By Craig Sager II
Photo courtesy of Sonny Kennedy

It will be exactly two weeks from the conclusion of the 2014 state championships and high school football season that we will see the state’s top juniors check in at McEachern High School for the second annual Elite Junior All Star game (Dec. 27). Amongst this year’s participants in the Class of 2016 showcase are state finalists Kyle Davis, Dylan Singleton and Kobe Smith from Archer. The format will once again be North vs. South and the three teammates will suit up for the North team. Davis is a wide receiver committed to South Carolina and Singleton is a two-way star that received an offer from UGA to add to his list of collegiate fan mail following a three-touchdown performance in the Class AAAAAA state championship. Smith, a defensive tackle, stands 6-foot-4, 295 pounds and committed to N.C. State on Dec. 1. On the South Team, wide receiver Kiel Pollard will represent state champion Colquitt County. Buford defensive lineman Ben Frazier will join the North Team.

There will be plenty of headliners in this year’s classic, including the No. 1 ranked prospect in the state heading into next season, Julian Rochester, a 6-foot-5.5, 280-pound defensive tackle from host McEachern. Rochester will line up on the South Team with his Indians’ teammate, running back Sam Jackson.

Defensive back Marquez Callaway has jumped into the top 5 Peach State prospects for the Class of 2016 on several recruiting boards and will represent Warner Robins on the South Team. West Hall standout Tyquan Statham will take snaps at defensive back for the North Team and will face South Team quarterback Logan Byrd and a deep group of receivers. Byrd is a 6-foot-3 signal caller from Veterans and is committed to Virginia Tech.
Collins Hill defensive end Tomon Fox and Upson-Lee offensive tackle David Marshall skyrocketed in the recruiting ranks this past season and like all the competing players in the Elite Junior Classic, can continue climbing the ranks with a strong showing Monday, Dec. 29.

By Craig Sager II
Photo courtesy of Sonny Kennedy

The second installment of the Elite Junior Classic is slated for December 29, 2014 and the selection process is well underway. Newly-hired Ware County head coach Franklin Stephens will be the South team head coach this year and his first 25 players have been confirmed.

Leading the offensive line is 6-foot-5, 270-pound tackle Chris Barnes. The Lee County lineman is already ranked as a composite four star and holds an offer from Ole Miss. Spalding’s Brodarious Hamm is a two-way star on the line at 6-foot-3, 292 pounds. Macon County’s Raymond Smith, Lowndes’ Tarik Adams and Jonesboro’s Jeffrey Taylor are guards. Veterans’ Nate Lee will likely take the center role at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds and he’ll be snapping to his teammate, Logan Byrd.

Byrd is the first South quarterback selected to this year’s Elite Junior Classic and the 6-foot-3, 229-pound passer is one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the 2016 class. Byrd already holds offers from Duke, Illinois, Minnesota, Marshall and Charlotte among others.

Two receivers have been selected for the South team including Colquitt County’s Kiel Pollard. The rising junior has been catching touchdowns in the Packers offense since his freshman season. Maysoe Wiley is a towering 6-foot-4 wideout from Cook and is physically one of the top prospects in his class.

The South team snatched Jenkins running back Arkeem Byrd and will be able to utilize his ability to run and catch out of the backfield. During Byrd’s sophomore season with Jenkins he rushed for 598 yards off of 61 carries (9.8 yards per carry) and found the endzone eight times while adding three receiving touchdowns to his totals.

The South defense picked up 13 players in this first wave, including McEachern’s Julian Rochester. The 6-foot-5.5 defensive tackle is the top rated 2016 prospect in state and is currently the No. 3 prospect in the nation and a five star prospect according to 247sports’ composite rankings. Rochester has already received offers from Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Florida.

NORTH TEAM…

The North team is led by Norcross head coach Keith Maloof and will have Landmark Christian quarterback Stockton McGuire running the offense for much of the game. McGuire has started since his freshman season and leads the offense while participating on the cross country team and basketball team during the Eagles’ offseason.

Running back Jarvis Terrell was picked up by the North team and will be able to showcase just how fast he is against the elite competition. The all-purpose back has been outrunning his competitors since his freshman season with the Trojans and even blazed the turf at the MVP camp with a 4.39 40 last summer.

In the North secondary, Archer’s Dylan Singleton is one of four cornerbacks confirmed for the North team this year. Singleton is a composite four star athlete with offers from Duke and South Carolina.

