Hargrave production line still rolling

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, February 07, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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This wasn't a prep school team, it was an all-star team.

In 2005, Hargrave Military of Chatham, VA featured the nation's top wide receiver (Vidal Hazelton), the No. 3 running back (Keiland Williams), the No. 5 DT (Jerrell Powe) and the No. 5 linebacker (Darrius Dewbery). Then there was DB Ryan Brinson, who signed with West Virginia and is being touted in Morgantown as the next Adam (Pac Man) Jones. And offensive lineman Matt Hardrick, a Florida State signee, who was listed at 6-5, 340.

The most amazing thing about this Hargrave team is that its record was only 8-3. Of course, the Tigers were playing college junior varsity squads, for the most part.

If you scanned the Top 100 recruits listed on the SI/CNN Website post National Signing Day, you'll notice that Hargrave was one of only four schools to have more than two players listed (Hazleton and Williams). The Tigers also had a dozen four-star players, and sent 35 of its team members to Division 1-A college football programs.

At Hargrave, Signing Day is always like a giant coach's buffet, heavy on the beef. Ole Miss put a couple of Tigers on their plate this time around, as did Florida State. Other colleges standing in line included those from Southern Cal, LSU, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pitt, Kentucky and Ohio University. And quarterback Jarrett Dunston, recruited heavily by Virginia and Maryland, wound up signing with Temple.

The intriguing thing about Hargrave is that this star-studded team plays in virtual obscurity. Chatham, VA, where Hargrave is located, sits between Lynchburg and Danville in Central Virginia. It has 1,300 people and virtually no entertainment for someone of prep school age. Moreover, it's a military college, with all that implies. The football games are mostly on the road, generally sparsely attended.

So why do athletes like Hazelton (a 4.5 streak who signed with Southern Cal), Williams (an LSU signee and 1,200-ayrd rusher of whom Hargrave coach Robert Prunty said: "He may win the Heisman one day") and Powe (6-2, 330, a former Mr. Football in Mississippi) come to such a place?

Three reasons: 1. to qualify academically for a Division 1-A college football program; 2. to be seen by 1-A coaches, and 3. because college football coaches send them there.

There are two types of prep school football players at Hargrave, for the most part -- the blue chippers who came up a little short on their SAT's or grade point averages and the high school stars who may need a little more development before moving on to a high-profile program. With the former group, Hargrave promises that military discipline and a low student-teacher ratio will turn slackers into scholars – or, at least, qualifiers.

One example of the “development" group was DE Horace Hubbard, a 6-4, 250-pounder who starred at nearby Gretna High School. A late-bloomer, Hubbard received scant attention from major colleges out of high school, so he spent a year at Hargrave. Last week, he signed with Ohio University along with teammate Ernie Hodge.

The term "football factory" is often tossed around lightly. At Hargrave, the assembly line rolls every spring.
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