Meridian Trio Shines at SE Elite Camp

Meridian High School fans are bursting at the seams to see how the 2008 edition of the Wildcat football team performs. Fans of high school football in the Magnolia State will have to wait a few more months to see the 'Cats take the field, but some of the top players in the south got a taste of what MHS has to offer this past weekend.

Khairi Usher, Tyler Russell and Chris Smith were all hand picked from among some of the region's best college bound prospects to attend the Under Armour/scout.com Southeast Elite Camp this past Sunday on the campus of the University of Auburn.

From all accounts the talented trio more than held their own.

"It went real good," said Usher. "I think we all did good. There was a lot of good competition there. I think I have improved. Coach Cox told me I was even better now than I was at Mobile. I know I've been working hard. I am getting better in my back pedal and in my cover skills."

Usher has been named by most onlookers as one of the top performers at the defensive back position. Not to be outdone, quarterback Tyler Russell equipped himself very well on the day.

"I think I did good," said Russell. "Honestly, I think I was in the top three quarterbacks there. I had one of the strongest arms there. I think Zach Mettenberger, the Georgia commitment, may have been the most competition for me as far as having the strongest arm. We really worked on our footwork drills and escaping pressure. It was a lot of fun."

During the passing drills, Tyler had the chance to hook up with one of his favorite targets, wide receiver Chris Smith.

"I think I did well," explained Chris. "I think I did great, really. I would give myself an A. I was getting off the jam really good, running good routes and I caught the ball well. There was a lot of good wide receivers there. I learned a lot. We talked about running perfect routes and we learned how to run the 40 from the right stance and things like that. It was a lot of fun."