By Tim Parry
King fans, I apologize for doing what I thought was the right thing yesterday, though it meant missing the King-RCD game yesterday. But I think it was a good trade and a win-win situation for all.
I was scheduled to freelance the Staples-New Canaan game for The Advocate. The Post (which is now a sister publication) was going to be there, so I had an option: still do the game of cover King-RCD. And with all the talk on this board about King this week, I chose that game.
But Saturday, Joe Ryan,who has covered King a few times, was scheduled to do Wright Tech/Stamford Academy, and that game was postponed without any notice. And I was emotionally tied to Staples-New Canaan because of the death of a former teammate.
So I asked Joe if he wanted to take King from me – and have a paycheck – and I’d go without this week and go where I spiritually needed to be, and then volunteered my time to The Advocate with a notebook item for Monday’s issue.
In return, Joe will do a post some time this season on King. I just have to work the timing out with him.
Here’s Joe’s article for The Advocate: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localsports/ci_10819470
And now here’s my thoughts on King:
- Could King compete in the FCIAC? It depends. When you have a bunch of Division I talent (Silas Redd, Eric Joyner, Kevin Pierre-Louis) you should, in theory, be able to have a very talented team. But with the size of the school, there are a lot of holes on both sides of the ball, and maybe their individual performances don’t stand out as much.
- Are Redd, Joyner, and Pierre-Louis being recruited because of what they do in the Fairchester Athletic Association? While their legends are growing there, that’s not where college scouts determine the potential of players. That has to do with how they performs in camps. Now the academics at King are helping – you need some pretty darn good grades and SAT scores to get into Boston College and Virginia.
- Does it mean the FCIAC has less talent because its players aren’t going D-I? Not all. Ryan Sedlacek (who I saw yesterday at Staples) went D-I and has a shot to start at a very fine academic institution, Illinois, next season. Greenwich stars Jonathan Meyers and Chris Bisanzo turned down D-I offers to go with the academics and I-AA ball (Meyers with Princeton, Bisanzo with Georgetown). And take a look at New Canaan product Zach Renner, who went unrecruited and is a walk-on special teams monster at Georgia. Both the FCIAC and the FAA produce their fair share of Ivy League and NESCAC talent, too (and players who could probably buy and sell me like a commodity).
- Can you evaluate who the better team is by a scrimmage? Not really. Maybe in the final preseason scrimmage before the regular season, when game-planning goes into efect. There you’re talking more about getting ready for the regular season vs. evaluating talent. More often than not we read into scrimmage results as a harbinger for the regular season, only to get burned.
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October 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Tim,
Thanks for the even handed appraisal. I agree with your analysis.
I do note that you went all over the FCIAC to name talented players. You even went back into past classes. King has 150 boys. Each FCIAC school has close to 1000 boys. I am biased of course. I think King would lose badly to the class of the FCIAC teams because of depth. But the fact that you pooled current and historical talent from every high school from Westport to Greenwich is quite telling.
However, the best 7 players on King compete for starting positions or simply take the starting role at any school in the state. The fact that a school of 150 can do that is no less than breathtaking. That is something like 5000 boys to chose from. King has 150 boys. Imagine if they had 400?
TCHS lost as expected in an overtime thriller. I think the rain and wind made the game much closer than it would have been in fair weather. TCHS is a running team and SHS airs it out.
Lastly, now that SHS beat TCHS as I predicted, who is the best team in Stamford? I think SHS is talented and I always thought SHS and Westhill presented bigger challenges then TCHS.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Read, thank you for inviting me to the game, I really enjoyed myself. First, what a great atmosphere. Beautiful field, great facilities and the carnival like atmosphere made the homecoming feel very welcoming and a family atmosphere. Now, about the game.
King absolutely dominated that game from start to finish. Rye did not look like a terrible team, but not a good one either. Lewis was a man among boys. He may be the best player I have seen in a few years. Think of a much more athletic version of Jonathan Meyers. Redd was fun to watch. He just glides around would be tacklers making it look very easy. I think he could have skipped to 150 yards. I don’t think Joyner played, if he did I didn’t see him. Although I though I saw #4 on the sideline in street clothes. However, the best player on the field was Georges. OMG, he is an animal. He and Lewis disrupted the entire Rye offense. He made one play where he sacked the QB for a 15 yard loss, stripped the ball and scored in the process. It seemed unfair.
