LI football players will have skills tested at combine on May 7
Huntington's Jared Leake, left, covers Kings Park's Matthew Estherson during a defensive backs and receivers drill at the Blue Chip Prospects football combine at the Long Island Indoor Sports Arena in Ronkonkoma on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Credit: Daniel De Mato
While soon-to-be NFL players are about to have their dreams come true, Long Island’s top talents aren’t slowing down in working toward their goals.
Blue Chip Prospects will present the ninth annual high school football combine in conjunction with The Suffolk County Football Coaches Association May 7 at Sachem North High School.
The combine will test skills such as speed, agility and strength for Long Island football players aspiring to play in college and increase their exposure while learning how they compare to their peers.
“This is where they make a name for themselves,” Suffolk County Coaches Association president Hans Wiederkehr said. “The more publicity you get this day and age in recruiting, the better it is for you.”
The combine costs $115 and will include a week at Revolution Athletics, a speed, strength and agility facility in Bohemia, Wiederkehr said. The combine, which has a morning session at 9 a.m. and afternoon one at 1:30 p.m., is open to all athletes entering eighth through 12th grade this fall.
The athletic events include a 40-yard dash, 185-pound bench press, vertical jump, standing broad jump and a 20-yard shuttle. All drills will be videotaped and results are available to any college interested, Wiederkehr said. After the individual drills, there will be a coaching clinic, featuring position drills and videotaped 7-on-7 passing drills.
Ethan Wiederkehr, Hans’ son who will play at Northwestern this fall, participated in the combine for five years. Hans said the experience at the combine helped teach Ethan areas in which he needed to improve.
“It really set the tone for what he was competing against,” Hans said, “and how he developed his work ethic.”
Elmont wide receiver Chester Anderson and Westhampton running back Dylan Laube, both Newsday All-Long Island selections, and linemen Nick Golde of Floyd and Mike Grieco of Centereach are expected to attend, Blue Chip director of operations Jim Clark said.
The top 80 performers will be invited to June’s NY State Elite Combine in Syracuse. Wiederkehr said he expects between 120-140 athletes at May’s combine.
“There’s a lot of hidden kids on the Island that don’t get recruited,” Wiederkehr said. “And I’ve learned that first-handed.”
Online registration is available at bluechipprospects.com and there will be a walk-up option on May 7.
