Football combine set for TC on Friday

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Traverse City Central's T.J. Schepperly runs the ball into the end zone at Thirlby Field in Traverse City last year. Record-Eagle file photo/Keith King

July 25, 2012

Football combine set for TC on Friday

Organizers are hoping for 150 participants

BY DENNIS CHASE dchase@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Tue Jul 31, 2012, 01:35 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — T.J. Schepperly's traveled the state this summer taking part in combine and football camps.

On Friday, the Traverse City Central senior quarterback gets to stay home and show off his talents as Thirlby Field will be the site of the inaugural Northern Michigan Combine and Exposure Camp.

The event is billed as an opportunity for high school football players to "measure their athletic progress" against other players as well as raise their recruiting profiles. Organizers expect more than a dozen college coaches from the Divisions II, III and NAIA ranks to be in attendance — evaluating.

For Schepperly, this will be his second combine. He and teammate T.J. Schwannecke attended one in Troy.

"When you go downstate to combines you don't see a lot of northern Michigan kids down there," Schepperly said. "You'll see a couple from Central and West, but you don't get a lot of northern Michigan kids down there. This gives them a chance to get the exposure they should have."

Players will be tested in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, pro agility drill and bench press. They'll also take part in position drills. There will be a recruiting workshop for parents in the morning while players warm up.

"Our goal is to have 150 boys," Central coach Tom Passinault said. "It sounds like we'll be very close to that."

Ira Childress of Childress Sports Consulting, which is organizing the event, said 115 players had pre-registered by Monday. Registration is open until Friday.

The Central and West staffs will help with the testing and drills.

"I hope it's a win-win for the players and the (college) coaches," West coach Tim Wooer said.

Schepperly — who's also attended camps at Ferris State, Grand Valley, Central Michigan and Northwestern — said any chance to catch the eye of a college coach is good.

"It's a beneficial thing," he said of the combine experience. "I don't think it hurts you at all. Obviously, if you're not in the right shape or the right condition, you're not going to go to it. That's how it is. But if you are in shape, you're going to go and people are going to look at you, and that's always a positive. You want to get recognized, you want to get noticed."

The combine and exposure camp will draw players from Traverse City, Elk Rapids, Glen Lake, Kalkaska, Kingsley, Petoskey, Suttons Bay, East Jordan and beyond.

The West contingent will include linebacker-defensive end Derrick Diver, who is attracting interest from schools like Western Michigan and Grand Valley.

"It can't hurt to get your name out there a little bit more," Wooer said.

Diver is 6-3, 218 pounds.

"He'll go 240, 250 pretty easily (in college)," Wooer said. "He runs well. He's athletic. He's had a really good off season. He's put 25, almost 30 pounds, on. He just got nudged out in the 300 hurdles in our conference track meet so he runs well. Colleges love that. He's going to be a good football player for us."

Schepperly, too, will be looking to boost his stock.

"He's a very good athlete," Passinault said. "By going to this combine maybe schools will look at him as more than just a quarterback."

Players can still register at childresssports.com.