Saturday, July 26, 2008

Har-Ber Wins National Championship

Springdale Har-Ber defeated McGill Toolen Catholic (Mobile, AL) to claim the Select 7-on-7 National Championship on Saturday afternoon. Har-Ber was the 10th seed after pool play, but rolled through the tournament. They won the winner's bracket, lost to McGill in the finals, but beat them in the if necessary game. We'll have more details on the Wildcats National Championship as well as how the other Arkansas teams fared in Hoover.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Wildcats Unscathed; Wolves, Bulldogs, Saints Still Alive

The Har-Ber Wildcats entered the Select 7-on-7 National Championship Tournament on Friday evening as the highest seeded team from Arkansas (10th). They have played like that as well as they are the only Arkansas team that remains in the winner's bracket.

Har-Ber defeated 23rd seed Captain Shreve (Shreveport, LA) 35-17 in the first round of the 32-team double elimination tournament. Many Arkansans may be familiar with Captain Shreve as they have been a fixture at the Shootout of the South in Little Rock until this year. In the second round, Har-Ber took out nationally known perennial power Evangel Christian (Shreveport, LA) in a nail-biter, 31-30.

The Wildcats now sit in the final eight of the winners bracket with a good draw as they are poised to take on 18th seed Jefferson County, who upset 2nd seeded Olive Branch 23-20. That game is slated for a 9:00 AM start. If they win, they will play the winner of 6th seed Arlington-Lamar (TX) and 3rd seed McGill-Toolen (AL), who defeated Lake Hamilton 30-21 in the second round. That game will be at 10:00 AM. Other schools left in the winners bracket include 4th seed and host school Hoover (AL), 5th seed Thomas Jefferson (PA), 9th seed Spain Park (AL) and 16th seeded Memphis University School, who upset #1 seed Prattville (AL) in the second round.

28th seeded Springdale lost their opening round game to Thomas Jefferson, 31-24. They will face Mt. Crest (UT) in the loser's bracket beginning at 8:00 Saturday morning.

Lake Hamilton drew the 19th seed by their record in pool play and narrowly defeated 14th seed Tuscaloosa County (AL) 30-29 before losing to McGill-Toolen in the second round. They will play the winner of Springdale and 21st seeded Mt. Crest (UT) in the loser's bracket at 8:30 AM.

Shiloh Christian played their way to the 22 seed in pool play and dropped their first game to Flowery Branch (GA) 31-20. They will face off against 27th seeded Pelham (AL) at 8:00 AM. If they win, they will play 7th seeded Evangel Christian at 8:30 AM. The irony is that these two teams will face off this fall in a regionally televised game in Week 1 of the regular season on September 5.

There are few things more brutal than playing your way through a loser's bracket after dropping a game in round one or two. In order to play for the championship, Springdale or Shiloh would have to reel off 7 victories in a row with one 30 minute break after their 4th game. Lake Hamilton is in a similar situation except they only have to win 6 straight. If they can manage that, then they must win two games against the winner's bracket champion who would have only played 3 games.

The championship game tomorrow will be at 12:30 with the if necessary game being directly after at 1:00. We will post a final update as soon as we receive the results.

Tournament bracket can be found at http://select7on7.com/2008brackets.pdf.

Four Arkansas Teams in National Championship

Thirty-two teams traveled to Hoover this weekend for the Select 7-on-7 National Championships. Four Arkansas teams were invited to this prestigous tournament. Springdale, Springdale Har-Ber, and Shiloh are regulars as they have competed in the tournament even before it became associated with the National High School Coaches Association and the National Championship. Lake Hamilton received an invitation after qualifying by winning the Shootout of the South in Little Rock, a regional qualifying tournament.

Lake Hamilton and Har-Ber finished the first day 3-1 in pool play. Shiloh was 2-2, and Springdale was 1-2-1.

Pool play began again today at 9 am. We will continue our coverage after this evenings pool play. For more information, the tournament website is http://select7on7.com.

Results
Huntington 26, Shiloh 21
Shiloh 25, Hoover 7
Pelham 30, Shiloh 26
Shiloh Christian 37, Henry Co. 26

Springdale 26, Spain Park 14
Flowery Branch 36, Springdale 15
Thomas Jefferson 26, Springdale 26
Hoover B 33, Springdale 29

Lake Hamilton 31, Brantley Co. 22
Lake Hamilton 32, Tuscaloosa Co. 27
Lake Hamilton 31, Niceville 22
Prattville 34, Lake Hamilton 30

Har-Ber 37, Lakeside (GA) 9
Har-Ber 32, Oxford 28
Har-Ber 40, Memphis Univ School 15
North Gwinnett 24, Har-Ber 13

Har-Ber Impressive at Music City Classic

Coach Chris Wood is taking his Wildcats on tour, and they are making Arkansas 7-on-7 football proud. Springdale Har-Ber went to Nashville last week to compete in the 24-team Music City Classic, a 7-on-7 tournament hosted by Vanderbilt. Har-Ber went 8-1 in pool play to capture the #1 seed and a bye in the tournament.

