but expect youngster Tyler Gerds to get the majority of this Summer’s snaps. The Dragons did lose some outstanding wide receivers to graduation, but have plenty of athletes to replace them. Round Rock’s defensive backfield is a good as any unit in the Austin-area.
McNeil Mavericks (District 16-5A, Cen Tex North)
Fanstand Skill Player Watch:
WR Ryan Murphy (’13)
WR Nick Parinella (’13)
WR/TE Joseph Miele (’13)
DB Colton Russell (’14)
RB Jimmy Jones (’14)
RB Matt Zebrowski (’14)
QB Jordan Robinson (’13)
DB Cameron Terrell (’14)
DB Toroti Oke (’14)
LB Lance Scott (’13)
LB Tillman Johnson (’14)
RB Eddie Brock (’13)
Notes:
Some forget that McNeil excelled last Summer. The Mavericks finished 2nd only to Klein Forest in last year’s SQT, earning them a trip to College Station’s championship tournament. The competition to replace Zach Kuhn at QB will spill over into Summer competition. The Mavs sports one of the top returning receiving tandems in the Austin-area with Parinella/Murphy. Terrell and Oke are a couple of to-be-juniors who will get a good workout during Summer sessions. Russell is capable of forcing a turnover, then playing QB on the next series. Better days await the McNeil program, as they’ll look for a good showing in May’s SQT.
Connally Cougars (District 17-4A, Cen-Tex East) Head Coach: Howard McMahan
Fanstand Skill Player Watch:
QB Dajon Williams (’13)
RB Dae Payton (’13)
LB Michael Egwaugu (’13)
DB Eddrick McDonald (’13)
WR Luther Yamthe (’13)
Notes: The Cougars offense was one of last Summer’s high octane offenses. The team consistently put up 40 points in each 7 on 7 competition. Fatigue caused them to fall short of a College Station berth, but that won’t be the case this year. QB Williams returns with a more evolved approach than this time last year. RB Payton has soft hands that will help during Summer sessions (and come in handy during regular season). Yamthe assumes the role of the team’s #1 receiving option – making this SQT with Williams a great op to build more chemistry. We’re excited to see McDonald’s improvement, as he’ll be one of the best defensive backs during this May’s tournament.
Skill Player Watch:
RB Vondereaz King (’14)
WR Robbie Seybold (’13)
DB DeMarkos White (’13)
WR Fabian Valenzuela (’13)
RB Chanse Colbert (’13)
POOL B PROJECTIONS:
We feel 'Pool B' is the most competitive of the morning sessions. McNeil almost won an area-SQT championship in 2011, but were derailed by cramps. Round Rock's athletes rival McNeil's. Connally is scary on turf, and Dajon Williams is on a mission. Cove may not sport Orlando Thomas, but the speed is still there. We're going to call it a dead even race between the 3 Austin-area teams, and may the odds be forever in their favor.
We'll have video/photo/interviews from Pool B on Facebook. Look for updates and highlights via our Twitter page. Covering Central Texas high school football all year long! Its Talk 96.3's Friday Night Fanstand!
