What began on high school campuses across South Florida early Wednesday morning ended with a Hollywood finish. Hollywood, Fla. -- that is.

National Signing Day, which has garnered so much attention throughout the years nationally, went hi-tech this year locally with more than 300 football players, parents, coaches and friends from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties coming together to celebrate the day in style.

When the dust settled on a long day, the destination was Dave & Busters in Hollywood for a celebration that was truly one of the best ideas to come along. From Jamaal Berry of Palmetto, who wore his Ohio State shirt, and his teammate Daryl Williams (Western Kentucky), to Denard Robinson and Adrian Witty of Deerfield Beach, who arrived with University of Michigan caps on, some of the top football talent had the opportunity to celebrate the biggest day of their young lives.

As food was served and new relationships were being made, this scene right out of the Academy Awards played out for all of South Florida to watch and enjoy with Joe Rose and Adam Kuperstein broadcasting a live show on NBC-6.

NO BLACK-TIE AFFAIR

While there were no black ties and tuxedos, there were plenty of team caps, shirts and boasting about schools as close as FIU, Florida Atlantic and the University of Miami and as far away as USC, where Gulliver standout linebacker Frankie Telfort and his entire family arrived, wearing the cardinal and gold of the Trojans, which attracted a Miami-Dade County athlete for the first time.

''This is a great idea,'' Telfort said as he spoke on live TV. ``A true celebration for all the athletes in South Florida.''

The guest list read like a who's who of talent in this region. Miramar quarterback Eugene Smith showed off his West Virginia cap along with teammate Steadman Bailey, South Broward lineman Steven Jacques proudly wore the USF Bulls hat and Jackson lineman David Martin was all smiles as he accepted an appointment to Army earlier in the day.

National champion St. Thomas Aquinas was out in full force with Duron Carter (Ohio State), Dwayne Difton (Connecticut), Conor O'Neil and Dezmen Southward (Wisconsin), and Dylan Drake (Yale) talking with other players about their experiences over the past two years.

''This is a tremendous event for the kids,'' Ed O'Neil, the proud father of Conor pointed out. ``Very well planned out and something that will certainly start a great tradition.

PROMOTING TALENT

The event was the brainchild of Arena Advertising in Davie, which has been instrumental in promoting and broadcasting high school football in South Florida for the past four years. Linda Doyle, Zoltan Polgar and Laura DeRemigis came up with the idea that was all about showcasing the athletes. It far exceeded their expectations.

''We thought maybe 50 or 60 kids would show up,'' Polgar said. ``We never expected over 300. This was something that will only get bigger and better next year.''

Coaches such as Keith Franklin (Dillard), Chris Merritt (Columbus), Allen Held (South Broward) and Mike Zarra (McArthur) were equally as impressed with the evening as well as all the quality football players who showed up.

FAU bound running back Damion Fortner, Middle Tennessee signee Roderic Blunt and Courtney Thompson (Kansas State) of Everglades also came to the event as well FIU's newest Northwestern signees Wayne Times and Kenneth Dillard.

Rutgers bound defensive lineman Antwan Lowery was there with his Columbus teammates Erik Lora and Kenny Whittaker (Eastern Illinois), Gary Bush (Purdue), Mike Abadin (Bryant) and Caesar Rodriguez (Central Michigan). North Broward Prep coach Jeff Dellenbach brought his commitments Victor Keise (Minnesota), Colton Woodall (Rhode Island) and Jordon Batts (Northeastern).

American Heritage was well represented as Jarred Wheeler was the lone University of Miami commitment at the event with Brent Singleton (Minnesota) and Rishard Anderson, who will attend Syracuse. The Thundering Herd from Marshall showcased some of their newest commitments with Marques Aiken (Boyd Anderson), Quan Fletcher (Dr. Krop) and Phil Walker of Cypress Bay.

''This is something I never expected to have all these great players in one place,'' Walker said. ``We had heard that there was going to be a signing party with food, so we showed up and it was a great time.''

GROUP PHOTO

The evening was capped off with every athlete who attended the event coming on stage at the end for a group photo that was certainly a picture that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Don't forget that we are always looking to help our area recruits for the current Class of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The information goes directly to college coaches across the country and not on fan websites. All you have to do is send a DVD and information about the athlete to: Larry Blustein, P.O. Box 3181, Hallandale Beach, Fl. 33009.

Larry Blustein is co-host of the Miami Dolphins Gridiron Show every Thursday evening from 9-10 on WQAM (560 AM). Have a comment? E-mail lblustein@MiamiHerald.com.

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