In a nutshell, my opinion of King has drastically changed. They ARE talented enough to compete and could be the best team in Stamford. Not sure how they would handle SHS air attack though. If King has a weakness on defense, its gotta be their DB’s. But I think it is best summed up by the Rye parents. While they were there rooting for the sons to win, you could hear the oohs and ahhs whenever Redd or Lewis touched the ball. One dad told me that they honestly were there to see there son play, but also to see the King kids in action. He literally jumped as Lewis stiff armed one of his sons teammates to the ground. Scary thing is I think they are all underclassmen.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:11 am
After the game, I was so impressed that I couldn’t wait to write that post. Apologies for the length.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:22 am
No worries. I appreciate the post. Darien had a great win too. They are very tough. I coach for DYLAX and know several of the kids. Not to take anything away from Cortese. He is a great kid and player. But King can compete regardless of schedule. Talent is talent King has some.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Joyner was out. Suffered a concussion last week against Hackley. Will be back next week against Horace Mann.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Calling out the Deakon. Head still in sand?
October 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Sorry Read, didn’t answer your question. Based on what I have seen, and I have not seen Westhill or Wright Tech play yet, here is my prediction for best team in Stamford.
Here is what we know…
Stamford beat Trinity
Trinity beat Westhill
My prediction is that Stamford High would beat the all of other schools in Stamford. I think King is second, Trinity third, Westhill fourth and Wright Tech fifth.
My opinion is based on the fact that I think King beats Trinity and Westhill simply because of their defense. King would have an anwser for both teams power running game. Where they may be beaten is in the passing game, which I believe Stamford High has the players to exploit King’s weak secondary (Chris Evans). The one advantage King would have is that SHS can’t seem to stop anybody on defense, unless its raining and they run right at them. But head to head, I think SHS beats King in an offensive shootout. SHS air attack 36 – King running attack 34
October 27th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Wavefan:
Fair analysis. You know that Joyner and Redd play the corners when healthy? Those corners are not the starters. Would that change anything in your mind? I know Evans is a beast. But I dont think he is better than Kevin Royal from Brunsick. Silas Redd shut him down receiving. Royal got touches and yards on returns and rushing.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I figured as much. Saw Redd playing safety on Saturday. Figured Joyner being a WR also played corner. I do recall one of the Rye parents actually commented that they needed to try to throw ball because Kings top corner was out. So that does make sense.
But I still think that because SHS throws the ball literally ALL THE TIME, it would be difficult to stop repeadedly. So let me throw the ball back in your court, how do you think Joyner and Redd would fair against Evans & Co.? Again, I’ll go by your assessment since Joyner was out and Redd played safety.
October 28th, 2008 at 9:45 am
I have not seen Chris Evans. How tall is he? How fast is he? Redd and Joyner are natural corners. They have moved around due to injury and defensive scheme. I know that they both have great speed and can cover. Redd shut down Kevin Royal, who is headed to UVA. Redd can dunk two handed from a standing start at 5′10. Redd is actually getting the most attention as a DB recruit, although he would prefer to play offense in college. Assuming Evans is a slight advantage to SHS. Do not the other advantages rest squarely in King’s court?
October 28th, 2008 at 11:44 am
King’s court, good one. In my opinion, and only my opinion, Evans beats any corner in the state. Probably around 6′5″, but strong and attacks the ball in the air. Dont know much about Royal, but there is no way he is better than Evans. I’d take Evans and the kid from Bunnell as the two best in the state at WR. Neither of King’s corners would be able to completely shut him down.
I wouldn’t give King a full advantage in other aspects. I believe that SHS has a very good offensive line, which would negate a lot of pressure thus opening up the passing game. Running game squarely goes to King, although SHS runner is another D1 recruit, Army, I think. Plus, the SHS defense gives up huge chunks of yards and tons of points. I stand by my original prediction, unless the SHS LB’s tackle well, then SHS beats King outright. My reasoning is due to a lack of passing game at King. I only have a 1 game sample, but offense is very run oriented. Might get out of hand if able to stop the two runners. Edge goes to SHS on special teams as well, which may not be fair since I didnt see a single punt or kick return from King last week.
BTW, what does dunking a basketball have to do with Redd’s skills as a corner? He is obviously very talented, no contesting that from me. I don’t think there was any disputing that in any post.
October 28th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I mentioned Redd’s leaping ability that because of Evan’s explosiveness and as you said he “attacks the ball in the air” I think he can be covered but being 6″5ish is an insurmountable odd in that matchup.
Passing is not Kings strong point. But they are adequate, especially with Joyner.
