WR Westphall is the ideal package

Gaithersburg coach Kreg Kephart believes he's got a sleeper on his hands. Granted, it's all based on projection and perception, but he's pretty sure his junior wide receiver, Kris Westphall , has Division I or I-AA potential.

You see, Westphall was a late bloomer. He's been playing football since he was four years old, but he didn't make varsity until last year. Then, when Westphall earned a starting spot, he only caught six passes because Gaithersburg stuck him at tight end and didn't throw much. Worse, he missed four games with injuries.

But Kephart wants you to look beyond all that. He's coached his share of elite athletes - Axel Ofori just signed with I-AA Maine - and Westphall has those kind of skills.

"He's a hell of an athlete," Kephart says. "He's very smooth, very fluid. He's gazelle-like in the way he moves. He's got good leaping ability and great hands. He's the ideal package."

But all coaches say that, right? They all believe they've got the next Larry Fitzgerald on their hands.

Kephart is well aware that coaches overestimate their players' talent. So he's taking off his coaches' cap. Instead, he'll play the role of Division I college scout.

First, Kephart The Scout scans the field, looking for those players who pass the "eyeball test." The first player he notices is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound kid who looks like an Under Armour model - Kris Westphall.

After his initial perception, Kephart digs a little deeper. This time he pulls out his stopwatch because he wants to see if this kid can run. A 4.6 40-yard dash? Not bad for a guy that big.

Then Kephart will watch Westphall in action. He never drops a pass.

"I work after practice with the quarterback and other receivers," Westphall explains. "I work on footing and my steps, and I'm always working on my routes."

Kephart nods. Hard work appeals to him.

Finally, Kephart The Scout sits down to talk with this phenom receiver. He's impressed by his confidence, for sure, but then he finds out something else: Westphall is a pure athlete. He's the starting forward on his school's basketball team and averages 14 points per game.

"Basketball helps me with football," Westphall explains. "When you're on defense you have to have quick feet, and that helps on the football field when you're trying to run routes and get by defenders."

Kephart The Scout walks away impressed. He can't see anything wrong with Mr. Westphall.

"When you're that tall and you can run and catch and you're just a great athlete, people are going to start paying attention to you," said Kephart The Scout. "He's got loads of potential."

Now it's up to Kephart The Coach to sell his player. Westphall may have only caught six passes last year - not even enough for a highlight tape -- but they were awfully telling catches.

There was that one he caught against Churchill when he straddled the sideline and hauled in a bullet throw. Instead of stepping out of bounds, Westphall shook off the cornerback, turned up-field and gained an extra 20 yards.

Then there was that catch against Clarksburg when he went over the middle, caught a 20-yard pass, took a hit and still managed to plow over the safety on his way for a long gain.

And, of course, there was that catch against Wooton in a torrential downpour. He ran a drag route over the middle, snared the mud-strewn football and ended up with a 30-yard gain.

"I actually sprained my ankle on that play, which cost me a few games," Westphall said. "I probably made it worse when I kept running after I made the catch."

See, that's toughness right there.

Of course, Westphall has always been a tough kid. He started playing football at four years old under the watchful eye of his father. Westphall recalls how his dad pushed him in those early years and got him ready to play peewee ball at seven years old.

But then the unthinkable happened: Westphall's father tragically passed away. Understandably, Westphall fell into a rut. His grades declined and though he continued to play football he "was kind of lazy with it," he admitted.

In high school Westphall played junior varsity his freshman year but didn't exactly shine. On top of that his grades continued to suffer, drawing the ire of his mother. Soon, she pulled Westphall out of Gaithersburg and had him transfer to Magruder.

Evidently that's the wakeup call he needed. Westphall's academic habits improved and so did his work ethic on the field. A year later his mother let him come back to Gaithersburg.

"I started thinking about my father and what he would have wanted out of me," Westphall said. " I still think about him to this day and it keeps my dedicated and keeps me wanting to go stronger and stronger."

Thus, Kephart inherited a coachable kid who was dedicated to improving - on and off the field. Not only was Westphall dominating in practice, but he raised his GPA to a 3.4. It also helped that he grew two inches since coming back to Gaithersburg.

The only problem was Gaithersburg already had two senior wide outs slated ahead of Westphall. That meant tight end or nothing. On top of that, Gaithersburg was a run-heavy team, which explains those six catches.

Next year, however, Kephart promises to install a spread offense. And Westphall? He's moving to wide receiver.

"As a tight end he didn't really get to show off his catching ability as much," Kephart said. "We definitely want to take advantage of that."

Needless to say, Westphall is thrilled. He has one year to show his coaches, his teammates and the recruiters he can be an elite receiver. This offseason he's playing basketball, running track and lifting more than ever before.

"If I get stronger and faster, I believe I can play Division I or I-AA football," Westphall said. "I can be one of the top receivers in the county."

Is that merely his perception and projection?

We'll find out this fall.