The Wildcats defeated 16th seeded Lavergne (TN) in the 2nd round, 36-6, then beat 9th seeded DeKalb County (TN), 29-15. They met up with 5th seed and eventual champion, David Lipscomb (TN) in the semifinals and suffered a one-point loss, 25-24. David Lipscomb would defeat Montgomery Bell Academy (TN) in the finals, 20-10.

Har-ber finished tied with Franklin (TN) for the best record overall at 10-2.

Har-ber is also competing in the National Select 7-on-7 Championships in Hoover this weekend. They were 3-1 in Thursday's pool play.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Pioneers Take Home Gravette 7-on-7 Championship

Gentry lost the first game of the day, but didn't lose again on their way to winning the 2nd Annual Field of Pride 7 on 7 Shootout held today in Gravette. Gentry lost their first game to Prairie Grove by one point, but went on to defeat Huntsville and Farmington handily in pool play. Gentry received the top seed from their pool with their 2-1 record and a tie-breaker advantage over 2-1 Farmington. They defeated Lincoln, 32-0, and Elkins, 19-6, to make it to the finals. They would then defeat Siloam Springs, 16-14, for the championship.

Gentry finished the day 5-1, and outscored opponents 125-39. The host team, Gravette Lions, went undefeated in pool play, but lost a one point decision to Siloam Springs in the semifinals, whom they had defeated earlier in the day. Gravette would finish the day 5-1 with the victory in the 3rd place game over Elkins. Gravette outscored opponents 156-66.

Congratulations to Gentry for their championship, and congratulations to Coach Bill Harrelson of Gravette, his volunteers, and his sponsors for another great event.

Pool Play Results
  • 9:00
    • Gravette 26, Elkins 6
    • Gentry 12, Prairie Grove 13
  • 9:30
    • Siloam Springs 29, Lincoln 8
    • Farmington 16, Huntsville 6
  • 10:00
    • Elkins 13, Siloam Springs 7
    • Prairie Grove 6, Farmington 14
  • 10:30
    • Lincoln 2, Gravette 24
    • Huntsville 0, Gentry 18
  • 11:00
    • Elkins 24, Lincoln 16
    • Prairie Grove 6, Huntsville 8
  • 11:30
    • Siloam Springs 14, Gravette 22
    • Farmington 6, Gentry 28
Standing After Pool Play
Pool A

1. Gravette 3-0
2. Elkins 2-1
3. Siloam Springs 1-2
4. Lincoln 0-3

Pool B
1. Gentry 2-1
2. Farmington 2-1
3. Huntsville 1-2
4. Prairie Grove 1-2

Tournament Results
  • First Round
    • Gravette 36, Prairie Grove 7
    • Gentry 32, Lincoln 0
    • Siloam Springs 29, Farmington 0
    • Elkins 12, Huntsville 6

  • Semifinals
    • Siloam Springs 25, Gravette 24
    • Gentry 19, Elkins 6

  • Championship Game
    • Gentry 16, Siloam Springs 14

  • 3rd Place Game
    • Gravette 24, Elkins 12

  • Consolation Bracket
    • Prairie Grove 20, Farmington 6
    • Huntsville 13, Lincoln 2

  • Consolation Finals (5th Place Game)
    • Huntsville 16, Prairie Grove 14
  • 7th Place Game
    • Farmington 10, Lincoln 10

Friday, July 18, 2008

2nd Annual Field of Pride 7-on-7 Shootout (Gravette) Schedule

The schedule for the 2nd Annual Field of Pride 7-on-7 Shootout at Gravette High School has been set for Saturday, July 19. Pool begins at 9 am and concludes at noon. Pool play determines seeding for the tournament. The teams will have an hour break for lunch before the tournament begins. The tournament is an 8-team "Classic" format that guarantees three games for each team.

Pool Play Schedule
  • 9:00
    • Gravette vs. Elkins -- Field 1
    • Gentry vs. Prairie Grove -- Field 2
  • 9:30
    • Siloam Springs vs. Lincoln -- Field 1
    • Farmington vs. Huntsville -- Field 2
  • 10:00
    • Elkins vs. Siloam Springs -- Field 1
    • Prairie Grove vs. Farmington -- Field 2
  • 10:30
    • Lincoln vs. Gravette -- Field 1
    • Huntsville vs. Gentry -- Field 2
  • 11:00
    • Elkins vs. Lincoln -- Field 1
    • Prairie Grove vs. Huntsville -- Field 2
  • 11:30
    • Siloam Springs vs. Gravette -- Field 1
    • Farmington vs. Gentry -- Field 2
We hope to have scores soon after the Shootout is over. A big thank you goes out to Coach Bill Harrelson for all the great help.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Gravette Hosts 8 Teams in 2nd Annual Tournament

The Gravette Lions were one of the surprise teams last weekend with their performance in the VYPE 7-on-7 tournament. This weekend, they will be a favorite in their own tournament. Seven other teams will try to knock them off and earn their own tournament championship.