I looked at Evans on the net playing hoops. He is awesome. I saw him throw the ball off the backboard and dunk it. One last bite at the apple is would O’Meara have time to get him the ball with Lewis and Jorges coming to get him? Oh wait I see you said SHS has a strong O-Line.
Well, I am happy that its close to a toss up. SHS has 8x as many students as King and to be considered competive is a pyrrhic victory.
I will be curious to know what you think next year when the King Trio are seniors?
October 28th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I’ll tell you right now how I feel about next year. In 2009, King is clearly the best team in Stamford. SHS will be hit by attrition, losing most of their offensove weapons including Evans, the RB, and I think the QB too. King will bring back their trio, less Georges, right? I may even put Trinity in second next year, dropping SHS down some. As for the trio, Redd and Lewis will dominate and hopefully stay injury free. I didn’t get a chance to see Joyner, but the Rye parents definately were not upset that he was not playing. Not sure what he brings to the equation, but the other two are top notch.
What is the link of Evans playing hoops? I haven’t seen that. Is it on YouTube?
October 28th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Here is the link. Click on #2 on the right:
http://zippersports.com/CTBoysBasketballTop20AllStarGame.html
October 28th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Just wondering why King doesn’t play some of the more highly toughted schools? Maybe a Poly Prep in Brooklyn or a Cheshire Academy in CT? Seems like they are content beating a bunch of bad teams, with a few exceptions.
Also, how does so much talent end up at a private school? Is King able recruit? How does that work? You may or may not be able to answer that, which is fine.
October 28th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Wavefan89:
King has been poor for a while. They were great in the mid 1990s though. However, the coach and the adminstration butted heads. Parents were angry that football was a tool for these kids to get into better colleges than non-football players. The coach, Al Orio was sending kids to great schools. He was making sure the kids did their work and kids were clamoring to get into King. At one point, 60 of 140 male students played football. Names such as Billie dee Williams (capt of UNC during the Peppers years), Jesse Sims (Jackie Robinson’s grandson and UCLA), Peter Karianis and Joe Collins (Northwestern) all came through the middle school at the same time to create a critical mass of talent.
However, some parents and administrators were resentful of the attention received. In short, King suffered a New Canaan-esque Benedict-like problem. Parents and certain administrators agitated to have the coach removed. Parents students and fans sunsequently abandoned the school en masse and it took regime change of board and headmaster and 10 years to get back to where we are now.
I can tell you that winning breeds winning. King does not compromise on admissions standards. Redd and Lewis have been at the school since middle school as well. Kids and parents want to win and get educations. Hopefully, King can attract good kids and athletes and continue its upward trajectory.
King scrimmages TCHS as we have discussed. They also play larger prep schools in the WNEPSA playoffs. If the success continues, King will play a more competitive schedule, believe me. Also the demographics are somewhat limiting as Poly and schools of its stature are significantly larger.
King was a .500 team at best last year. Coach Gouin and his staff are doing a great job. To my knowledge, there is no formal recruiting process. However, if a kid (male or female) wants to go to King and has the grades and happens to be a good athlete too, please send him/her our way. King is excelling in multiple sports now (See Volleyball and Womens Basketball too). King has a JR who may get a look from U Conn in Women’s basketball, which is great. King is also sending kids to top schools based on academics alone.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Interesting history. It’s funny you mention those names, because it seems like the program fell off the map for a while between that era and the current era. Good to see your team is successful. Do you have any insight as to what schools these kids are going to. I know you mentioned Lewis is going to BC. What about the other seniors and juniors?
October 29th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Not sure. Lewis and Redd have played together for their entire football lives. I would not be surprised to hear him go to BC, but I think he wants to attend Penn State. I would love to see either of them go IVY and be immediate impact players, but its hard to get a kid who can play in front of 100K people to dial it down, especially when the schools offering $$ are strong as well. Arlington Hendrikson will PG to change his body composition. Jimmy Jorges is looking at U Conn as far as I know. I am sure other schools will come knocking now. He is more of a LB/DE than a OL or DT.
Joyner I dont know as well
Lewis and Redd also play Lacrosse. I am not sure of each’s skill level. But generally there is room for a kid with 4′5 speed on a D1 Lacrosse roster.
These are all high class problems, I guess though.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Interesting sidenote. I met with some old pals of mine last evening, and the topic of local football came up. I immediately spoke about this site, which I thought was new and cutting edge. Apparently, I was late to join the party, because there are several shall we say “old timers” who are very aware that this site exists and frequent it… obviously less often than I do. I mentioned that there is a lot of talk about King, and that I actually went to see them play this past week. I raved over Lewis, and Redd and Georges and how the team looked like a legitimate football team. One person indicated that Redd is somewhat of a local legend, and I guess his family is from Stamford? One gentleman seemed very upset over the fact that Joyner was at King, and not playing for SHS. Guess the kid has been quite the player growing up. I can’t repeat some of the things that my friend was saying on this site without having my access taken away.
