Here is a list of 10 players from California that stood out on Saturday during the USA Football National Development Games played at UC Davis.
Top performers from the 27 regional development camps held earlier this year across the nation were selected to compete in one of several National Development Games across the country, and from among these games players will be chosen for the International Bowl where the U.S. National Team will take on Canada at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in January of 2017.
Three games were played on Saturday in Davis with a majority of the players set to become juniors and seniors this high school season. Some of the most talented players were younger, including one incoming freshman. All are listed in alphabetical order.
Buchanan of Clovis had the No. 1 baseball team in the nation in 2016 and this fall may have one of the top freshmen footballers in the nation with Kendall Milton. Photo: USAFootball.com.
Joshua Eskew (Scotts Valley)
Listed as a fullback and a linebacker for the Falcons, this 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior was one of the bright spots on offense for a defensive dominated first three quarters of the morning game. He had several big runs, including a 32-yard carry through a small hole showing off his speed.
Shamar Garrett (De La Salle, Concord)
Just an incoming freshmen, he will not be expected to make an impact this season for the Spartans at the varsity level but he is a name to watch out for in the upcoming years. We don’t know if Garrett is ticketed for the DLS freshmen of JV team, but he showed an ability find the hole and use his speed to get outside. He also showed the ability to be split out wide or be sent in motion with good hands to catch the football. He was definitely one of the best players seen during the day.
Zach Geary (Vintage, Napa)
Contributing on defense during the most impressive shutout of the day, this 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior linebacker showed a nice ability to not only rush the passer but to go out wide in pass coverage and make open field tackles for short gains.
Carson Jarratt (Del Oro, Loomis)
The two best quarterbacks from California on the day may have been on the same team, splitting snaps. This 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore looks to be the quarterback of the future for the Golden Eagles. Showing signs of being a serious dual threat, he will likely not see many if any snaps this coming season with Stone Smartt back for his senior year but we would not be surprised to see him starting in 2017.
Kendall Milton (Buchanan, Clovis)
Showing why he was one two Class of 2020 player on the field at UC Davis on Saturday, Milton had nearly 100 yards rushing before the game he was playing in was three minutes old. Milton has blazing speed that had him easily running past the defense for big chunks of yards. Just 14 years old, this 6-foot-2, 195-pound speedster already got an offer by BYU when only 13.
Charles Modeste (Hercules)
While this sophomores height and weight was one of the few not listed, when handed the ball he showed a quick burst through the hole for some not so modest gains. A player to watch for the upcoming season.
Caleb Petry (La Jolla Country Day)
As one of just two underclassmen in the final game of the day, this 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore played like an upperclassmen as he showed solid all around skills and speed when handed the football.
Caleb Price (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego)
The Dons will have their quarterback from last season, Tate Haynes, back for his senior season so this 6-foot-1, 170-pound sophomore may have to wait another year before seeing significant time under center. Still, he showed a nice touch throwing the football while also a threat to run.
Aaron Ramirez (Barstow)
One of the biggest players of the day, this 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior moved well and was a force in stopping the run game. Last season, he had 26 tackles for the Aztecs, who went 9-2 with both losses coming against Burroughs of Ridgecrest.
Lewis Williams (Weed)
All over the field making plays was this 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman, who had 86 tackles last season for the Cougars. During the shutout win for his team, Williams showed good speed rushing around the end making life difficult for the opposing signal callers to have time to set and throw.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor for CalHiSports.com and worked the USA Football event for the online streaming broadcast. Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