Siloam Springs leads the list of teams to challenge Gravette. The other teams will be Gentry, Prairie Grove, Huntsville, Farmington, Elkins, and Lincoln.

Coach Bill Harrelson said that "This is the second year. We had four Oklahoma teams and four Arkansas teams last year, but Oklahoma's dead period is this week."

The tournament will begin with pool play from 9 AM to noon on Saturday. There will be a lunch for every player provided by the Gravette Lions Booster club. At 1:00, play will resume with an 8-team tournament and will conclude at 4:00. Each team will play 3 games in the tournament as there will be a championship, 3rd place, 5th place, and 7th place game. This will provide each team with 6 games.

Although most tournaments charge an entry fee to cover the cost of t-shirts, officials, and other costs, and to help raise some money for their program, there is no entry fee for this tournament. Wal-Mart is sponsoring the event, providing every player with a t-shirt. As stated earlier, the Gravette Lions Booster Club will provide each player with a free meal. Although you will see these things at the larger tournaments, most smaller tournaments don't have these amenities.

The tournament will be the basic rules for 7-on-7 with 25-minute games with running clock. Normal scoring applies: 6 points for a touchdown, PAT is 1 from the 5 and 2 from the 10, and there are 2 points for an interception.

Pool 1: Gravette, Gentry, Huntsville, Prairie Grove
Pool 2: Elkins, Farmington, Lincoln, Siloam Springs

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Hoxie Hosts 14 Teams for Inaugural 7-on-7 Tournament

Hoxie Head Coach Tom Sears is bringing a 7-on-7 tournament to Northeast Arkansas this weekend. "This is our first year. We don't really have any tournaments in this part of the state, so we thought we would host one," Sears said.

East and Northeast Arkansas teams have traditionally been running teams so there has not been a lot of stress for coaches to play 7-on-7 during the summer. "We do okay. We run slot I, but we use it [7-on-7] to work on our pass defense and to work the kids out during the summer," Sears commented about his reasons for playing.

With the success of spread passing teams in other parts of the state, the wide-open offense is starting to leak into the Northeast. At least four of those spread teams will be featured in this weekends tournament in Jonesboro, Bald Knob, Greene County Tech, and Valley View. All total, there will be 14 teams making an appearance in Hoxie on Saturday.

The 14 teams will be divided into two pools. Beginning at 9:00 AM on Saturday, each team will play each member of their pool for a guarantee of 6 games. The teams with the best record in pool play meet in the championship game at 5:50. Sears said "Fountain Lake does a really good job with their tournament, so we are setting it up the same way."

One pool will feature Jonesboro, Harrisburg, Mountain Home, Bald Knob, Greene County Tech, Manilla, and Hoxie. The other pool will be made up of Nettleton, Cave City, Valley View, Paragould, Marion, Gosnell, and Fountain Lake.

Jonesboro should be one of the favorites as they run a spread offense and are the largest school competing. Fountain Lake is coming off an undefeated run in their tournament this past weekend, so they should make some noise.

There will be a few interesting things to watch in this weekend's event. Jonesboro, with new head coach Randy Coleman, will be running their new offense. GCT is in the same situation with new head coach Jeff Conaway. Hopefully, they can improve and learn from their experience at the VYPE Tournament last weekend. Valley View has a new head coach, but they will likely have few changes as offensive coordinator Shannon Sherman takes over as the head coach. Lastly, it will be interesting to see how Bald Knob plays as they enter their second year in the spread with the Tony Franklin system.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Cobras Unable to be Charmed

Although their record at the Shootout of the South may not reflect it (2-6), Fountain Lake proved they could play with the big boys as they gave several teams (Pulaski Academy, Fayetteville, Magnolia, and Rogers) some very tough games and defeated 7A Russellville. At their tournament on Saturday, Fountain Lake showed that THEY were the big boy in sweeping the tournament with wins over DeWitt, Lakeside JV, Jessieville, Magnet Cove, Gosnell, and Dierks before they defeated Perryville, 39 to 21, in the championship game.

The Perryville Mustangs also had an impressive day as they, too, swept through their pool in route to the championship game. Perryville had a good showing last year at the FCA State 7-0n-7 tournament, but they have a new head coach in former Carlisle head coach James Clayton. The Mustangs seem to be adjusting well to their new management as they rolled off seven straight wins.

The runner-up received a plaque for their efforts, and the champions received a plaque as well as a t-shirt for each player.

In a year in which at least two tournaments, Mustang Mountain and the FCA State Championship, took off due to the dead period and other factors, the Fountain Lake Tournament "was a success again this year. We had good sportsmanship and a great football atmosphere," said Fountain Lake assistant coach and tournament organizer Marc Davis. "We're looking forward to year 14 of our tournament next summer."