My point is, I wanted to acklowledge that both King’s efforts in football and Tim’s efforts with the website are definately being noticed around the region. Wanted to point that out and say keep it up.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Being a PSU alum, I’d like very much to see a local kid playing for the Nits. Best of luck to him, that is an amazing place to be on gameday.
Tim, great job with the website. I think I am addicted to blogging now because of you. Unfortuntaley, I’ll be away from my computer for the next couple days and I think I’m already experiencing withdrawl symptoms.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I am very new to this site. And I too think Tim does a great job.
Comon Wavefan, you can edit yourself and summarize in a PG version some of the things said? I would love to hear them.
I always find it interesting that people think they own a kid and that he ought to be bound to attend the Public school in his district. Blame a kid for trying to get the best education he can. Selfish maybe?
Redd lives in Norwalk and I believe his Father is a Stamford Police Officer.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Having had the opportunity to watch most of the FCIAC teams in action, along with a few King teams, I have to think that King would be able to hang with most of the FCIAC teams for the first half. After that is when depth comes into question. I am not sure if King has the depth to go toe-to -toe with the best of the FCIAC for a full four quarters.
Five to seven of the King starters on both offense and defense would start for most teams in the FCIAC, and Redd, Pierre-Lewis, and Joyner would start for every team. Redd, Lewis, and Joyner are all major D-1 prospects as Juniors, which is quite impressive considering the size of the school.
As far as Redd vs. Evans, I think that would be a very interesting match-up. Redd is talented enough to cover Evans. I don’t know that he could shut him down, but he would definitely slow him down. O’Meara would have to consistently and accurately throw the ball where only Evans can reach it. It would probably be one of the most physically demanding games Evans would see at the high school level.
Offensively, it is hard to feel bad for Coach Gouin with two Division-1 prospects sharing the backfield. They remind me ot the Thunder and Lightning duo of Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne that the Giants had a few years back, with Redd using his speed, vision, and moves for big plays, while Kevin runs over and trhough opposing players, keeping the opponent’s trainer very busy. Hopefully in a few years we will see Kevin in maroon and gold, and Silas in blue and white, with the plain black shoes.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hey wavefan89-Look for Redd’s dad on the sideline wearing the Penn State number 8 jersey. That should tell you something.
October 31st, 2008 at 7:31 am
Hello all. As a parent, I have seen every King game for the last 3-4 years. Here is my take. This team is the most talented ever at King. There is good reason that they are undefeated and have Division 1A talent in several positions. I say they are hovering around the .500 mark against FCIAC teams, but again that is speculation.
Sure they don’t play as tough a schedule as FCIAC teams do, but they could. These kids are at a place where their future is ahead of them. They enjoy playing high school football, but they are being prepared for bigger and better things, in football and the classroom.
October 31st, 2008 at 7:32 am
On an individual basis, Silas Redd is the most explosive back in this area. I purposely used the work explosive. He is a shifty runner with good power and absolutely great vision. He assumes he is already past the first line of defense and is looking to break a long one on every carry. He takes that same explosiveness on the defensive side of the ball. Love to come up and make a big hit, has great speed and very good cover skills. I know he hopes to be playing for Joe Pa, and will get a serious look from them. If things don’t work out with Penn St, he is definately not out of options.
Eric Joyner is one of the fastest playmakers in the area. He will be a bit undersized at receiver in college, but who knows if that is even where he will play. He has played DB, RB, QB, WR, and returns punts and kicks – all at a very high level. Kid has speed to burn and is difficult to tackle in the open field. Very good hands, as I have never seen him drop a ball in a game. Plays a solid corner as well, has yet to get beat this year. He and Redd make an offense one dimensional. I compare the two of them to Bly and Bailey in Denver, with each forcing the opposing QB to throw somewhere else.
Kevin Pierre Louis (that is the correct spelling, btw) is the best of the trio. He is an absolute animal at LB and RB. One word comes to mind – unstoppable. If juniors were considered, Kevin right now would be one of the top 5 players in CT. He is one of the fiercest competitors I have ever met. He is finally getting his fair share.
