CMS rising senior Larenz Bryant, inside linebacker for Vance High’s football team, received national recognition as a member of the 7ON All-Tournament team at the 2012 edition of The Opening—the biggest football recruiting event of the year. The 7ON competition is a seven-on-seven game used to showcase player speed, agility and teamwork.

Joining Larenz at The Opening was Peter Kalambayi, outside linebacker for Butler High’s football team. The two represented CMS in the invitation-only event that features the most elite high school football players in the country. Nike Football hosted this year’s Opening July 5-8 at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. ESPN televised the event throughout the weekend.

During the four-day Opening, the students were pushed to their limits by eight first-round draft picks from the National Football League, Darrelle Revis, Sean Weatherspoon, Joe Haden, Felix Jones, Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Ndamukong Suh, Patrick Peterson and Ray Rice. In addition to the 7ON event, the players took part in the Elite Lineman Challenge, which puts players in full pads for head-to-head matchups. The third event was the SPARQ National Championship, which tests each player’s ability in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and power ball toss.

Larenz and Peter earned their spots at The Opening based on their performance at the Charlotte Nike Football Training Camp on May 6.  Larenz received the Linebacker Most Valuable Player award at the May camp. Both students have committed to play college ball post-graduation, Larenz at the University of South Carolina and Peter at Stanford University.

Learn more and watch video from the 2012 edition of The Opening.