RESULTS:
9:00 Hot Springs 23, Fountain Lake JV 14
9:25 Lakeside JV 21, Jessieville 7
9:25 Dierks 13, Perryville 30
9:50 Fountain Lake 14, DeWitt 2
9:50 DeQueen 7, Ashdown 21
10:15 Gosnell 7, Jessieville 0
10:15 Hoxie 9, Perryville 16
10:40 Hot Springs 16, Ashdown 0
11:05 Lakeside JV 0, Fountain Lake 39
11:05 Dierks 18, DeQueen 2
11:30 Magnet Cove 14, DeWitt 9
11:30 Ashdown 16, Fountain Lake JV 9
11:55 Hoxie 16, DeQueen 7
12:20 Hot Springs 14, Dierks 17
12:45 Jessieville 11, Fountain Lake 21
12:45 Perryville 30, DeQueen 7
1:10 Magnet Cove 25, Lakeside JV 14
1:10 Dierks 30, Fountain Lake JV 14
1:35 Hot Springs 7, Hoxie 7
2:00 Lakeside JV 23, DeWitt 14
2:00 Ashdown 16, Dierks 15
2:25 Perryville 23, Hot Springs 0
2:50 Magnet Cove 28, Gosnell 27
2:50 Fountain Lake JV 7, Hoxie 16
3:15 Hot Springs 21, DeQueen 16
3:40 DeWitt 2, Gosnell 16
3:40 Ashdown 14, Hoxie 7
4:05 Jessieville 0, Magnet Cove 18
4:05 Perryville 27, Fountain Lake JV 9
4:30 Lakeside JV 0, Gosnell 18
4:30 DeQueen 25, Hoxie 7
4:55 Fountain Lake 21, Magnet Cove 16
4:55 DeQueen 25, Fountain Lake JV 23
5:20 DeWitt 14, Jessieville 7
5:20 Ashdown 20, Perryville 21
5:45 Tournament Game 1 – Perryville 37, Magnet Cove 0
5:45 Tournament Game 2 – Fountain Lake 28, Dierks 14
6:15 Championship – Fountain Lake 39, Perryville 21

FINAL POOL PLAY STANDINGS
Pool A
Perryville 6-0
Dierks 3-2
Hot Springs 3-2-1
Hoxie 3-2-1
Ashdown 3-3
DeQueen 2-5
Fountain Lake JV 0-6

Pool B
Fountain Lake 5-0
Magnet Cove 4-1
Gosnell 3-2
Lakeside JV 2-3
DeWitt 1-4
Jessieville 0-5

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Bruins Dominate Tourney Field

Pulaski Academy put on an impressive show this weekend as they ran the table through pool play and the tournament winning all 11 games they played. Averaging 35 points per game, the Bruins scored on 46 of their 50 possessions. Quarterback Spencer Keith was given the Top Gun Award for best quarterback at the tournament as he threw 46 touchdowns and 1 interception. Wide Receiver Neal Barlow was named MVP of the tournament.

Wide receiver Greg Jackson of Sherman (TX) won the Sticky Hands Award for the top receiver, and Hot Springs' Lakeside junior Andre Wesley was named the Lock-Down Corner, awarded to the top defensive back.

The impressive teams from today's tournament includes 3rd seeded Sherman, who lost to PA in the finals and another out of state team that they defeated in the semis, 10th seeded Blue Valley (KS). Springdale was able to notch some impressive wins coming after being a 16 seed. They defeated 13th seeded West Fork, 4th seeded Little Rock Christian, and 5th seeded Lake Hamilton before losing to top seeded Pulaski Academy.

From this writer's perspective, the most pleasant surprise of the weekend has to be Hot Springs Lakeside, led by wide receiver Ben Crumpton and defensive back Andre Wesley. They entered the tournament as a 9 seed after posting a 5-2 record in pool play. They defeated 20th seeded Harrison and 8th seeded Rogers before giving Pulaski Academy their toughest game of the weekend in a 9-point loss. Lakeside would go on to defeat 2nd seeded Shiloh Christian in the consolation bracket before losing to Rogers.

Gravette, the 19th seed, had an impressive day as well as they defeated 12th seeded Siloam Springs in the first round before losing to Lake Hamilton. They would then defeat Little Rock Christian and 11th seeded Nashville before losing to 6th seeded Har-Ber, 20-14, in the consolation bracket.

Click the pictures below for all the results and scores from today's championship and consolation brackets.






































This tournament was the largest in the state and took a lot of organization and volunteers. Tournament organizer Rhett Lashlee and his staff have to be commended on doing an excellent job keeping the tournament running smoothly, on-time, and with little conflict. Even heavy rains, which forced games to be played at multiple sights on Friday, couldn't mess up the efforts of VYPE's staff and volunteers. The inaugural event couldn't be called anything less than a great success.


Friday, July 11, 2008

VYPE First Day Results

Two teams finished with an unblemished record after the completion of pool play in today's action in Northwest Arkansas. Both Pulaski Academy and Shiloh Christian are 6-0 with one game each to play and are eyeing the all-important 1 and 2 seeds for tomorrow's tournament. In the 30-team tournament, the 1 and 2 seeds will receive byes in the 1st round and neither will play a seed higher than 27th in the second round.