These three may make up the best junior class around. All three can break a TD from anywhere on the field or combine to dominate you on defense. Each of these three are getting the headlines, but their teammates do more than pull their weight. You have a roster that will include a couple PG’s, another defender who may go to either UConn or Temple in Georges, and several who will go play Ivy league football if they choose (Love & Sheets to name a couple).
October 31st, 2008 at 7:56 am
Wavefan and everyone else, check this out. This is a small sample of what these boys did against two of the historically better teams in the prep school league.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8roBPZsWQ
Enjoy!!!
October 31st, 2008 at 8:48 am
Welcome Foursdad,
Will you be heading to the Bronx this wkd?
October 31st, 2008 at 9:35 am
No, I won’t be in the Bronx. But I will be in Riverdale. LOL.
I don’t miss any games, you know that.
Pa Dukes – I know you will be there too.
October 31st, 2008 at 9:38 am
I will save you a seat in our normal spot if I go.
October 31st, 2008 at 10:28 am
Sounds good. Get there early if you go, sounds like there will be some tailgating. BTW, starters will probably only play sparingly.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:10 am
Will definitely be at St. Lukes.
November 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
Horace Mann is not a strong team. Nice victory though. Next week St Lukes trying to keep it perfect.
November 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Foursdad…sorry I couldn’t make that one, but I will be at St. Lukes.
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I think it ought to be another one-sided game. The challenge should be in WNEPSA playoffs.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Congrats to King!! Still undefeated.
November 8th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
King 35 – St Lukes 0. Silas Redd exploded. I bet close to 300 yards. He and Kevin Pierre-Louis both rushed for over 1000 yards. I will be nominating, again, once I get the stats.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Pierre-Louis and Redd Nominated as Connecticut Football Player of the Year
11/7/2008
Juniors Kevin Pierre-Louis and Silas Redd have recently been nominated as Football Player of the Year in Connecticut by the Gatorade Player of the Year Program.
Gatorade State Players of the Year are selected on the basis of outstanding athletic excellence accompanied by high standards of academic achievement and exemplary personal character demonstrated on and off the field. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE Magazine, the nation’s leading sports and lifestyle magazine for teens.
Both Kevin and Silas have led the Vikings football team this year to unprecedented heights, including a perfect regular season record thus far of 8-0. Through the first seven games of the season, Kevin had 95 rushes for 948 yards (9.98 yards per carry average), as well as 7 catches for 78 yards (11.14 yards per catch average). Defensively, Kevin posted 76 solo tackles in total through the season’s first 7 games, as well as 59 assisted tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 3 hurries, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 hit caused fumble, and 1 blocked extra point.
According to Head Coach Danny Gouin, Kevin is one of the most extraordinary athletes whom he has ever coached.
“There is nothing Kevin can’t do on the football field, from running the ball, to catching it, to kicking or snapping the ball, to blocking for a teammate when they run the ball,” Coach Gouin said. “On defense, Kevin is a tackling machine. Very rarely is there a play on defense that he is not in on or does not have a direct impact on the outcome of the play. He may be the best all-around player in New England.”
Also a backbone of King’s football team, Silas proved himself last year as one of the very best football players the School has ever seen. Just a sophomore at the time, Silas made School history by breaking the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
This season, through the team’s first 7 games, Silas has recorded 95 carries for 931 yards (9.50 yards per carry average). Defensively, Silas has made 10 solo tackles, 6 assisted tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 1 fumble recovery.
Coach Gouin has nothing but praise for Silas, saying, “Silas is the best running back in New England. He has played most of this season with a high ankle sprain and still managed to average 9.50 yards per carry running on basically one leg. When he carries the ball, he is a threat to score every time. He does things with the ball in his hands that leave me in awe of his talent and determination to be the best he can be. As a defender, he is among the best secondary players I have ever coached or seen at the high school level.”
Tom Decker, Director of Athletics, praised both Kevin and Silas for being the consummate King student-athlete.
“These two young men are not only truly amazing athletes, but great kids as well,” Mr. Decker said. “They are respectful towards their peers, coaches, and teachers. Their work ethic has been a catalyst for the others not only on their team, but on other teams as well. Both Silas and Kevin are class acts.”
The Connecticut Football Player of the Year will be announced during the first week of December.
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November 9th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Imagine what Norwalk High could have done this season with Silas and Kevin in the line-up.
November 10th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Agreed. Norwalk has really turned it around. Alternatively, imagine what King could have done if they had Hines and Philo too.
Objectively, which situation do you think is better for Silas and Kevin in terms of each student-athlete’s short and long-term future, both athletically and lifewise? They say Silas has great vision. I would say that they both do.