By: Marc Henry (@marchen44)
The Road To The Crown made it’s way to Allen, Tx this weekend, which is the last stop before the DR7 National Championship. Sixty-Two teams made their way just North of Dallas to battle it out for an automatic bid to Round Rock. The mission of the Platform is to Expose The Unexposed and give the spotlight to players who play on the DR7 Circuit. National Scout Marc Henry attended several pool play games on Saturday. Here is a list of several skill position players who had standout performances.
Dane Ridenour | Wide Receiver | Class of 2026 | Flower Mound High School | 7v7: TXE 15U
Ridenour has a lean, athletic frame, he has extended arm length and he has large hands that engulf the football. He attacks the football in flight aggressively, he routinely catches the football away from his body and he is a hands catcher of the football. Dane is quick in space, which enables to get free early in his routes and he gets in and out of breaks quickly. Ridenour was a key factor in TXE going 3-0 in pool play in the 15u Division and look for Dane to be in heavy rotation heading into Crown Sunday.
Drew Seib | Wide Receiver | Class of 2026 | Flower Mound High School | 7v7: TXE 15U
Seib has the versatility to line up out wide or in the slot and be an effective playmaker. Drew runs crisp routes, he uses his quick get off to get open quickly and he showed himself to be a reliable target for his quarterback. Seib has the speed to work the short to intermediate area and he understands how to find open zones in the defense. Drew made several contested catches in heavy traffic, showing the eye discipline to track the football into his hands. Seib was apart of a TXE offense that put up 66 points during pool play Saturday.
Carter Massey | Wide Receiver | Class of 2026 | Flower Mound High School | 7v7: TXE 15U
Massey has extended length, he has a stout, rangy build and at 6’2 170 pounds, he uses his frame to ward off defenders when he makes grabs in heavy traffic. Carter has large, strong mitts that engulf the football, he receives the football away from his body and he makes the ball his priority when it’s thrown in his vicinity. He is an impressive route runner, he has an explosive burst at the point of attack, which allows him to elude tight coverage consistently. Carter displayed the speed to stretch the field, leading to several deep touchdown grabs and he tracks the ball well in flight. During pool play on Saturday, Massey was a matchup nightmare to opposing defenses. Look for Carter to continue to get those same targets on Crown Sunday.
Braxton Wambach | Wide Receiver | Class of 2027 | Frisco Lone Star | 7v7: Frisco Lighting 14U
Braxton has the traits that coaches covet in standout wide receivers. He runs sharp, crisp routes, his burst at the snap enables him to get free from coverage early, making Braxton a reliable target for his quarterback. Wambach is a sure handed receiver with soft, strong mitts and he tracks the ball into his hands well. His extended reach enables to win on the 50/50 contested catches routinely. Wambach is an explosive runner, he gets north quickly and he showed the athleticism to get deep consistently past coverage. Braxton was a key contributor to the Frisco Lighting striking offensively for 91 points during pool play on Saturday.
Draylon Galloway | Running Back | Class of 2025 | Keller Fossil Ridge | 7v7: Lionhearted 18U
Galloway has a stout, strong, build with wide shoulders and a powerful lower half. Draylon is phonebooth quick, he is shifty in space, his explosive burst at the point of attack allows him to get free early in his routes and he works the short to intermediate areas of the field like a veteran. Galloway is a sure handed receiver, he tracks the ball in flight well and he is a hands catcher of the football who consistently receives the football away from his body. Draylon carved up defense during pool play, showing that he is a natural catcher of the football and he had no drops when he was targeted. Although on Friday Nights he lines up in the backfield at running back, he established himself as as threat in the passing game and he will continue to get targets on Crown Sunday.
Ashton Vine | Cornerback | Class of 2024 | Lake Highlands High School | 7v7: Lionhearted 18U
Vine has great length, he has violent hands at the point of attack, he takes pride in getting hands on receivers to disrupt their routes and his ability to turn, open up and run allows him to be sticky in coverage. He transitions into his backpedal smoothly, he has clean footwork and he plays with great leverage. Ashton uses his extended reach radius to get hands on the football, which enables him to play the passing lanes aggressively and during pool play he stretched out his Vine-like arms to make an interception and darted to the endzone for six. Look for Vine to continue to blanket his opponents on Crown Sunday.
Reid Watkins | Running Back | Class of 2024 | Fort Worth All Saints | 7v7: Lionhearted 18U
Watkins is athletically gifted, he has an explosive burst at the snap of the ball, he is cat quick in space and he has the speed to stretch the defense making him a big play threat. Reid is aggressive when the football is thrown his way and he attacks the football with a purpose. He understands how to work the open zones and Watkins consistently finds soft spots in the defense to exploit to get open. Watkins showed that he has some bounce in his game by winning on several jump balls in the end zone for six. Reid is a menace to his opponents and you expect him to continue to get targets on Sunday during bracket play.
D’Metrio Mendez | Defensive Back | Class of 2024 | Lancaster High School| 7v7: NTX Eagles 18U
Mendez has a lean, lengthy build, he has an extended arm reach and he has the measurables that coaches covet at the defensive back position. His footwork is clean, he transitions into his backpedal smoothly and he has the ability to change direction quickly. Mendez has excellent eye discipline, from his safety position he has the speed to cover ground quickly and he has a ballhawk mentality. D’Metrio made a great read during pool play to get a turnover, by breaking the football after it was tipped securing the ball showing great hands and controlling the ball for the pick. Mendez has natural instincts that take over in coverage, which lead to several PBUs on the day. Mendez helped the NTX defense finish the day 3-0.
Konye Frazier | Running Back | Class of 2024 | Arlington Martin High School | 7v7: Grind Hard 18U
Frazier is shifty in space, he has an explosive burst off of the line of scrimmage, which enables him to get open early in his routes. Konye works the mid to short areas of the field well and he showed that he could find soft spots in the defense consistently. He has a stout, compact build with a powerful lower half and he has the speed to get deep and stretch the defense. Konye tracks the football well with late hands and on several receptions he made one handed grabs in traffic. On Friday Nights Frazier lines up in the backfield at running back, but he has the versatility to be the a threat in the passing game.
Cameron Hunter | Wide Receiver | Class 0f 2025 | Keller Timbercreek High School | 7v7: Lionhearted 18U
Hunter has a lean build, with an extended catch radius and he uses his length well to extend and make the contested catches. Cameron is quick in space, has excellent hip bend and is ability to dip, turn, and explode at the top of his routes enables him to be a reliable target for his quarterback. Hunter has the body control to extend and make catches in heavy traffic. He is a hands catcher of the football, he receives the football routinely away from his body and he attacks the football in flight. Hunter will be a key contributor for Lionhearted on Crown Sunday.
