Brennan Scarlett to miss U.S. Army combine

[hines]

Jerry Ulmer, The Oregonian, December 31, 2009 7:19 p.m.

Three Oregon high school football players have been selected to participate in the U.S. Army National Combine Jan. 7-9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, but one of the state's most highly recruited players isn't among them.

Jefferson's Alex Mitchell, Barlow's John Wolfe and Rainier's Nick Huelter -- junior linemen -- received invitations to the event, which showcases some of the nation's best nonsenior players.

Central Catholic junior Brennan Scarlett will miss the combine as he recovers from surgery on his left knee.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Scarlett, a standout at linebacker and tight end, received an invitation to the camp. But he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the team's playoff loss to Grant and underwent surgery Dec.18.

"It's recovering pretty fast," Scarlett said. "I'm up and walking around, bending it and stuff. I haven't been using crutches.

"They told me it was a complete tear. They think it might've been over a long period of time. He said maybe I kind of partially tore it and I was just playing on it and didn't realize it was that bad."

Jefferson's Mitchell (6-foot-3, 320 pounds) received Class 5A honorable mention on defense in voting for The Oregonian all-state team. Huelter (6-3, 287) made the Class 3A first team on defense, and Wolfe (6-2, 285) was selected to the Class 6A Mt. Hood Conference second team on both sides of the ball.

Scarlett, who had 59 tackles and six sacks for the Rams (8-3) in 2009, said he is disappointed that he won't get a chance to compete against some of the nation's best players in San Antonio.

"I was hoping to get down there and see what I could do, but it didn't work out that way," Scarlett said. "I'll just come back ready for next year."

http://highschoolsports.oregonlive.com/ ... y-combine/