- Continues to Impress with Off-Season Performances -

(Black PR Wire) ( March 10, 2009) MIAMI – Football season may have ended a few months ago, but Monsignor Pace Quarterback Stephen Morris, 16 of Miami Shores, Fla., continues to raise eyebrows and impress college coaches by turning in tremendous performances during off-season national combines and events.

Morris, who in his junior season passed for over 2,000 yards, including 19 touchdowns, and led his team to the Florida Class 3A state semi-finals, is not content to rest on his past accomplishments. In February 2009, Morris participated in the DeBartolo Football Academy held in Fort Lauderdale where 60 of the best quarterbacks from South Florida gathered to compete. The highlight of the three-day event was the Skills Challenge competition. It was during this competition that Morris produced the overall best score and received the top ranking.
Morris was the only quarterback who placed in three of the four different skill competitions. He accomplished this by: winning the long toss competition, recording an impressive 64 yards (in the midst of a stiff head wind); securing the second fastest time in the obstacle course; and by placing third in the QB drive drill.


STEPHEN MORRIS’ OFF-SEASON PERFORMANCES
Coach Doug Socha, the Offensive Coordinator at American Heritage Delray Beach, and one of the quarterback instructors at the Academy, was very impressed with Morris’ performance. “The ball comes out very clean and he has great mechanics.” Socha, who has coached a number of Division 1 college quarterbacks, believes there is a great future in store for Morris. “After seeing him run and throw, I think Morris is the top dual threat quarterback recruit in the country,” he states.

Stephen Morris has achieved other high marks during his off-season. In January, 2009 Morris traveled to San Antonio, Texas for the U.S. Army National Junior Combine. There, he recorded the fastest 40 yard dash time of all quarterbacks who were in attendance, turning in a remarkable 4.59. It was at the Army Combine where a number of college scouts indicated that it was not only Morris’ sprint speed that earned praise, but the velocity of his passes as well. Morris was one of only five quarterbacks named to both the Rivals.com and the Scout.com All-Combine Football Teams.

Morris, a member of Monsignor Pace’s class of 2010, stands 6’2” and weighs 190 lbs. He has received a great deal of attention from colleges nationwide. His list of top schools includes: (in alphabetical order) Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. But his list changes quickly. Says Morris, “I just received a couple of letters from Coach Loeffler, who is the new QB coach at Florida, and he really wants me to come up and visit. It’s funny how things turn out, he was the coach who first convinced me to come up to the University of Michigan for their football camp a couple of years ago – and we had a great time there.“ Morris returned to the University of Michigan camp again in 2008 and won all top honors while there. 

Stephen Morris continues to train hard in preparation for summer football camps and for the upcoming fall season. Plans are underway for him to attend a number of camps this spring and summer, most notably, the Elite 11 Regional Camp in Las Vegas, but his greatest focus is on winning the Florida High School State Championship later this fall. To find out more about the upcoming journeys, competitions and accomplishments of Stephen Morris, visit his website at www.morrisqb.com.


MEDIA NOTE: Additional photos and film are available of Stephen Morris. For more information, contact Kim Fulsom of the Black PR Wire newsroom at 1-877-BLACKPR.