Inaugural Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Begins Friday

Shiloh Christian will host the inaugural Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase this Friday and Saturday in Springdale. The tournament will provide spectators with exciting games as some of the top teams in Northwest Arkansas and some strong out-of-state competition will be there.

There will be 12 teams divided into two pools of six. Each team will play five intrapool games and two games from teams outside their pool. The tournament will be after lunch on Saturday with seeding being from the teams' pool play record.

Arkansas Teams:

Shiloh Christian - The Saints are one of the top passing teams in the state and have one of the most talented junior classes in the state regardless of competition. They have two very good junior quarterbacks in Kiehl Frazier and David Matthews. They are the defending 4A State Champions.

Bentonville - The Tigers are the 7A State Champions and will threaten for the title again this year as they return almost everyone on the offensive side of the ball. They have one of the best coaches in the history of Arkansas High School football, in Barry Lunney, Sr. He is one of the pioneers of the spread offense in Arkansas, however, Bentonville has not been historically strong in 7-on-7 competition.

Arkansas Baptist - The Eagles are not traditionally a top team in their classification, but they have fared well the last few years in 7-on-7 competitions. That can partly be attributed to their quarterback, Logan Quinn, and his go-to receiver, Greg Bowie. Bowie is gone, but Quinn will still be leading the team as the signal caller.

Mayflower - The Eagles are coming off one of their best seasons in history, but they have graduated many of the reasons why. However, Coach Jed Davis is ready to show that this team is not going to just lay down. They competed well at the Shootout of the South with their only big loss coming to Fayetteville.

Har-Ber - All you need to know is that the Wildcats are the defending 7-on-7 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. They will also be one of the favorites to win the 7A title this year.

Fayetteville - The Purple Dogs won the Shootout of the South, rolling through pool play and the tournament undefeated and almost unchallenged. They have arguably the best quarterback in the state in junior Brandon Allen. They also have a very athletic and polished receiving corps.

Springdale - The Red Dogs are coming off of a tough season but will return 13 starters off of that 5-6 team. In order to do well this weekend, they will need junior quarterback Joseph Calcagni and some receivers to step in for graduated Missouri commit Ashton Glaser and one of the state's best receivers last year, Ladarius Eckwood.

Siloam Springs - The Panthers are building a tradition as they have been to the playoffs for four straight years in the tough 5A West. They are now under first year head coach Bryan Ross, who has been the offensive coordinator. Siloam should do well this weekend with their offensive and defensive systems, but they are relatively new on the 7-on-7 circuit.

Out of State Teams:

Jenks (OK) - The Trojans were the 6A runners-up last year and have one of the best programs in the region.

Muskogee (OK) - The Roughers finished 7-4 last sason and were conference runners-up.

Metro Christian (Tulsa, OK) - The Patriots finished 9-3 last season under first year head coach Jared McCoy.

Neosho (MO) - The Wildcats finished 8-4 last season and finished first in conference.
UPDATE: NEOSHO WILL NOT BE ATTENDING. SHILOH JUNIOR VARSITY WILL BE TAKING THEIR PLACE ON THE SCHEDULE.



We feel the favorites for the tournament are Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian. Both teams boast great quarterbacks and well-polished receivers with great offensive systems. Although Har-Ber is the defending national champions, they may not have the experience at quarterback to string together enough wins against these teams to win this tournament.

Admission for the tournament is free. Concessions will be available and will be ran by Chik Fil A.

The schedule for the weekend can be found here: http://www.pinnaclepreps.com/2009poolplay.pdf

More information on the tournament can be found on the tournaments website: http://elite7on7.com/