Velocity's Shane Sykes got the guys warmed up and fired up to perform.
by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
Nike SPARQ Training for football players has entered the Central Region, and one Varina player broke the testing thermometer.
Rising junior running back
Trey Johnson scored a 106.92, which places him in the 99.9 percentile nationally.
His score helped the Blue Devils to an 81.73 team score, one of the highest in the state and second best in the region.
"Unbelievable man," said Johnson, in disbelief. "I came out here with an attitude wanting to be the best, and I proved that I'm the best."
Johnson, a 5-9, 160-pounder, had a 42-inch vertical jump, put up 36 on the bench press, ran a 4.28 20-yard shuttle and topped it off with a 4.57 40-yard dash on Varina's practice field, far from a fast track.
Four words, he lit it up.
Velocity Sports Performance's
Shane Sykes warmed up both groups. The Blue Devils had about 50 to 60 players out, a great turnout.
After the host school got done, Armstrong brought in about 10 players, led by rising senior
Terrell Fowler, noticeably in great shape.
He threw up a respectable 73.5 score on a sore hamstring for the Wildcats.
"I think I did average," Fowler said. "I wasn't my best today due to a hamstring injury in track. But I still did the best I could. That's what coach [
Mark Robinson] tells us all the time."
The Nike crew views talent all the time and both groups were comparable to what they've seen recently.
"Varina actually tested one of the best we've seen," said Nike SPARQ's
Hans Growert. "They tested very well and so did Armstrong. The energy was really high from the start. The kids I felt really enjoyed it."
Nike SPARQ will be around for the next week or so. Here's where:
UPCOMING DATES* Friday, May 2, 2:30 p.m. at L.C. Bird
* Sunday, May 4, 1 p.m. at Hermitage
* Tuesday, May 6, 4 p.m. at Atlee
* Thursday, May 8, 4:30 p.m. at Cameron Field in Petersburg
* Friday, May 9, 2 p.m. at Manchester