HIGHLAND RANCH — With more than 100 Division I scholarship offers on the turf field at Highland Heritage Regional Park, this isn't your typical 7-on-7 football game.
"The competition out here is second to none, we get all the best athletes out there, something you can't do in team practices," Palmer Ridge senior quarterback Luke McAllister said. "You can just air it out, getting extra reps and all just out here to work."
For the past four years, Team Full Gorilla, a non-profit startup out of the Denver area, has been providing Colorado's top prep athletes, the chance to hone their skills and build a pretty impressive recruiting tape in the process.
"Very important, all the college coaches that offered the guys out here are able to see me and everyone else," Vista Ridge sophomore quarterback Brayden Dorman said. "It's a lot of exposure for everyone else out here."
Rep after rep after rep, it's iron sharpening iron from every corner of the Centennial State.
"If you're not willing to get the extra reps you probably shouldn't be looking past high school football," Palmer Ridge senior defensive back Marcellus Reed said.
From Colorado Springs to Denver and Grand Junction, the team brings athletes together who'd typically only meet across the line of scrimmage. Allowing these talented teenagers to build lasting bonds as they battle the best from across the United States. This week, the group will head to Las Vegas for a national tournament.
"You get all the best teams, Deion Sanders, Cam Newton, Peyton Manning," offensive coordinator Jon Marine said. "These guys get to see all of that. When they step out on the field this fall, they'll think this was easy. So that is really fun to watch."
"This definitely puts a name on our state," Dorman said. "Kind of get to show out and show what Colorado is all about."
An extra layer of excellence for those dreaming of playing long beyond Fridays in the Fall.
"I love it, born and raised Colorado," Reed said. "I've been around for a while and people say Colorado can't ball but you come out here and you'll see we've got some ballers."
