Sports
Durham Smythe participates in ESPN’s Gridirion Kings
Thursday, 23 August 2012 by Keith Bahlmann
Last weekend 65 of the nation's top football prospects went head-to-head in the Champion Gridirion Kings held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Durham Smythe represented the Texas Longhorns on the Southwest squad. Some of the top skill position football players in the country from 22 states participated. Championship game was featured on ESPN 3 Sunday.
Champion Gridiron Kings, the nation's elite high school football event featuring the best skill position players in the country, has chosen 64 student athletes to participate in team competition, skill challenges and performance training that take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. during the ESPNHS Games. Belton's Durham Smythe was selected to participate in the event where some of the top college players in the country have performed.
The top quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties were brought together from July 27-29 and divided into teams based on their region (West, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest).
2012 Champion Gridiron Kings roster highlights:
• 46 athletes listed in the ESPN 300
• Two prospects rated No. 1 at their positions in the ESPN 150
• Four Elite 11 QB's
• SPARQ Rating National Champion, LB Mike Mitchell
• 21 states represented
Previous Gridiron Kings Highlights:
2011 – Southwest team captured the title ending the Southeast two-year run led by MVPs Matt Davis and De'Vante Harris each of whom signed with Texas A&M.
2010 – Every 2010 player is now a NCAA Div. I player
2009 – Notable players include: Kenny Stills (started every game of 2010 season at Oklahoma) and Christian Bryant (started for Ohio State in 2010 as true freshman).
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which hosts more than 350 events a year, is the leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional sports in the nation, accommodating 70 different sports and athletes from more than 70 countries. Designed to take youth sports to the next level, the 270-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including Champion Stadium, the HP Field House, the Jostens Center, the Hess Sports Fields, a track & field facility, a tennis complex and a baseball/softball sportsplex. It is also home to the ESPN Innovation Lab, a real-world testing ground for the ESPN Emerging Technology Group that develops ground-breaking on-air. In addition, the complex features 56 high-definition cameras and 40 high-definition video screens, including three jumbo screens, which can capture and display footage from any event taking place at the complex.
The camera and video screens, as well as a 20-zone audio system, are controlled through the state-of-the-art HD and 3-D Production Center with direct links to ESPN facilities in Bristol, Conn., New York and Los Angeles.
