The coaches wanted to see high-profile recruits like Luke Stocker of Madison Southern and Josh Minton of Southwestern run. Minton's best time in the 40-yard dash was 4.8 seconds while Stocker ran a 4.68.
However, it also gave players like Scheller, Boyle County's Seth Tamme and Danville's Darius Baughman a chance to showcase their abilities.
"It's kind of exciting knowing all the coaches are here to judge me," Scheller said.
He's going to get judged a lot in the weeks ahead. He's been invited to the one-day Nike Training Camp in Athens, Ga., in mid-May where he'll not only get training from some of the nation's top coaches and trainers, but he'll also gain valuable exposure.
"I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to see how I stack up with some really good players," Scheller said.
Scheller, already a three-year starter at Mercer, will also be going to Hawaii in June to play in the Pigskin Classic for a team coached by Georgetown College coach Bill Cronin against all-star teams from Alabama, Tennessee and California. The team will briefly practice at Georgetown before leaving June 8.
"They said we'll have a few free hours, but mostly it will be practice and games," Scheller said.
Scheller will also go to Las Vegas in January for a national long snapping competition.
He's run a 4.5
He's run the 40 in 4.5 seconds. He's already had a vertical jump of 38 1/2 inches. He can also bench press 185 pounds 12 to 15 times, not bad for a player that weighs only 168 pounds.
Scheller also plays baseball and runs track. He had to miss Mercer's baseball win over Boyle County Tuesday, but had the blessing of coach Spence Chitwood to attend the combine. His speed is good enough that he competed in three events at last year's Class AA state track meet.
"I really hated to miss the baseball game because I am committed to that team," Scheller said. "I just try to balance all my sports the best I can."
This summer he's already planning to attend football camps at Alabama and Kentucky.
He knows the success Andrew McCloud, Mercer's all-time leading rusher, had the past few seasons has helped him. McCloud signed with Western Kentucky in February.
"He did bring a lot of attention to Mercer County. He did a great job and made it easier to get coaches to know about Mercer football," Scheller said. "I just hope I can do something to make a lot more coaches come out to see Mercer play."
Coaches get look at speed, athleticism
That's what this combine was all about. It gives the college coaches at all levels a chance to evaluate players. The coaches can't talk to the players, but they can see their speed and athleticism.
Boyle assistant coach Frank Crossman organizes the event with help from other coaches. He also seems to have an unlimited supply of student volunteers that make the event run smoothly.
"I go to combines all across the state, but this one is the best organized of them all," Elson said. "That's important to the college coaches."
But it's even more important to the players. Brothers Bobby and Travis Leffew, both all-state players at Boyle who signed with Louisville, came to watch. Bobby just got back from a tryout with the Chicago Bears. Travis is preparing for his final collegiate season after earning All-America honors last year.
"This is great," Travis Leffew said. "They didn't have this when I was being recruited, but it's a great thing because it gives players a chance to get seen and that's what recruiting is all about."