The North’s first two wide receivers are a pair of Gwinnett standouts. North Gwinnett’s Josh Imatorbhebhe and Archer’s Kyle Davis are well-known prospects with a ton of offers. Josh’s older brother Daniel played for the North team last year in the Elite Junior Classic and they become the first siblings represented in the event. Daniel accepted his offer to Missouri this offseason and Josh already has piles of collegiate fan mail to search through. Missouri, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, California and Wake Forest have already offered the 6-foot-2 wideout and the two brothers will star in the 2013 Class AAAAAA finalist North Gwinnett’s potent passing attack this season. Davis holds offers from Boston College, Duke, Illinois, Iowa and Kentucky and is a versatile piece in the Tigers’ offense at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.

SOUTH TEAM

Offensive Line

Chris Barnes – Lee Co.

Brodarious Hamm – Spalding

Nate Lee – Veterans

Jeffrey Taylor – Jonesboro

Raymond Smith – Macon Co.

Tarik Adams – Lowndes

Tight End

Mack Nash – Camden

Running Back

Arkeem Byrd – Jenkins

Wide Receiver

Kiel Pollard – Colquitt Co.

Maysoe Wiley – Cook Co.

Quarterback

Logan Byrd – Veterans

Defensive Line

Julian Rochester – McEachern

Deondre Garderhire – Camden

Ronald Wilson – Lee. Co.

Michael Carter – Jackson

Linebacker

Dedrick Mills – Ware Co.

Jarrod Jones – Westlake

Pippen Davis – Lamar

Antonio Leroy – Monroe

Defensive Back

Harrison Poole – Camden

Marquez Callaway – Warner Robins

Kyron Smith – Macon Co.

Nigel  Warrior – Westlake

Devon Henderson – Marietta

Athlete

Jordan Griffin – Jonesboro

NORTH TEAM

Offensive Line

James DeMatto – Kell

Alex Smith – Etowah

Running Back

Jarvis Terrell – Carrollton

Wide Receiver

Kyle Davis – Archer

Josh Imatorbhebhe – North Gwinnett

Quarterback

Stockton McGuire – Landmark Christian

Defensive Line

Ben Frazier – Buford

Tomon Fox – Collins Hill

Kobe Smith – Archer

Linebacker

Roury Glanton – Carrollton

Jacob Brashare – Dacula

Will Harper – Sandy Creek

Defensive Back

Dylan Singleton – Archer

Charlie Woerner – Rabun County

Kendrick Grady – Norcross

Javon Jackson – Sandy Creek

By Craig Sager II
Photo of Keith Maloof courtesy of Rob Saye;
Stephens courtesy of Franklin Stephens

The Elite Junior Classic has announced the two head coaches for the second installment of the all-star football game slated for Dec. 29, 2014. Norcross head coach Keith Maloof will coach the North team and Lamar County head coach Franklin Stephens will lead the South squad. Maloof has guided Norcross to consecutive state titles in Georgia’s highest classification and included a perfect 15-0 season in 2012. Maloof graduated from St. Pius X where his father served as head coach for 26 seasons.

Maloof’s experience includes 30 years of coaching and 19 years as a head coach. In addition to a 143-61 career coaching record and 70.1 winning percentage, Maloof’s know-how in working with the state’s top prospects is among the best in the business. Norcross had more than two-dozen seniors sign football scholarships this year and the Gwinnett school has turned into one of the most prolific talent factories in the nation when it comes to producing college athletes. Last night at the Atlanta Sports Awards, Maloof was named Coach of the Year over all other Atlanta-area coaches, including candidates from college and pro sports.

Stephens shares a similar resume with two state titles at Tucker, including a perfect season in 2011. However, Stephens’ impressive track record has been built in just seven seasons as a head coach. Stephens led Lamar County to the Class AA state finals last season and has gone 26-2 in his two years at the school. Prior to his arrival, the Trojans had won 10 games in a season just twice since 1970. The Keysville, Ga. native played for Burke County and was the Southern Conference lineman of the year at Georgia Southern in 1994. Stephens served as Tucker’s head coach from 2007-2011 and led the Tigers to their only two state titles. With Tucker, Stephens coached more than 13 all-state selections. Stephens owns a 90-8-1 career record (91.4 percent) and was able to be a part of the inaugural Elite Junior Classic this past season, serving as a defensive assistant on the South team.

Having two head coaches that are so accustomed to winning and coaching Georgia’s elite crop of talent increases both the appeal of the game and the experience of the players.