Leeds, AL - The Leeds Greenwave rolled in their May 19 spring football game, taking down Springville 27-6. The tone of the game, and possibly the next Leeds season, was set on each team's first possession; Springville went three and out, Leeds scored behind a run first, smash-mouth drive that ended when Ladarius Rogers bullied his way into the end zone on fourth and goal from the one yard line. Judging from the spring game, Leeds need not worry about their offensive line. They opened up holes large enough for a small army to run through. The running back situation also seems to be well in hand, with Rogers shouldering the bulk of the carries and some new faces making good contributions.

Ladarius "Speedy" Rogers busts into the end zone for one of his two touchdowns

Leeds stifled the Springville running game

The Leeds secondary allowed several good passes to be thrown but still held Springville to one touchdown

Leeds would go on to score on every offensive possession of the first half, with quarterbacks Dylan Shelton and T.J. Phillips both showing off their running abilities. Either seems capable of taking off at opportune moments. The passing game was a little more hit-or-miss. This may be a Leeds offense that prefers the safety of the ground even more than in the past but Etheredge is optimistic. "I'm real excited with how Dylan Shelton and T.J. Phillips played at quarterback. Both of those guys did a great job tonight."

With defensive linemen like Javier Mitchell, Leeds has a stout defensive front

Springville would not score until late in the game, when they got a touchdown on the Leeds B-team. This was largely because of Leeds' run defense was solid, with ferocious players like Javier Mitchell anchoring the line and speedy linebackers providing backup. Etheredge did say he wanted to work on the pass rush a little more. Another area of concern was depth at certain positions, like cornerback. With eighth and ninth grader starting at cornerback, players being injured or just winded could be a bigger problem for the Greenwave.

"We've just got to create some depth, so guys can get some rest. We don't want guys going both ways all the time. We've got to have some of our younger guys close that gap between themselves and the starters. From what I've seen tonight, they are going to do that. It's going to be a fun year next year."

Quarterback T. J. Phillips catches some air as he vaults a Springville defender

Leeds is still Leeds in the way that Leeds is known for: a stout defense, a tough running game and very physical players. It looks like another promising season for the Greenwave.

Leeds, AL - One hundred and twenty one high school football players descended on Homer Smiles Field Sunday, April 10 for the VTO Sports Elite 100 Showcase and Rivals.com Junior Day. The event allowed high school juniors and seniors to gain exposure through Yahoo! Sports' Rivals.com, an online sports site that focuses on recruitment. Athletes also had a chance to learn from former NFL players like Myron Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers), Brenston Buckner (Carolina Panthers), Mo Collins (Oakland Raiders), Natrone Means (San Diego Chargers), Ethan Horton (Oakland Raiders) and Anthony Wright (Dallas Cowboys).

Junior linebacker Javier Mitchell was one of ten athletes representing Leeds in the VTO Sports Elite 100 and Rivals.com Junior Day of Alabama

At 10:00 a.m. the athletes started off with testing: the 40 yard dash, bench presses, vertical jumps and short shuttle (run forward five yards, reverse, dash 10 yards, reverse and run five yards). Then they received a short lecture on the recruitment process. The athletes were split up into groups, by their position, and received skill training. Instructors offered advice related to each players' position, like exhorting running backs to keep the ball tucked in tight or showing a linebacker how to jam a receiver or tight end and then back off into coverage. Finally, the football players took part in one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills to test their skills. The event finished up around 4:00 p.m.

Christian Blaylock, a junior fullback, catches a pass during positional drills for running backs

This camp marks the first year that VTO Sports has ventured outside of the Carolinas. They recently expanded from North and South Carolina to Alabama, Georgia and Virginia, after partnering with Rivals.com. The group was started by three fathers, Vince Jacobs, Odis Lloyd and Terence Lawshe, in Charlotte, North Carolina because there was a lack of premier recruiting events in the area. They eventually formed a company to host those events themselves, using the initials of their first names to come up with VTO Sports. Lawshe told the Leeds Herald that the company's mission was "to get kids exposure in the North Carolina, South Carolina area. There weren't a lot of premium events coming to the area, so we started reaching out to analysts like Mike Farrell [with Rivals.com] and to college coaches... It's been successful." It was through Farrell that VTO Sports, in need of a central area to host their Alabama camp, was put in contact with Leeds head football coach Keith Etheredge.

Trevon Strickland tried to push past his opponent to sack the "quarterback", a punching bag. The junior defensive lineman laid the punching bag out moments after this picture

"It does a lot for us," Etheredge said of the event. "It allows our kids to compete against the best that's around. Our kids held up real good... Physically, they can match up against anybody and mentally, the same thing. We're supposed to be the best we can be and compete against the best schools and the top athletes." Ten Leeds players were present at the camp: Ladarius Rogers, Trevon Strickland, Javier Mitchell, Eddie Boswell, Dylan Shelton, Ronald Woods, Blake English, Ladarius Burt, C. J. Rose and Christian Blaylock. T. J. Phillips was also set to compete but he suffered a deep bone bruise in the collarbone/shoulder area in a baseball game.

Sophomore C. J. Rose attempts to shake off coverage during receiver drills

Mitchell, a junior linebacker with offers from Alabama, Auburn, UAB and Southern Mississippi, said the day was very informative for him. "It's been a good experience," Mitchell told the Herald, "I'm getting a lot of reps in and learning some new information." The junior also said the opportunity to play with and against some of the best talent in the area was an important part of the camp. "It's given me more experience and more exposure to other knowledge." Junior defensive lineman Trevon Strickland also had good things to say about the experience. "I love it," Strickland said, "You get to compete against some of the best of the best. I learned how to perfect the things my coaches taught me and I feel confident going into [next] season."

Javier Mitchell drops back into coverage in a one-on-one drill

Etheredge said he believes that Leeds will host the event next year. "We expect to do it again and maybe even have another event this summer."

Wynton McManis, of Mississippi's Olive Branch Conquistadors, was one of many out of state athletes. Players from across Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee attended

Guess what today is? Surprise, it's RING DAY! Head football coach Keith Etheredge brought out the 2010-2011 Class 3A championship rings at the Leeds Middle School and players swarmed his car, all looking for their rings. We've got the pictures to prove it. Speaking of surprises, we are working on a surprise of our own. Look out for a special production of the Leeds Herald recapping the 2010-2011 season soon. Hint: you might want to attend the annual Football Banquet this April 19.

Head football coach Keith Etheredge models the 2008 and 2010 championship rings

A closer look...

C. J. Rose shows off his ring

Jesse Turner got in on the act too