Saturday, July 23, 2011

Fayetteville, Shiloh Christian Eliminated at National Select 7-on-7

After playing well to end Friday, Fayetteville suffered 2 defeats to end their hopes at the National Select 7-on-7 title.  The Purple Bulldogs offense never showed up as they lost the first game 36-3 to Prattville (AL).  They moved into the loser's bracket to play Oxford (AL) and won that game.  The Bulldogs played Lassiter (GA) in the loser's bracket quarterfinals.  In a nail biter, the 'Dogs lost 32-25.  Fayetteville was down 1 with 10 seconds left.  They were forced to play tight man coverage and gave up a touchdown to put the final margin to 7.  An interception or stop by the Bulldogs would have given them the victory.

Shiloh Christian won its first game of the day on Saturday over Aurora Christian 22-20.  Their tournament hopes ended with a 35-20 loss to Oxford (AL).

Again, Arkansas Football Bloggers would like to congratulate both of these teams for going out and representing Arkansas in this national event. 

Fayetteville Gets Huge Win at Hoover / Shiloh Looks to Battle out of Losers' Bracket

As we reported Thursday, both Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian are competing this weekend in the Select 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, Alabama.  Pool play was completed on Friday as well as the first two rounds of the 32-team double-elimination tournament.

Fayetteville finished their pool as the 3rd best team out of 8 total at 4-3.  After starting Thursday with a big comeback win, 32-17, over Kenton (OH), home of Missouri QB commit Maty Mauk, and a win over Dorman (Roebuck, SC), 33-24, the Bulldogs offense was completely inept in a 26-3 loss to Allentown Central Catholic (PA), scoring only on an interception as time expired.  Fayetteville finished Thursday off by defeating Hoover's B-team, 34-18.

Right out of the gates Friday morning, Fayetteville dropped a close shootout with a 41-38 loss to George Washington Carver (Montgomery, AL).  They then defeated Memphis University School, 28-9, before receiving what is most likely their most embarrassing loss ever in 7-on-7 as Grayson (Loganville, GA) put a 46-6 beat down on the Bulldogs.

Fayetteville's 4-3 pool play record earned them the 15th seed, which pitted them against the 18th seeded Walker (Jasper, AL).  Fayetteville won that game, 41-20, which earned them a meeting with the undefeated host school, Hoover, who was 8-0 heading into the game.  Fayetteville upset the nationally renown Buccaneers, 34-21, to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the winners' bracket.  They will face #10 seed Prattville (AL) at 9:00 this morning with the winner to take on the winner of #3 seed Mandeville (LA) and #6 seed Lassiter (Marietta, GA).  Prattville was 4-2-1 in pool play, notably defeating Shiloh Christian (26-17), losing to Hoover (42-15), and tying Walker (25-25).

Shiloh Christian began pool play on Thursday at 0-3, but picked up a big win over McPherson to finish the day 1-3.  They had a much better day on Friday as they picked up a win over Walker, 29-21, tied Flowery Branch, 19-19, and had Aurora Christian down 21-7 before allowing them to come back and win, 23-21.  They finished pool play 5th out of 8 teams with a 2-4-1 record.

The Saints entered the tournament on Friday afternoon as the #22 seed and upset #11 seed Dorman, 27-20.  Dorman was 4-2-1 in pool play, finishing above Fayetteville in their pool.  However, Shiloh lost their second round game to #6 seed Lassiter, 29-10.  They will now face the winner of #20 seed Aurora Christian and #29 seed Brighton at 8:30 this morning.  Shiloh lost to both of those teams in pool play as they dropped a close one to Aurora Christian and served as Brighton's only win of the tournament, a 37-6 shellacking on Thursday.

Arkansas Football Bloggers would like to congratulate both of these teams for going out and representing Arkansas in this national event.  We think that Shiloh knew they would be overmatched, but they have had some good wins and should have some fight left in them.  We believe they will win both their 8:30 and 9:00 games, but we predict that will be where their road ends as they would then play at 9:30 (their third game in a row) against the loser of Prattville and Fayetteville.  Just to note, in order to win the tournament, Shiloh would have to win at 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, and at 1:00 in the if necessary game.  For those who aren't counting, that is a 9 game winning streak playing 3 games in a row, being off one game, then playing 6 straight games.  The only good news is that the forecast calls for temperatures below 90 degrees.