As for biggest surprises, Hot Springs Lakeside has to be pleased with their performance as they finished the day 5-1, with their only loss coming to Rogers (4-1). who lost 29-28 to Harrison (2-4). Another pleasant surprise is the play of one of the out-of-state teams, Sherman, TX (5-1). Sherman's lone loss was to Har-Ber (5-1), whose lone loss was to Nashville (3-2-1).

There are several disappointments from today, but the three biggest has to be Bentonville (1-5), CAC (0-5-1), and Bryant (1-4). Bentonville squeaked out a 22-20 win over Arkansas Baptist (1-4-1) in the first game of the day, but their offense has struggled to put points on the board. CAC has made some plays with their defense, but they look out-of-sync on offense. Their lone bright spot for the day was a tie with their former 4A-7 rival, Nashville. Bryant played very well en route to winning the Hoffman Henry Summer Showdown; however, they have lost some close games. They lost by 2 points to Lake Hamilton (5-1) and Har-Ber JV (3-3) and by 9 points to Shiloh. Siloam Springs (4-2) gave them their only big loss with a 26-10 defeat of the Hornets.

Tomorrow will continue with one or two pool play games left for each team. There will be three rounds of games beginning at 9:25. The single-elimination championship tournament will begin at 1:00. Pool play results only determined seeding for the tournament. All teams still have an opportunity to take home the gold. First round losers will go home, but there will be a consolation bracket for teams who are able to make it out of the first round before losing. There is also a third-place game for the losers of the semifinals. The championship game, third-place game, and consolation finals will be at 5:00.

For a full listing of scores, visit the tournament's official website, VYPE Select 7-on-7.

Here are the current standings with the remaining opponent in parenthesis:

Pool A
Pulaski Academy 6-0 (Lonoke)
Rogers Heritage 4-2 (Sherman, TX)
Blue Valley, KS 4-2 (Har-Ber)
Russellville 3-3 (Nashville)
Arkansas Baptist 1-4-1 (CAC)
Greene County Tech 1-4-1 (Northside)
Bentonville 1-5 (Gravette)

Pool B
Shiloh Christian 6-0 (Har-Ber JV)
Lake Hamilton 5-1 (Siloam Springs)
Siloam Springs 4-2 (Lake Hamilton)
Fayetteville 3-2 (Bryant and Des Arc)
Har-Ber JV 3-3 (Shiloh Christian)
Bryant 1-4 (Fayetteville and Gentry)
Des Arc 0-5 (Gentry and Fayetteville)
Gentry 0-5 (Des Arc and Bryant)

Pool C
Har-Ber 5-1 (Blue Valley, KS)
Sherman, TX 5-1 (Rogers Heritage)
Nashville 3-2-1 (Russellville)
Gravette 3-3 (Bentonville)
Northside 2-4 (Greene County Tech)
Lonoke 2-4 (Pulaski Academy)
CAC 0-5-1 (Arkansas Baptist)

Pool D
Lakeside 5-1 (Harrison)
Rogers 4-1 (LR Christian and Elkins)
Springdale 4-2 (West Fork)
LR Christian 3-2 (Rogers and Marshfield)
West Fork 3-3 (Springdale)
Harrison 2-4 (Lakeside)
Elkins 1-4 (Marshfield and Rogers)
Marshfield, MO 0-5 (Elkins and LR Christian)

VYPE Update (with Standings)

Due to 4.5 inches of rain in Fayetteville on Wednesday and Thursday, the schedule for the VYPE Select 7-on-7 had to be shuffled a bit but has gone off without a hitch for the first session. Please note the scores as well as the schedule changes from the VYPE website.

Realize that there are lots of games still to be played, but here are the standings after the first session.

Pool A
Pulaski Academy 4-0
Blue Valley (KS) 3-1
Rogers Heritage 2-1
Russellville 1-1
Greene County Tech 1-3
Bentonville 1-3
Arkansas Baptist 0-3

Pool B
Lake Hamilton 3-0
Shiloh Christian 3-0
Har-Ber JV 3-0
Siloam Springs 2-1
Fayetteville 1-2
Bryant 0-3
Des Arc 0-3
Gentry 0-3

Pool C
Har-Ber 3-0
Gravette 3-1
Nashville 2-2
Northside 2-2
Sherman (TX) 1-1
Lonoke 1-3
Central Arkansas Christian 0-3

Pool D
Lakeside 3-0
Harrison 2-1
Rogers 2-1
Springdale 2-1
Elkins 1-2
LR Christian 1-2
West Fork 1-2
Marshfield (MO) 0-3

Please check back after tonight's games for more updates.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

VYPE Select 7-on-7 Tournament Preview


Thirty teams will make an appearance in Northwest Arkansas this weekend for the largest 7-on-7 tournament in the state. The inaugural VYPE Select 7-on-7 Tournament is loaded with most of the best teams from around the state of Arkansas as well as one team each from Kansas, Missouri, and Texas.

