Elite 11 quarterback MVP Blake Barnett along with 7-on-7 MVP Calvin Ridley lead Apocalypse to team title; Three MVPs crowned among linemen, including Khalil McKenzie, who commits to Tennessee.
Apocalypse celebrates its 7-on-7 championship.
Photo by Chris Stonebraker
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All photos by Chris Stonebraker
BEAVERTON, Ore. – On the 25th anniversary of the "Bo Knows" ad campaign, the headquarters of Nike was covered with high school football's most elite and versatile cross-training athletes.
The fourth-annual showcase of "The Opening," featuring the Elite 11 quarterback camp, offered a wide array of highlights on the sixth and final day.
Among the MVP winners were Elite 11 quarterback and Alabama commit
Blake Barnett of
Santiago (Corona, Calif.). He and overall MVP
Calvin Ridley of
Monarch (Coconut Creek, Fla.) led surprising Apocalypse to the 7-on-7 title with a 19-0 win over Team Land Shark.
The Elite 11 in order were 1. Barnett; 2.
Ben Hicks of
Midway (Waco, Texas); 3.
Travis Waller of
Servite (Anaheim, Calif.); 4.
Kyler Murray of
Allen (Texas); 5.
Brady White of
Hart (Newhall, Calif.); 6.
Drew Lock of
Lee's Summit (Mo.); 7.
Jarrett Stidham of
Stephenville (Texas); 8.
Ricky Town of
St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.); 9.
Deondre Francois of
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.); 10.
Brandon Wimbush of
St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) and 11.
Josh Rosen of
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).
In the linemen camp,
Martez Ivey of
Apopka (Fla.) was the Offensive Lineman MVP, Tommy Hatton of
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) was the OL 1-on-1 MVP and
Kahlil McKenzie of
Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.) was the Defensive Lineman MVP.
Ranking behind Ivey and Hatton were
Lester Cotton of
Central (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), Chuma Edoga of
McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) and
Keenan Walker of
Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
Ranking behind McKenzie were
Byron Cowart of
Armwood (Seffner, Fla.),
Daylon Mack of
Gladewater (Texas), Rashan Gary of
Scotch Plains-Fanwood (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and
Rasheem Green of
Serra (Gardena, Calif.) .
It turned out to be quite a joyous day for McKenzie, who later made his college commitment to Tennessee. Two others made college pledges: top offensive tackle
Andre James of
Herriman (West Herriman, Utah) to UCLA and versatile running back and returner
A.J. Turner of
Centreville (Clifton, Va.) is headed to South Carolina.
Late into the afternoon, Jackson himself was honored. He gave the coin flip to the championship 7-on-7 game, then was honored at a local hall for Nike employees. He received a standing ovation before telling stories.
Ultimately, all 160 or so of the nation's top recruits collected a bucket full of memories to tell their kids and grandkids.
Bo Jackson is honored in a Nike hall during The Opening in Beaverton, Ore.
Photo by Chris Stonebraker
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Elite 11 MVP Blake Barnett gets interviewed.
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Martez Ivey wins Offensive Lineman MVP.
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Calvin Ridley is 7-on-7 MVP.
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Bo Jackson flips a coin before the championship game.
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Blake Barnett holds the winning hardware.
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Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer.
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Eighth-ranked Elite 11 quarterback Ricky Town.
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Texas A&M commit Damarkus Lodge of Cedar Hill (Texas) poses.
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Malik Jefferson of the winning team in action.