As for our predictions on Fayetteville, we have felt all along that they have the ability to beat every team at the tournament, and they showed that with their upset of Hoover.  They have a very good draw in the quarterfinal game against Prattville.  If they win that game, then they will be in a great position to win the tournament.  However, if they drop that game, then they will be in almost the same position that Shiloh is in, and it will be just about impossible to string together enough wins in a row to win it all.

If you are interested in watching the webcast of the games, it appears that all games after 10:00 for Shiloh and Fayetteville will be viewable live online or via archived replay.  Click here for that link.  Also, a complete bracket can be downloaded online by clicking here.


Fayetteville's Results (entering Saturday)
Thursday
  • 3:00 Kenton (Kenton, OH) - W, 32-17
  • 4:00 Dorman (Roebuck, SC) - W, 33-24
  • 5:00 Allentown Central Catholic (Allentown, PA) - L, 26-3
  • 6:00 Hoover-B (Hoover, AL) - W, 34-18
Friday
  • 9:00 George Washington Carver (Montgomery, AL) - L, 41-38
  • 10:00 Memphis University School (Memphis, TN) - W, 28-9
  • 11:00 Grayson (Loganville, GA) - L, 46-6
Tournament
  • FIRST ROUND (Fri 4:00) 
    • Walker (Jasper, AL) - W, 41-20
  • SECOND ROUND (Fri 5:00)
    • Hoover (AL) - W, 34-21
  • QUARTERFINALS OF WINNERS' BRACKET (Sat 9:00)
    • Prattville (AL) - TBD


Shiloh Christian's Results (entering Saturday)
Thursday
  • 3:30 Hoover (Hoover, AL) - L, 46-18
  • 4:30 Prattville (Prattville, AL) - L, 26-17
  • 5:30 Brighton (Brighton, TN) - L, 37-6
  • 6:30 McPherson (McPherson, KS) - W, 23-20
Friday
  • 9:30 Walker (Jasper, AL) - W, 29-21
  • 10:30 Flower Branch (Flowery Branch, GA) - T, 19-19
  • 11:30 Aurora Christian (Aurora, IL) - L, 23-21
Tournament
  • FIRST ROUND (Fri 4:00) 
    • Dorman (Roebuck, SC) - W, 27-20
  • SECOND ROUND (Fri 5:00)
    • Lassiter (Marietta, GA) - L, 29-10
  • LOSERS' BRACKET SECOND ROUND (Sat 8:30)
    • Aurora Christian vs Brighton Winner - TBD

    Thursday, July 21, 2011

    Lake Hamilton Wins Vanderbilt's Music City Classic 7-on-7 Tournament

    Congratulations to Lake Hamilton for winning the Music City Classic 7-on-7 Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee this past weekend.  The Wolves went into the 35-team single-elimination tournament as the 6th seed with a 6-3 record.  They rolled to the championship game defeating Whitehaven, 31-13, Hillsboro, 29-22, Memphis University School, 32-11, and Rochester (IL), 35-10 in the semifinals.  They were matched up against 13-0 Wren (SC) and defeated them in the finals, 32-22.

    Har-Ber also represented Arkansas well as the entered the tournament as the 3rd seed with a 7-2 record before being upset in the 3rd round by 14th seeded Memphis University School, 25-21.

    Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian to Play in National Championship Tournament

    Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian will play in the Select 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, Alabama beginning today and ending on Saturday. All 32 teams competing will play 4 pool play games on Thursday, 3 games on Friday, followed by the beginning of the double-elimination tournament on Friday afternoon.  We wish both teams the best of luck.

    * = Game to be webcasted (LINK)

    Fayetteville's Schedule
    Thursday

    • 3:00 Kenton (Kenton, OH)*
    • 4:00 Dorman (Roebuck, SC)
    • 5:00 Allentown Central Catholic (Allentown, PA)
    • 6:00 Hoover-B (Hoover, AL)

    Friday

    • 9:00 George Washington Carver (Montgomery, AL)
    • 10:00 Memphis University School (Memphis, TN)
    • 11:00 Grayson (Loganville, GA)


    Shiloh Christian's Schedule
    Thursday

    • 3:30 Hoover (Hoover, AL)
    • 4:30 Prattville (Prattville, AL)
    • 5:30 Brighton (Brighton, TN)
    • 6:30 McPherson (McPherson, KS)

    Friday

    • 9:30 Walker (Jasper, AL)
    • 10:30 Flower Branch (Flowery Branch, GA)
    • 11:30 Aurora Christian (Aurora, IL)*

    Wednesday, July 20, 2011

    DeWitt 7-on-7 Tournament Results

    We have the results from DeWitt's 7-on-7 Tournament on Saturday.  Congratulations to DeWitt for winning their own tournament by defeating Dumas in the finals.  DeWitt finished the day at 7-1.

    Pool 1: Hamburg A, DeWitt, Carlisle, Dumas B
    Pool 2: Clarendon, Dumas A, Des Arc, Hamburg B

    9:00
    DeWitt 20 vs. Dumas B 0
    Des Arc 6 vs. Carlisle 16
    Clarendon 9 vs. Dumas A 21

    9:30
    DeWitt 9 vs. Carlisle 6
    Hamburg A 7 vs. Clarendon 9
    Hamburg B 0 vs. Des Arc 14

    10:00
    Hamburg B 0 vs. Dumas A 21
    Dumas B 7 vs Hamburg A 28

    10:30
    Clarendon 8 vs. Des Arc 6
    DeWitt 14 vs. Hamburg A 7
    Carlisle 14 vs. Dumas A 13

    11:00
    DeWitt 11 vs. Dumas A 7
    Clarendon 9 vs. Des Arc 6
    Dumas B 18  vs. Carlisle 24

    11:30
    Hamburg A 11 vs. Des Arc 4
    Hamburg B 16 vs. DeWitt 7
    Clarendon 18 vs. Dumas B 0

    12:00
    Dumas B 7 vs Hamburg B 9
    Carlisle 22 vs. Hamburg A 9
    Dumas A 18 vs. Des Arc 0

    STANDINGS (Only pool play games included)
    Pool A
    DeWitt 3-0
    Carlisle 2-1
    Hamburg A 1-2
    Dumas B 0-3

    Pool B
    Dumas A 3-0
    Clarendon 2-1
    Des Arc 1-2
    Hamburg B 0-3

    FIRST ROUND
    Dumas A 23, Dumas B 18
    Des Arc 21, Carlisle 16
    DeWitt 23, Hamburg B 21
    Hamburg A 16, Clarendon 7

    SEMIFINALS
    Dumas A 32, Des Arc 0
    DeWitt 16, Hamburg A 14

    FINALS
    DeWitt 28, Dumas A 14

    3RD PLACE GAME
    Des Arc 22, Hamburg A 14

    CONSOLATION BRACKET
    Carlisle 30, Dumas B 11
    Clarendon 16, Hamburg B 14

    5TH PLACE GAME
    Carlisle 37, Clarendon 21

    Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    2011 SEARK Shootout 7-on-7 Results

    Thanks to Coach Chris Norton for posting this for us. Coach Norton was an assistant at Hermitage, but is now at Claiborne Academy in Haynesville, Louisiana.


    The Fordyce Redbugs, who finished third in the 2010 event, won the 2011 SEARK Shootout on Tuesday at Hermitage High School. Fordyce went 6-0 on the day, capping it off with a 28-21 victory in 2OT over Smackover for the title.

    Pool A: Fordyce, Poyen, Norphlet, Ouachita Christian JV
    2:00 - Fordyce 25 vs. OCS JV 7
    2:30 - Norphlet 23 vs. Poyen 8
    3:00 - Norphlet 23 vs. OCS JV 21
    3:30 - Fordyce 16 vs. Poyen 0
    4:00 - Poyen 29 vs. OCS JV 28
    4:30 - Fordyce 18 vs. Norphlet 8

    Fordyce 3-0, Norphlet 2-1, Poyen 1-2, OCS JV 0-3

    Pool B: Hermitage, Hamburg, England, Smackover
    2:00 - Smackover 23 vs. Hamburg 13
    2:30 - Hermitage 8 vs. England 4
    3:00 - Smackover 41 vs. Hermitage 6
    3:30 - England 18 vs. Hamburg 0
    4:00 - England 30 vs. Smackover 21
    4:30 - Hamburg 11 vs. Hermitage 4

    England 2-1, Smackover 2-1, Hamburg 1-2, Hermitage 1-2

    Pool C: Camden Harmony Grove, Ouachita Christian B, Drew Central, Parkers Chapel
    2:00 - Parkers Chapel 25 vs. Drew Central 2
    2:30 - Harmony Grove 40 vs. OCS B 12
    3:00 - Harmony Grove 31 vs. Drew Central 2
    3:30 - Parkers Chapel 23 vs. OCS B 2
    4:00 - Harmony Grove 13 vs. Parkers Chapel 4
    4:30 - OCS B 9 vs. Drew Central 2

    Harmony Grove 3-0, Parkers Chapel 2-1, OCS B 1-2, Drew Central 0-3
    -----------------------------------------
    Tournament Seeding
    1) Harmony Grove
    2) Fordyce
    3) England
    4) Smackover
    5) Norphlet
    6) Parkers Chapel
    7) Poyen
    8} Hamburg
    9) OCS B
    10) Hermitage
    11) OCS JV
    12) Drew Central
    -------------------------------
    Bracket Play
    #8 Hamburg 39 vs. #9 OCS B 7
    #5 Norphlet 21 vs. #12 Drew Central 14
    #7 Poyen 15 vs. #14 Hermitage 14
    #11 OCS JV 23 vs. #6 Parkers Chapel 6

    #1 Camden Harmony Grove 22 vs. #8 Hamburg 0
    #4 Smackover 14 vs. #5 Norphlet 7
    #2 Fordyce 21 vs. #7 Poyen 2
    #11 OCS JV 16 vs. #3 England 2

    #4 Smackover 25 vs. #1 Camden Harmony Grove 2
    #2 Fordyce 30 vs. #11 OCS JV 6

    Championship: #2 Fordyce 28 vs. #4 Smackover 21 - 2 OT
    Third Place: #1 Camden Harmony Grove 25 vs. #11 OCS JV 2

    For additional information, visit the SEARK Shootout website at http://searkshootout.weebly.com.

    Monday, July 18, 2011

    2011 Beast of the East (Hoxie) Tournament Results

    The 2011 "Beast of the East" 7-on-7 tournament was held in Hoxie on Saturday, July 16. Teams competed in small school and big school pools with the winner of each pool playing for the overall title. The indications are that this was the most competitive tournament that Hoxie has hosted to date. The results from the tournament are below:

    Pool A (Small School - Lower Division)
    Hoxie 9, Brookland 0
    Jonesboro JV 7, Gosnell 9
    Highland 18, Cave City 2
    Jonesboro JV 16, Brookland 7
    Highland 16, Gosnell 2
    Hoxie2 14, Cave City 21
    Hoxie 9, Jonesboro JV 2
    Gosnell 25, Brookland 14
    Highland 11, Hoxie2 7
    Cave City 32, Hoxie2
    Brookland 0, Highland 32
    Jonesboro JV 0, Hoxie2 16
    Gosnell 14, Cave City 30
    Hoxie 16, Highland 23
    Brookland 21, Hoxie2 21
    Jonesboro JV 21, Cave City 14
    Gosnell 21, Hoxie 23
    Brookland 7, Cave City 39
    Gosnell 23, Hoxie2 7
    Highland 32, Jonesboro JV 2

    - Highland completes pool play 6-0 to move to championship game.

    Pool A (Large School - Upper Division)
    Greene Co Tech 18, Jonesboro 21
    Valley View 23, Wynne 14
    Forrest City 7,  West Plains 0
    Marion 7, Jonesboro 14
    Greene Co Tech 14, Valley View 21
    Forrest City 21, Wynne 7
    Marion 7, West Plains 2
    Jonesboro 16, Valley View 7
    Wynne 28, Greene Co Tech 14
    Forrest City 2, Marion 11
    West Plains 0, Jonesboro 7
    Greene Co Tech 14, Forrest City 14
    Valley View 14, Marion 16
    Wynne 16, West Plains 18
    Jonesboro 9, Forrest City 16
    Marion 14, Greene Co Tech 28
    Valley View 9, West Plains 7
    Wynne 0, Jonesboro 14
    Greene Co Tech 21, West Plains 14
    Wynne 21, Marion 21
    Forrest City 23, Valley View 0

    - Jonesboro completes pool play 5-1 to move to championship game.