Lake Hamilton looks to capture the Arkansas 7-on-7 Triple Crown, a term we're using to describe winning the Sonic Air Raid, Shootout of the South, and the VYPE Select -- Arkansas' three largest 7-on-7 tournaments. With the absence of the FCA State Championship, a tournament that the Wolves won to round out last summer, winning this tournament would leave little doubt of who is the best 7-on-7 team in Arkansas.

There will be several unknowns that leave us with questions as to how this tournament may play itself out. First, no one ever knows what to expect from teams from out of state. It would be hard to believe that Blue Valley (Stillwell, KS), Marshfield (MO), and Sherman (TX) would travel and cross state lines to simply prove they are a pushover, so I expect each of them to be competitive. Secondly, how will some bigger name teams that don't typically attend weekend tournaments fair in this highly competitive event. Specifically, Nashville, Bentonville, and Fort Smith Northside are three teams that we usually don't see out on the 7-on-7 circuit, but they will be doused heavily in it for the VYPE Select competition. The last major unknown will be how new program Rogers Heritage as well as how Greene County Tech, under new head coach Jeff Conaway will perform.

Although this tournament will answer several of those unknowns, here is what is not unknown. This will be a tough tournament with some very good "known" 7-on-7 teams. Fayetteville, Rogers, Har-Ber, and Springdale are 7A schools that won't have to travel far to strut their stuff and battle for a championship. Other teams we feel could take home gold are Bryant and four private schools: Pulaski Academy, Shiloh Christian, Central Arkansas Christian, and Little Rock Christian Academy.

Pool play will begin at 1:00 on Friday and should end just before 8:00 pm. The final pool play game for each team will be Saturday morning at 10:00 or 10:35. The tournament will begin at 1:00 with the finals slated for 4:30. All games will be played on the University of Arkansas campus at the Walker Pavilion Indoor Facility, Razorback Practice Fields, and the Intramural Fields.

Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald Youth Foundation in Northwest Arkansas.

For even more information about this tournament, visit VYPE online at http://www.vype.com/westernarkansas/, or visit http://www.vype.com/westernarkansas/7on7info.php for the official website for the tournament. Also, be sure to check back with us Friday night for pictures, results, and analysis.

Below are the pools followed by the pool play schedule:
(our predicted pool winners in bold)

Pool A: Arkansas Baptist, Bentonville, Blue Valley (KS), Greene County Tech, Pulaski Academy, Russellville, Rogers Heritage

Pool B: Bryant, Des Arc, Fayetteville, Gentry, Lake Hamilton, Har-Ber JV, Siloam Springs, Shiloh Christian

Pool C: Central Arkansas Christian, Gravette, Fort Smith Northside, Lonoke, Nashville, Sherman (TX), Springdale Har-Ber

Pool D: Harrison, Hot Springs Lakeside, Little Rock Christian, Marshfield, Elkins, Rogers, Springdale, West Fork

SCHEDULE:
Friday, July 11
1:00 PM
Prac 1 Arkansas Baptist v Russellville
Prac 2 Bentonville v Greene County Tech
Indoor 1 Blue Valley, KS v Heritage
Indoor 2 Pulaski Academy v Lonoke
Intra 1 Bryant v Lake Hamilton
Intra 2 Des Arc v Har-Ber # 2
Intra 3 Gentry v Shiloh Christian
Intra 4 Fayetteville v Siloam Springs

1:35 PM
Prac 1 Central Arkansas Christian v Nashville
Prac 2 Gravette v Northside
Indoor 1 Har-Ber v Sherman, TX
Intra 1 West Fork v LR Christian
Intra 2 Harrison v Marshfield
Intra 3 Springdale v Rogers
Intra 4 HS Lakeside v Elkins

2:10 PM
Prac 1 Blue Valley, KS v Har-Ber
Prac 2 Pulaski Academy v Russellville
Indoor 1 Arkansas Baptist v Greene County Tech
Indoor 2 Bentonville v Heritage
Intra 1 Fayetteville v Shiloh Christian
Intra 2 Gentry v Lake Hamilton
Intra 3 Bryant v Har-Ber # 2
Intra 4 Des Arc v Siloam Springs

2:45 PM
Prac 2 Lonoke v Nashville
Indoor 1 Central Arkansas Christian v Northside
Indoor 2 Gravette v Sherman, TX
Intra 1 Springdale v Elkins
Intra 2 HS Lakeside v LR Christian
Intra 3 West Fork v Marshfield
Intra 4 Harrison v Rogers

3:20 PM
Prac 1 Arkansas Baptist v Heritage
Prac 2 Bentonville v Gravette
Indoor 1 Pulaski Academy v Greene County Tech
Indoor 2 Blue Valley, KS v Russellville
Intra 1 Bryant v Siloam Springs
Intra 2 Fayetteville v Lake Hamilton
Intra 3 Gentry v Har-Ber # 2
Intra 4 Des Arc v Shiloh Christian

