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CEDAR HILL, Texas - The third iLLSPEED Competition Presented by Under Armour – the Illist drill in football which measures not only speed but burst, agility, dynamic reaction and footwork – took place here at Citrus Hill High School with 20 or so of the fastest the area has to offer competing for a spot in the finals in Baltimore.
The test is made up of four different parts: start, dynamic-reaction agility, footwork and agility skill and the all-important race to the finish. Competitors got two individual runs through the drill where they began two yards behind the start line, burst out of their stance once the red light on the first gate is illuminated and then were off to the races.
After the competitor passed through the first gate, dynamic reaction was tested as they had to quickly determine which of two gates lit up and dash toward the proper gate. This showed vision, reaction time and cognitive reflexes, important traits for any skill-position player.
After choosing the proper gate, the competitor then rounded a standing bag and then navigated the ladder drill, where footwork is a must and any slip up cost them time. After completing the ladder drill, the competitor then headed back toward the start gate where he had to grab a football in stride, turn back through the original gate and then show off his speed by racing 40 yards downfield to the finish in seriously windy conditions.
All in all, the drill itself showed off a player’s ability to start off the whistle with burst, react to visual stimuli and make a key cognitive choice while reaching top speed, flash his footwork and ball skills and then finish with straight-line quickness.
This is a drill like no other in the training industry and challenged each competitor in a way they’ve never seen before. The top four in Texas were rewarded with a trip to the iLLSPEED Finals where they will compete with finalists from the Orlando, Los Angeles and Atlanta events to determine who is the Illest.
The top four from Dallas were:
Tre Brown, Tulsa (Okla.) Union, 14.43 seconds
Robert Barnes, Southlake (Texas) Carroll, 14.55 seconds
Eno Benjamin, Wylie (Texas) East, 14.67 seconds
Justin Broiles, Oklahoma City (Okla.) John Marshall, 14.83 seconds
There was definitely an Oklahoma Sooners feel in the final since Brown, Barnes and Broiles are all committed to the school.
“There’s something about those Sooner boys,” Brown said.
“It was kind of easy once you figure it out. The toughest part was I was running so fast that you have to get yourself under control, so that was really the hard part.”
Barnes, who finished second, said reading the directional lights early in the drill really set the tone because if that doesn't go well then it’s tough to regain any speed throughout the rest of it.
“Looking at the light at the start was tough because you just go and you have to decide which way to go,” Barnes said. “Then you have to pick it up.”
As for the Sooner recruits' strong showing in the final, Barnes was happy.
“We’re out here representing,” he said.
