The duo was part of a 12-player local team that competed in last week's NFL High School Player Development National 7-on-7 Tournament in Houston.

"When you're at a national level, everything's fast," said Hunt, a safety approaching his senior season with the Thomas Johnson football team. He primarily played cornerback during the three-day, 16-team flag football tournament held last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

"We had some fast kids, but everybody was fast," Hunt said. "You expect some kids to be better than others, but there wasn't a weak team down there."

The Frederick -area team ----composed of football players from around the MVAL who participated in the NFL HSPD camp held at Frederick High School in May -- represented the Baltimore Ravens at this year's event, and did the same last year in Atlanta.

The squad finished a surprising second at the 2006 tournament, but wasn't quite so lucky this year. The talent pool might have had something to do with it.

"Most of the teams we played, I was surprised. I know they were big, but I didn't know they would move that fast," said April, a senior who expects to be Frederick 's quarterback this fall. He also teamed with the Ravens for last year's event. "After we got a feel for it, we started to slow down, and got more competitive."

April primarily played quarterback for the '07 Ravens, while Hunt ----a second-team all-area pick as a junior last fall for TJ -- stuck with manning the secondary at the event. Teams from cities all over the country, including San Francisco, New Orleans and New York, took part in the tournament, held at the Houston Texans' indoor practice facility. The nearby Washington squad ended up the champion.

The game is played on a 40-yard field, and it takes 20 yards to gain a first down, given four chances. The ball starts on a device called a quarterback tee, and once it is snapped, the quarterback has just four seconds to throw to one of four receivers or a running back.

"It was a quick four seconds, but I was fine with it," April said. "At first, I was so nervous. But I went down there and stayed patient. I let the game come to me."

On the defensive side, the Ravens chose to operate out of a zone formation. Even while only responsible for his portion of the field, the speed of the game eventually got to Hunt.

"We had to work. I don't think I've ever been that sore," he said. "You don't even get a break. With the caliber of the athletes down there, we were running all the time."

Around the tournament itself, played over Friday and Saturday, the various teams and players were given a few opportunities to interact. There was a dinner for all the teams at Houston's Aquarium Wednesday night, and a social gathering at the H&H Ranch on Thursday night.

There, teams mingled over music, a Texas-style barbecue, volleyball, basketball and horseshoes.

"Playing football is playing football to us. It's like second nature," Hunt said. "You get heated on the field, but it was nice to have our off-time to just hang out with other kids. It was really cool."

April even chatted in-depth with a player from the New Orleans team, learning of his struggles during Hurricane Katrina.

"They lost their job and lost their house. They had to move to Texas, and then they moved back to New Orleans," April said. "It made me appreciate what I have."

Hunt was grateful to just be there, considering the NFL paid for everything.

"It was like a dream trip," he said. "It was really exciting, and an experience I'll never forget."

Frederick coach Vince Ahearn has run the HSPD camp for four years, and coached the 7-on-7 teams at both national tournaments. He stressed that neither function would be possible without professional football's influence.

"The whole thing is for the guys, and the NFL people make this happen," said Ahearn, whose HSPD camp is the nation's largest, welcoming 450 players from Frederick , Washington and Carroll counties. "These are all things they do to give back to the community. They do an enormous amount for football around the country."