04/14/2007

Titans quartet take tests at prep combine

Khoury, Cundari think West will be a team to watch

BY DENNIS CHASE

dchase@record-eagle.com

Khoury

Keyton

TRAVERSE CITY — Opportunity's knocking for Rocko Khoury, Darren Keyton, Dominic Cundari and John Flynn.

The four Traverse City West football players will take part today in the Nike Combine at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.

The players will be tested in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, bench press and 20-yard shuttle. The Illinois combine is one of 17 offered throughout the country.

The combines are open to rising seniors — class of 2008 — and top underclassmen looking to showcase their skills for college coaches. Those who test well earn invitations to the Nike Camp next month at Purdue.

"This is a great opportunity to put yourself out there,” said Cundari, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound junior. "It's exciting to be part of it.”

The four players have been working on speed and agility drills, along with lifting in the weight room, to prep for the combine.

"We've been training hard so we can do our best,” Cundari said. "This could open a lot of doors for us if we do well.”

Titans coach Matt Prisk agreed.

"That's the right attitude to have,” he said. "These kids have been working hard, putting in a lot of time on their own, above and beyond what we normally do.”

Khoury, who transferred from Central to West in January, has picked up the tempo of his training in the last three months. The difference, he said, is noticeable.

"I've gotten a lot stronger,” the 6-6, 282-pound junior said. "My bench press max went up over 50 pounds, my squat max is up 60.”

Khoury, who participated in the combine last year, said he would like to run a 5.2 in the 40.

"We're treating this like a competition,” said Paul Khoury, Rocko's uncle, who's been assisting in the training. "We want to make a statement. This is a big day.”

Rocko Khoury has already drawn the attention of college coaches. During spring break, the tackle visited Michigan State, Michigan and Central Michigan. His older brother, Vince, plays for the Chippewas.

He was also one of 23 players from the state invited to Ann Arbor to meet with recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.

Khoury plans to return to Central Michigan to watch his brother compete in the spring game April 21.

Khoury and Cundari believe the Titans will be a team to watch in 2007, especially given the high turnout in the off-season conditioning program.

"We should definitely have a good team,” Khoury said. "Everyone's working hard. Everyone wants to win.”

"We're optimistic,” added Cundari, who will also attend CMU's spring game. "It's great to see everybody care about winning.”