3:55 PM
Prac 1 Central Arkansas Christian v Sherman, TX
Indoor 1 Lonoke v Northside
Indoor 2 Har-Ber v Nashville
Intra 1 West Fork v Rogers
Intra 2 Springdale v LR Christian
Intra 3 HS Lakeside v Marshfield
Intra 4 Harrison v Elkins

4:30 PM
Prac 1 Bryant v Shiloh Christian
Prac 2 Des Arc v Lake Hamilton
Indoor 1 Fayetteville v Har-Ber # 2
Indoor 2 Siloam Springs v Gentry
Intra 1 Arkansas Baptist v Central Arkansas Christian
Intra 2 Bentonville v Russellville
Intra 3 Pulaski Academy v Heritage
Intra 4 Blue Valley, KS v Greene County Tech

5:05 PM
Prac 1 Springdale v Marshfield
Prac 2 HS Lakeside v Rogers
Indoor 1 West Fork v Elkins
Indoor 2 Harrison v LR Christian
Intra 1 Gravette v Nashville
Intra 2 Lonoke v Sherman, TX
Intra 3 Northside v Har-Ber

5:40 PM
Prac 1 Lake Hamilton v Har-Ber # 2
Prac 2 Shiloh Christian v Siloam Springs
Indoor 1 Des Arc v Bryant
Indoor 2 Gentry v Fayetteville
Intra 1 Pulaski Academy v Blue Valley, KS
Intra 2 Russellville v Nashville
Intra 3 Bentonville v Arkansas Baptist
Intra 4 Greene County Tech v Heritage

6:15 PM
Prac 1 West Fork v Harrison
Prac 2 HS Lakeside v Springdale
Indoor 1 Rogers v Marshfield
Indoor 2 Elkins v LR Christian
Intra 1 Sherman, TX v Northside
Intra 2 Central Arkansas Christian v Gravette
Intra 3 Har-Ber v Lonoke

6:50 PM
Prac 1 Gentry v Des Arc
Prac 2 Bryant v Fayetteville
Indoor 1 Har-Ber # 2 v Siloam Springs
Indoor 2 Shiloh Christian v Lake Hamilton
Intra 1 Pulaski Academy v Arkansas Baptist
Intra 2 Blue Valley, KS v Bentonville
Intra 3 Greene County Tech v Northside
Intra 4 Russellville v Heritage

7:25 PM
Prac 1 LR Christian v Rogers
Prac 2 Elkins v Marshfield
Indoor 1 Springdale v Harrison
Indoor 2 HS Lakeside v West Fork
Intra 1 Central Arkansas Christian v Lonoke
Intra 2 Sherman, TX v Nashville
Intra 3 Gravette v Har-Ber

Saturday, July 12
10:00 AM
Prac 1 Arkansas Baptist v Blue Valley, KS
Prac 2 Pulaski Academy v Bentonville
Indoor 1 Lake Hamilton v Siloam Springs
Indoor 2 Har-Ber # 2 v Shiloh Christian
Intra 1 Greene County Tech v Russellville
Intra 2 Sherman, TX v Heritage
Intra 3 Bryant v Gentry
Intra 4 Fayetteville v Des Arc

10:35 AM
Prac 1 Central Arkansas Christian v Har-Ber
Prac 2 Lonoke v Gravette
Indoor 1 LR Christian v Rogers
Indoor 2 Marshfield v Elkins
Intra 1 Nashville v Northside
Intra 2 West Fork v Springdale
Intra 3 Harrison v HS Lakeside

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Fountain Lake Tournament Preview

Fountain Lake will be hosting Arkansas' longest running (13 years) annual 7-on-7 tournaments this Saturday, July 12. Although the VYPE Select 7-on-7 tournament is being held the same weekend, the Fountain Lake coaching staff was still able to round up a full tournament field made up of some very solid teams.

The tournament will feature 14 teams split into 2 pools of 7. Each team will play everyone in their pool for a guarantee of 6 games. The top 2 teams from each pool will advance to play in a 4-team tournament for the championship. Here are the pools:

Pool A - Ashdown, DeQueen, Dierks, Fountain Lake JV, Hot Springs, Hoxie, Perryville
Pool B - Centerpoint, DeWitt, Fountain Lake, Gosnell, Jessieville, Lakeside, Magnet Cove

It will be difficult for any team to run the table in either pool. In pool A, Ashdown may be the favorite because of their athleticism and new offense, but Hot Springs has shown that they can play with anybody as evidenced by their performance in last year's event. You can never count out Dierks because of their 7-on-7 State Championship two years ago. Perryville had some big wins last year at both the Mustang Mountain 7-on-7 and the FCA State 7-on-7 Tournament at War Memorial.

