RDC Recap: Indianapolis, New Jersey, Boston and Portland
The U.S. National Team arrived in the Northeast and Northwest last weekend–with stops in between, as the penultimate weekend of Regional Development Camps featured stops in Boston, Portland, Indianapolis and Edison, N.J. At each location, top athletes showed up to refine their game while competing to earn an invitation to the next stop in the U.S. National Team journey: this summer's National Development Games.
INDIANAPOLIS
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Middle school Gold Ball winner:
Owen Wood, OL, 2022, Westfield Ind.
Middle school top performers
Preston Terrell, WR, 2021, Seymour, Ind.
Micah Hauser, RB, 2022, Westfield, Ind.
Noah Symmonds, WR, 2023, Metamora, Ill.
Josiah Green, LB, 2021, Indianapolis
Dylan Echols, DB, 2021, Bowling Green, Ky.
High school Gold Ball winner
Chamaar Smith, TE, 2019, Decatur Central (Indianapolis)
Smith is a young but talented tight end who captured the high school Gold Ball for his work on offense but is equally talented on the defensive side of the ball. As a linebacker/defensive end, Smith recorded 45 tackles and five sacks for Decatur Central last season as a sophomore. Also a basketball player, Smith is a gifted athlete who has a great chance to emerge as a Division I recruit.
High school top performers
Reid Neal, QB, 2020, Yorktown (Ind.)
Cameron Elmore, DL, 2020, Indian Creek (Trafalgar, Ind.)
Chondre Cissell, RB, 2019, Cathedral (Indianapolis)
Eli Haidamous, OL, 2020, Holt (Mich.)
Shiloh Means, DB, 2020, Cathedral High School (Indianapolis)
NEW JERSEY
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Middle school Gold Ball winner:
Davien Vernon, RB, 2021, Florence, N.J.
The buzz about Vernon started early at the Edison Regional Development Camp and continued through his receiving the Gold Ball. A standout athlete, Vernon turned heads by running the camp's fastest 40 among all players (4.7 seconds). Expect him to be a significant contributor early and often on the high school level. Depending on his physical growth and development, he has the potential to play on Saturdays come the fall of 2021.
Middle school top performers
Michael Rollo, OL, 2021, Massapequa, N.Y.
Kade Werner, LB, 2023, York, Pa.
Julian Young, LB, 2021, Manalapan, N.J.
Nyir Jones, WR, 2021, Piscataway, N.J.
Steven Angeli, QB, 2022, Westfield, N.J.
Angel Poulos, DL, 2021, East Northport (N.Y.)
High school Gold Ball winner
Joseph Horn, OL, 2019, Notre Dame (Lawrenceville, N.J.)
New Jersey's non-public programs have produced a number of top offensive line recruits in recent years, with Notre Dame's Quinton Nelson–a possible first-round NFL Draft pick and, like Horn, a Central Jersey native–among the more prominent ones. At 6-foot-2, Horn lacks prototypical height at the tackle position, but he has a great frame to play on the interior. Extremely versatile, Horn can play all over both sides of the line and is a key contributor on Notre Dame's special teams units.
High school top performers
Kolubah Blessing Pewee Jr., WR, 2019, Tottenville (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Shitta Sillah, LB, 2019, Mater Dei Prep (Middletown, N.J.)
Allen Bello, DB, 2020, Immaculata High School (Somerville, N.J.)
Isaiah Noguera, WR, 2020, Mater Dei Prep (Middletown, N.J.)
Kevon Gordon, QB, 2020, Immaculata High School (Somerville, N.J.)
Henry Sullivan, DL, 2019, Rumson-Fair Haven (N.J.)
BOSTON
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Middle school Gold Ball winner:
Tyson Thornton, LB, 2021, Springfield, Mass.
Despite only being in eighth grade, Thornton has more athletic accomplishments than most student-athletes his senior. He notched another honor this past weekend in Boston, earning a Gold Ball. Thornton is a physical specimen at outside linebacker and plays with an extraordinary intensity uncommon to Regional Development Camp competition. Look for Thornton to gain interest from college programs early in his high school career.
Middle school top performers:
Joenel Aguero, RB, 2023, Lynn, Mass.
Xavier Copening, QB, 2021, South Windsor, Conn.
James Watkins, WR, 2023, Dorchester, Mass.
William Watson, QB, 2023, Springfield, Mass.
Jayden Bass, OL, 2022, Springfield, Mass.
High school Gold Ball winner
Brady Martin, QB, 2020, Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)
Martin, a precocious signal-caller, netted his first offer–from Rhode Island–before entering high school. He's continued to develop, earning high school Gold Ball honors at the Boston Regional Development Camp as a rising tenth grader. Martin further advanced his athleticism this spring by playing on Lawrence Academy's lacrosse team.
High school top performers
Jevon Blackburn, OL, 2020, Hope (Providence, R.I.)
Steffan Gravely, RB, 2018, Lynn Tech Vocational (Lynn, Mass.)
Matthew Smith, WR, 2019, Needham (Mass.)
Jaden-Vaughn Sawyer, LB, 2019, Dedham (Mass.)
Andrew Berube, DL, 2020, Bow (N.H.)
PORTLAND
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Middle school Gold Ball winner:
Antwan Brown Jr., DL, 2021, Seattle
Making the trip over state lines from Washington, Brown Jr. was simply dominant during his quest for the Gold Ball last weekend at the Portland Regional Development Camp. Standing every bit of his listed 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, he used a combination of speed and power rarely seen on the defensive line at the middle school level.
Middle school top performers
Liam Mallory, QB, 2022, Vancouver, Wash.
Henry Mercado, QB, 2022, Kennewick, Wash.
Jabez Tinae-Faimalo, WR, 2021, Des Moines, Wash.
High school Gold Ball winner
Silas Starr, WR, 2020, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.)
One of the most impressive receivers in the class of 2020, Starr made an impact immediately at Central Catholic, one of Oregon's top programs, catching 29 passes and scoring four touchdowns. The freshman's ability and poise has already netted him a scholarship offer from the in-state Ducks. Starr, whose mother ran track at Oregon, spent his spring running the 100m and 200m for Central Catholic.
High school top performers
Anthony Slay, OL, 2018, Cottage Grove (Ore.)
Alex Vallejo, DB, 2019, Union (Camas, Wash.)
Alex Flores, QB, 2020, La Habra (Calif.)
Miles Jackson, DB, 2020, Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.)
Sir Charles Mitchell, RB, 2020, Aloha (Ore.)
Video: Portland RDC
Day 2 at the Portland RDC underway!!! Working to be great!!! #EarnYourStars pic.twitter.com/5pENVU3AfV
— U.S. National Team (@USNFT) May 21, 2017