MINT HILL, N.C. — A trio of rising junior Richmond Senior High School football players put their on-field skills to the test — quite literally — at The Opening Combine over the weekend.
Two-year Raider starting quarterback Caleb Hood, along with wide receiver teammates Jakolbe Baldwin and Dalton Stroman, who just completed their first respective varsity seasons, participated in the two-day combine event on Saturday and Sunday held at Rocky River High School.
According to The Opening’s website, the combine in the Charlotte metropolitan area was one of 14 pit stops in the program’s 2019 regionals nationwide tour. This year marks the 23rd year that The Opening Regionals have been held, which offers “athletes state-of-the-art education in both training and position-specific football.”
Competing against some of the top college football recruits and prospects in the the North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia region, the three Raider players all posted in the top three percentile of all the competitors in this year’s regional combines. The Charlotte combine was the 11th regional of the spring.
Hood, who weighed in at 6-0, 204 pounds, was in the 99th percentile, and was joined by Baldwin, 6-1, 173 pounds, in the same range. The two racked up football ratings of 117.51 and 97.77, respectively.
Stroman, 6-4, 181 pounds, was in the 97th percentile with a football rating of 93.17. After the two days of competition, Hood was ranked as the No. 4 overall player at the Charlotte combine, while he topped the quarterback charts.
He was second overall behind North Lincoln High School (N.C.) wide receiver Sam Brady after Saturday’s tryout round.
Richmond head coach Bryan Till explained that there were two ways to participate in The Opening Regionals: the first was an invite from the staff, and the second, which all three Raiders did, was register and try out for a chance to qualify for the Sunday combine.
“I’ve been telling all the boys about it, and the three that went were ones who needed to go,” Till explained. “On Saturday, they get to prove themselves but we already knew what type of football players they are.
“Sunday was good for them because they were working against other top competition (in the region),” he added. “They need to have confidence to know they can compete with those other top guys and college recruits, and this was a good opportunity for them to see that level of competition.”
The now third-year head Raider coach added that if Richmond “wants to win a state championship, we need to all be at that level.”
Among the events that factored into each player’s football rating were the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump, peak power and kneeling power ball toss.
Hood clocked in with the fastest 40-yard dash time of he and his teammates, sprinting it in 4.64 seconds (96th percentile). Stroman posted a time of 4.69 seconds (94th percentile) and Baldwin ran it in 4.71 seconds (93rd percentile).
In the vertical jump and the power ball throw (which weighs six pounds), Hood ranked in the 99th percentile of both events. His vertical reach was 37.0 inches, while his throw was 46.0 feet. Stroman had the best vertical of the trio, reaching 37.9 inches (99th percentile), with Baldwin not far behind in the 98th percentile of 36.8 inches.
“It was nice being able to compete with some good athletes and working hard enough to come back on the second day,” Hood said. “I got to work with some of the top quarterback trainers in the country. Competing against some of the top quarterbacks in my class was pretty cool.”
Baldwin was the fastest Raider in the agility test, going through the course in 4.21 seconds (97th percentile). Hood was second with a time of 4.37 (90th percentile) and Stroman was in the 85th percentile (4.44 seconds).
The last major event was the power peak test, which measured each player’s strength in watts. Hood led his teammates with a tally of 7840 watts (98th percentile), while Stroman finished with 7510 watts (97th percentile) and Baldwin recorded 7170 watts (93rd percentile).
Following the skills competitions, players performed position-specific drills and participated in position competitions and one-on-one drills. The latter drill are what Baldwin and Stroman enjoyed most.
“It was a great experience getting to work with other college recruits,” Baldwin said. “I got to learn new things, and I had a lot of fun in the one-on-ones against the defensive backs. I was really happy with my score on the first day.”
“The camp was helpful in making me a better receiver and allowing me to work on my skills,” Stroman echoed. “The one-on-ones were cool because the DBs were pressing me and that taught me some new releases.”
Till and the Raiders kicked off spring workouts Monday afternoon, and the first day of official spring practices is set for Monday, May 13.
