OT: Elite Youth Athletes

Submitted by natesezgoblue on

I've coached a select football team here in the Seattle tacoma area for the last 7 years.  I think ive finally seen an Elite Top 10 D1 kid.  Normally you see a couple kids that have good speed, good size but not elite speed and size.  

Meet #7 Kelee Ringo-He's an 11 year old 5th grader playing for the Bellarmine Prep 6th grade team.

  He runs a 26.8 200m, took 4th in nationals in Hershey PA.  the threee kids that finished ahead of him were all 12.

Ringo, the only 11-year-old in his group amongst seven 12-year-olds, claimed fourth place in the 200 with a time of 26.81 seconds. He earned the ticket to Pennsylvania by winning the 200 in 26.6 seconds at the regional meet at Mount Tahoma Stadium on July 23. The feat is even more impressive considering Ringo started track just three years ago as a way to improve his quickness for football. Ringo’s times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes also qualified him for the Junior Olympics on July 22-28 in Greensboro, N.C., but he didn’t attend that event and hopes to qualify again next year

Here's some Hudl highlights, again these are 6th graders but ive never seen a kid with such an big burst of speed.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/o/3344364/highlights/85089367

http://www.tacomaweekly.com/sports/view/local-youth-sprinters-shine-on-…

 

MGoBoard

NOLA Wolverine

November 7th, 2013 at 1:47 PM ^

If everyone here has come to the conclusion that we have to wait until a kid is a junior in college to be productive on the football field, why bother with recruiting anymore? And on top of that, why are we posting threads about small children?

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 7308

JHendo

November 7th, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^

There was one guy I played Pee-wee football with who everyone thought was going to be a stud.  Sure thing D-1 athlete to be exac  He played pretty much any position he felt like playing on any given play; RB, WR, TE, LB, DL, etc...  All the other coaches knew who he was and before every game would ask our coach and the refs to no let him play.  If he ever did play, the game would be 28 - 0 halfway through the first quarter due to him and then the mercy rule would force him out of the game at that point.  Come varsity football in high school, he was a fullback (in a shotgun based offense, no less) who only got to see the field in passing situations as a backfield blocker.

On the other hand, on that same pee-wee football team, we had an unremarkable seeming DE.  Wasn't ever really an impact on the game at all.  Said DE ended up being a stud WR at MSU, was drafted in the 3rd rnd or so by one team and got a superbowl ring with the NY Giants.

Basically, who cares about how god or bad a kid is at that level.  Performance at that age is a very very very bad predictor of future sucess.

Joined: 10/25/2008

MGoPoints: 13993

Mercury Hayes

November 7th, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^

Dominant RB. Had speed, strength and athleticism. Would score 5 straight Tds either by way of rushing or kick returns and then be pulled by the mercy rule. When he wasn't playing LB, they would let up a TD and he would get back in the game. This went on and on.

When HS hit, he was called up to varsity as a freshman. Dominated early before getting injured - a shoulder or something. Then the same thing next year. Was never the same and never played college or even developed into a stud HS player.

Joined: 08/18/2010

MGoPoints: 9215

tdcarl

November 7th, 2013 at 3:23 PM ^

First of all we are talking about a fifth grader, which is weird and a little creepy, but I'll play along.

He started track "just" 3 years ago to help with football? So 2nd grade? How early are other kids starting? Holy cow. 

Pretty sure I was more concerned about training my Pokemon at that age than I was training like that for sports. By the time he's a senior in high school he'll have been at it for 10+ years. Good luck not getting burnt out/hurt in that time. 

Joined: 04/11/2009

MGoPoints: 3175

pescadero

November 7th, 2013 at 5:30 PM ^

"He started track "just" 3 years ago to help with football? So 2nd grade? How early are other kids starting? Holy cow. "

 

My son ran AAU youth track the last couple years, and the youngest age division is 8 and under. You REGULARLY see 6-7 year olds running track.

 

...and this kids stated times aren't even that fast for youth track. He ran 26.6 for 200m as an 11 year old boy.

 

Last year the AAU GIRLS 10 year old champ ran faster (25.55).

 

 

Joined: 03/28/2013

MGoPoints: 11964

tdcarl

November 7th, 2013 at 5:49 PM ^

Interesting. We never had any youth track programs in the area when I was growing up. I've always just seen it as something you pick up once you hit middle/high school since that's how it went in my area. Let the kids play other sports and then try to poach the fast ones later is how my home area operated.

Joined: 04/11/2009

MGoPoints: 3175

UofM626

November 7th, 2013 at 4:14 PM ^

There are Elite Youth kids playing baseball and football every weekend. I see 12 yr olds throwing almost 70-80mph every weekend here in the Cali Tournaments.

Joined: 01/02/2012

MGoPoints: 3443

WolverineinSB

November 7th, 2013 at 5:13 PM ^

I played with a kid who would dominate football in grade school. He was the fastest kid I have ever seen. Ran a 4.3 40 as a freshman on the first day of practice in high school but didnt really love contact. He also got in with a bad crowd and stopped focusing on sports. He ended up changing schools and being the backup punter his senior year. Elite speed isn't everything.

Joined: 01/07/2009

MGoPoints: 1700

Mgotri

November 7th, 2013 at 6:21 PM ^

I raced against (we started next to each other) a 14 year old last July. Had to out kick him at the finish. He went on to win the 14 year old youth national championship 2 weeks later.

Joined: 03/04/2013

MGoPoints: 6985

MichiganStudent

November 7th, 2013 at 10:07 PM ^

I clicked on this thinking there would be some research or data points discussing exceptional youth athletes and... Well something not so creepy.

Joined: 08/27/2008

MGoPoints: 7223

natesezgoblue

October 19th, 2017 at 9:04 PM ^

posted this a few years back.  Knew he was gonna be an Elite talent.  Can we offer this kid already.  10.56 100 as a 9th grader.

 

 

https://oregon.247sports.com/Article/Oregon-offers-2020-cornerback-Kele…

 

Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro 2020 cornerback Kelee Ringo was offered by Oregon on Tuesday, his coach Jason Mohns tells 247Sports.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ringo has 10.56 speed in the 100-meter dash and has started every game this fall. He has 16 tackles, two pass breakups and an interception and also has a touchdown reception for one of the West's top programs.

"I am confident that he will be our next big time recruit here at Saguaro," Mohns added.

"This kid is getting ready to blow up"

Joined: 05/24/2010

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