I hit my first training camp practice this morning, waking up nice and early to make it out to Leesburg at 8:30 a.m. to watch Loudoun County practice. The Raiders went 2-8 last season in Todd Hill's first year as coach at County, but they have plenty of tools returning and there was a lot to look for on the practice field.

Here are a few of my observations:

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

There is a three-way competition for the starting quarterback job, with senior Joe Bushrod likely the leader based on his role on the team last season (he played WR and some QB). He'll be competing with sophomore Andrew Messina and junior Austin Campbell for the job. I watched all the quarterbacks work in several drills and was impressed with what I saw. I thought Campbell looked good doing work with the running backs especially. He was throwing just swing passes, but I liked the accuracy, velocity and consistency of his throws. Bushrod threw some nice passes as well in drills with the WRs and TEs and Hill said Messina has impressed in 7 v 7s this summer. I expect Bushrod to take the job this fall, however, as his athleticism could open some things up offensively for the Raiders. Still, it's something to keep an eye on.

OTHER NOTES

-- I was impressed with the leg of senior Troy Krepich, who has kicked for County the last three seasons. In kickoff drills he was booming most of his kickoffs deep, and that's always a good sign, especially since field position is one of the most important aspects of the high school game.

-- Junior LB/TE Chase Williams is back and looking good as usual. He moved fluidly through his linebacker drills, standing out from his peers with his quick break to the ball and great closing speed (Hill said he is down to a 4.7 40 yard dash) and Williams hit his marks every time when the defense worked on its formations.

Hill has said before that he believes Williams is one of the smartest players he has ever coached and he'll be expected to lead the defense this year. At 6-3, 230 pounds, it's amazing to say but I think he'll be growing even more into that frame.

-- I thought Tim McLister looked good out there in the secondary. Dropping back on one drill, he started to fall but leaped and made a nice one-handed grab on a ball. He's moved to strong safety and Hill said he expects McLister to be the leader of the DBs.

-- Hill also said he expected his wide receivers to go nine-deep this year, and I saw a few kids I think could make a name for themselves this year. It's something I may look into a bit more for the previews later this month.

Overall a very strong practice for the Raiders, "much better than yesterday," Hill said. County is a team to keep an eye on because it looks as if they have the talent to pull off some upsets this fall.

So here's a question for you: