Shrine Bowl Combines continue this weekend

After holding Shrine Bowl scouting combines in Matthews (for the North Carolina team) and Spartanburg (for SC) on Saturday, the Shrine coaches will continue sorting through their prospects this weekend. Both events are set for Saturday, with the NC kids meeting at Havelock High and the SC prospects gathering at Wilson High in Florence.

I was at the SC session at Dorman High School over the weekend, and one thing the coaches stressed is that none of the 140 candidates were going to make the team on what they did that day. But they very easily could rule themselves out.

"One of the kids asked me, 'Coach what are you looking for?'" said Shrine assistant Art Craig, the head coach at Saint Stephen Timberland High. "The first thing I'm going to look for is effort. And I told him, 'You can't be picked today, but you can surely be eliminated by lack of effort.' And that's not if you drop a ball; it's how you react to some situations.

"If you do throw a bad pass or drop one or fumble one, how do you react to it? We're going to be playing against some great players, and they're going to make some plays. And if we win or not is going to depend on how we react."

Which probably didn't help the case of one wide receiver who, running a 15-yard out route, was hit in the hands by a pass and dropped it. He came back to the end of the line of receivers muttering, "Geez, that guy was throwing bullets." It looked like Craig heard him, but that wideout should hope that wasn't the case.--Stan Olson