Highlights and Analysis from The Opening Houston Regional

HOUSTON — The competition level at Houston's Delmar-Tusa Athletic Complex was high, and by the end of Sunday afternoon, seven athletes were invited to The Opening this summer in Beaverton, Oregon.

The greater Houston area saw athletes earn invitations in defensive tackle Marvin Wilson; running backs J.K. Dobbins and Toneil Carter; and offensive linemen Walker Little and Austin Deculus.

Also receiving invitations were two out-of-town athletes in IMG Academy (Florida) linebacker Dylan Moses—the No. 2 player overall in the 2017 class—and Oregon cornerback commit Elijah Molden. Both Moses and Molden are making return trips to The Opening after going as incoming juniors last summer.

Here are some updates from Sunday's event.

High school teammates relish honor

Episcopal High School in Houston is the home to two national top-150 players in Marvin Wilson (No. 4 overall, No. 1 DT) and Walker Little (No. 149 overall, No. 25 OT). Both are excited not only about earning the invitation to Oregon but also about representing their school.

"It's awesome," Little said. "It feels great to come out here and get a lot better, and it's great to compete against the great competition."

"I'm on top of the world right now," Wilson added. "Now that I've got this envelope, I'm more happy than anybody."

Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

Wilson and Little play for a school with an enrollment of less than 700. Both have heard outsiders question the talent level at Episcopal and on the school's schedule.

Getting two athletes to The Opening helps validate what Episcopal brings to the table.

"A lot of people say that we're just a private school, and we don't play anybody," Wilson said. "We just came out and showed that it doesn't matter who you play. If you've got talent, you've got talent."

To which Little added: "It's all about representing the school. We feel like we can do well and win a lot of games because we have some decent talent. I think this shows it."

Credit: 247Sports.com

A second invite: Veteran status for Moses?

Dylan Moses won't mind being called a veteran of The Opening. In his eyes, earning a second trip to the prestigious summer event is quite the accomplishment.

Moses competed last summer and said he is excited about earning the return invitation. He got it Sunday with consistent efforts in drills and solid one-on-one performances.

"It's going to be real good going back and competing with my classmates," he said. "It's always good to go against the best of the best. There will be a lot of competition."

And will this be an opportunity for Moses to play the veteran role?

"Not really," Moses said. "I'm just looking to go out there and have fun."

Credit: 247Sports.com

Texas flight works in Molden's favor

How do you top a great weekend visit to Stanford? For Oregon legacy and West Linn, Oregon, prospect Elijah Molden, taking a trip to Houston and earning a return invite to The Opening was in the plans.

Molden, who was in Beaverton last summer for the event, said he had a great trip to Stanford and added that the trip to Houston was icing on the cake to a very productive weekend.

"It was just an opportunity for me to check out the competition, and there's great competition here," Molden said. "I came from a visit from Stanford; it just worked out with the flights.

"I feel good. I tested a little better in some categories, but there's always stuff to improve on. I'm going to go back home and work on my craft."

The son of former Oregon and NFL defensive back Alex Molden, Molden has Oregon, Stanford and Notre Dame high on his list.

Credit: 247Sports.com

Carter: 'Nothing but great competition here'

In short, Toneil Carter described the atmosphere at the Delmar-Tusa Athletic Complex.

"We're in Houston," he said. "There's nothing but great competition here."

Carter showed his abilities on Sunday and earned a trip to The Opening in the process. He then spoke about the mission at hand, which was being coachable and learning as much as possible.

"I just want to keep performing at the top level," Carter said. "From there, it's all about taking it to the next level. I came here to do my thing, so I'm feeling pretty good."

Carter, the nation's No. 6 running back in the 2017 class, has 18 reported offers and said he will take his time with recruiting. However, a decision will be made this year, as he plans on enrolling early.

"I'm going to take all my officials and then make a decision," he said.

The Opening alumni make appearance

Last year, athletes like Deontay Anderson, Dontavious Jackson, Jeffrey McCulloch and Tyrie Cleveland were running the drills, completing the skills competitions and listening to the coaches to earn a trip to The Opening. At the end of the day, it was mission accomplished.

On Sunday, the four athletes, who are now preparing for college football, were in attendance again—not to compete but to see the future athletes of the event.

"It's always good to come back," Anderson said. "They just need to listen to the coaches and make sure they're getting better."

Speed...and hops

While 2018 athlete Caleb Jolivette made a name for himself one way, 2017 Timarcus Davis helped his cause in another.

Jolivette ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.35 seconds during skills testing. He also claimed "Fastest Man" honors during a five-man race featuring the fastest 40-yard times of the day.

Davis impressed the crowd with a vertical jump of 45.8 inches, which is the highest recorded jump of the 2016 The Opening circuit thus far. He went on to win the ratings MVP award with a score of 124.08. Davis, who has a dozen offers, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds, finished the 20-yard shuttle in 3.95 seconds and threw the power ball 35 feet.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles