Hill Country Elite is preparing to meet all-star team at Battle Ground Summer Showcase
CAPTION: Hill Country Elite head coach Ray Gurley (standing, right) is taking his players to a showcase to take on all-stars from other states. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Hill Country Elite youth football team is preparing to play in the Battle Ground Summer Showcase.
The event is May 31-June 2 at Glenn Oaks High School in Baton Rouge, La.
The Elite includes Diego Aguilar, Jeffrey Nevarez, Branson Bunting, Clayton Thompson and Leroy Roach all of Marble Falls, Cayden Farmer of Burnet, Gabriel Ramos, Gabe Gurley, Roswell Vargas, Jordan Depaz and Hugo Martinez of Llano.
“It’s a seventh- and eighth-grade all-star game,” head coach Ray Gurley said. “We’ll play a national team. They’ll pick the best 24 players. It’s a big event with a lot of players. National team players come from all different states. There’ll be 12-minute quarters with a halftime.”
Battle Ground Showcase organizers have kept eyes on the Elite, he said, which is why they invited the Highland Lakes squad to take on the nation’s best.
“Y’all have a really good team,” Gurley recalled hearing.
The Elite will play at 8 p.m. June 1 and 5 p.m. June 2.
“That’ll be the first thing we get ready for,” the coach said. “Everyone will play. Everyone plays at least a quarter. It’ll give them a lot of good exposure. Players will get awards based on what they do.”
Sixteen of the 24 Elite players are returners.
“We’ve opened the door for new players for this event,” Gurley said. “We’ve had a large number of requests to do it. All the teams are seeing what it’s doing for our players in a positive way. Some are getting to play different positions.”
Overall, the coach views the invitation as a compliment to the program, the players and their families.
“It speaks a lot about the programs and how far it has come in a short amount of time,” he said. “The was a big invite, and we will be playing national level players from all over the U.S. at this event.”
Players are encouraged to participate in the school’s summer strength and conditioning programs throughout the month of June. The Elite will reunite in July to prepare and play two events that month.
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