In pool B, we feel that Lakeside and Fountain Lake will be the favorites mainly because of so many of these teams being unfamiliar to us. In fact, to our knowledge most of these teams are run-oriented teams with the exception of Lakeside. This doesn't mean they are not successful in 7-on-7, we just are not able to predict how well they will do because of our lack of experience in watching them in 7-on-7's.

Schedule:
9:00 Centerpoint v Magnet Cove
9:00 Hot Springs v Fountain Lake JV

9:25 Lakeside v Jessieville
9:25 Dierks v Perryville

9:50 Fountain Lake v DeWitt
9:50 DeQueen v Ashdown

10:15 Gosnell v Jessieville
10:15 Hoxie v Perryville

10:40 Centerpoint v DeWitt
10:40 Hot Springs v Ashdown

11:05 Lakeside v Fountain Lake
11:05 Dierks v DeQueen

11:30 Magnet Cove v DeWitt
11:30 Ashdown v Fountain Lake JV

11:55 Gosnell v Fountain Lake
11:55 Hoxie v DeQueen

12:20 Centerpoint v Lakeside
12:20 Hot Springs v Dierks

12:45 Jessieville v Fountain Lake
12:45 Perryville v DeQueen

1:10 Magnet Cove v Lakeside
1:10 Dierks v Fountain Lake JV

1:35 Gosnell v Centerpoint
1:35 Hot Springs v Hoxie

2:00 Lakeside v DeWitt
2:00 Ashdown v Dierks

2:25 Jessieville v Centerpoint
2:25 Perryville v Hot Springs

2:50 Magnet Cove v Gosnell
2:50 Fountain Lake JV v Hoxie

3:15 Fountain Lake v Centerpoint
3:15 Hot Springs v DeQueen

3:40 DeWitt v Gosnell
3:40 Ashdown v Hoxie

4:05 Jessieville v Magnet Cove
4:05 Perryville v Fountain Lake JV

4:30 Lakeside v Gosnell
4:30 DeQueen v Hoxie

4:55 Fountain Lake v Magnet Cove
4:55 DeQueen v Fountain Lake JV

5:20 DeWitt v Jessieville
5:20 Ashdown v Perryville

5:45 Tournament Game 1 - Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
5:45 Tournament Game 2 - Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool B

6:15 Championship - Winner Game 1 v Winner Game 2

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Why 7 on 7?...Defensive Backs and Linebackers

This is the third of a series of articles about reasons why teams should participate in 7-on-7 football during the summer. This article discusses the benefits for defensive players participating in 7-on-7 competitions.

Although it is evident that 7-on-7 is a necessity for passing teams, some people wonder why a dominant rushing team like Little Rock Central or West Memphis would participate in what some may view as simply a passing competition. There are many reasons, but one of the main reasons is to develop their defensive players against the pass. The biggest advantages for defensive players participating in 7-on-7 is learning and practicing their coverages, defending live plays, and gaining an understanding of what offenses are trying to do against them.

There are only so many coverages that can be run in football, so defensive 7-on-7 is limited in many aspects since defenders are not blitzing and covering for blitzes. However, 7-on-7 does give defensive backs and linebackers the opportunity to practice each of their coverages. It also gives them repetitions for situational coverage. For example, a coach may call cover three or four on 3rd and 15. The linebackers will learn that it’s okay to give up an 8-yard route in that situation They’ll also learn that playing a coverage on 2nd and 10 will be defended differently than a 3rd and 2, regardless of the coverage.

One of the quandaries that coaches are faced with is how to practice against “game speed.” Even when players are going full speed in practice with first team offense against a first team defense, the intensity of “game speed” is not present. However, competition helps bring out the intensity and adrenaline of a game. 7-on-7 competitions allow defensive players to see a full speed play develop with receivers attacking their zone and having to break on the football. Obviously, this does not replicate a real football game, but it is great practice for pass defense for a secondary and linebackers. In fact, just about every team has a “skeleton” drill, which is basically the same as 7-on-7, that they incorporate in their practices each week in preparation for Friday nights.

Possibly the biggest benefit that defenders, particularly deep defenders, receive from 7-on-7 is an understanding of how a passing offense is trying to attack them. If a safety is in cover three and knows that a team will try to run two verticals on each side of him, he can be aware and get depth without committing to either side. He is in a bind as it is, but if he can delay the read for the quarterback, he will give his rushers more time to get pressure. A deep-third cornerback on a multiple receiver side will come to understand that if the outside receiver runs a 10-yard out in front of him, then he must be aware of the #2 or #3 receiver running a deep route behind him. All of this knowledge and practice doesn’t mean these defenders will be able to stop these combination routes, but it does give them some forward thought to anticipate what the offense is trying to do, and they can do things to make it more difficult on an offense or even make more plays based on what they’ve experienced.

Defending the pass is one of the most difficult things to do in football. That is why we are seeing more spread offenses forming and becoming successful, and that is why 7-on-7 for rushing teams is becoming more common.

As we continue in our series, we will discuss reasons it is good for the development of a coach to be involved in 7-on-7 football.