    Championship
    Jonesboro (Upper Division) 23, Highland (Lower Division) 9

    Jonesboro wins the 2011 Beast of the East tournament championship.

    ---

    Thanks to Hoxie Coach Tom Sears for the information on this growing event.

    Sunday, July 17, 2011

    Fountain Lake Wins Perryville 7-on-7

    On Saturday, July 16, Fountain Lake finished off Mansfield in the finals of the Perryville 7-on-7 tournament to become a 3-time winner of that event.

    Here are the game results from Perryville.

    9:30
    Waldron 17, Bigelow 16
    Perryville 0, Two Rivers 11

    9:55
    Perryville JV 7, Dierks 18
    Mansfield 9, Western Yell County 0

    10:20
    Atkins 7, Fountain Lake 50
    Horatio 9, Rose Bud 9 (TIE)

    10:45
    Waldron 7, Dierks 34
    Perryville 32, Western Yell County 7

    11:10
    Perryville JV 7, Fountain Lake 28
    Mansfield 21, Rosebud 7

    11:35
    Atkins 21, Bigelow 39
    Horatio 0, Two Rivers 21

    12:00
    Waldron 2, Fountain Lake 23
    Perryville 0, Rose Bud 32

    12:25
    Perryville JV 4, Bigelow 18
    Mansfield 23, Two Rivers 21

    12:50
    Atkins 4, Dierks 16
    Horatio 23, Western Yell County 14

    1:15
    Waldron 2, Perryville JV 0
    Perryville 16, Mansfield 18

    1:40
    Bigelow 2, Dierks 27
    Two Rivers 21, Western Yell County 7

    2:05
    Perryville JV 0, Atkins 23
    Mansfield 16, Horatio 0

    2:30
    Dierks 0, Fountain Lake 21
    Western Yell County 7, Rose Bud 35

    2:55
    Waldron 7, Atkins 32
    Perryville 30, Horatio 14

    3:20
    Bigelow 16, Fountain Lake 19
    Two Rivers 21, Rose Bud 14

    Semi-Final #1 Fountain Lake DEFEATED Two Rivers  
    Semi-Final #2 Mansfield DEFEATED Dierks

    Finals:  Fountain Lake 23, Mansfield 0

    ---

    Thanks go out to Perryville Media Coordinator Michael Martin for getting us all the great information.

    Saturday, July 16, 2011

    Pulaski Academy Wins 7on7U National Championship

    Pulaski Academy defeated Calvert Hall (MD) 30-26 in the finals of the Mel Kiper, Jr. 7on7U National Championship.  We will have more details later.

    The Bruins will be arrive back in Little Rock with the National Championship hardware tomorrow evening. Congratulations to Coach Kevin Kelley and his Bruins on their great showing in Washington, DC.

    Friday, July 15, 2011

    Pulaski Academy 7on7U Update

    As we mentioned earlier in the week, Pulaski Academy is competing in the Mel Kiper Jr 7-on-7U National Championship.

    On Thursday, they won all three pool play games defeating McDonough (MD), Paint Branch (MD), and Yorktown (VA).

    Here are all of Thursday's results:
    http://7on7u.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=832&Itemid=812

    Today, they competed in an 11-team double-elimination tournament that concluded once all but 4 teams were eliminated.  They drew a first round bye and defeated Linganore (MD) in the 2nd round, Oakton (VA) in the semifinals, and Calvert Hall (Baltimore, MD) in the finals of the winners bracket.  That win earned them a spot in the semifinals on Saturday at 11:00 Eastern time with the finals beginning at noon.

    Today's Red Group Bracket:  http://7on7u.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=815

    Bracket for Championship Saturday: http://7on7u.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=819

    Good luck to the Bruins!

    DeWitt 7-on-7 Tournament Schedule

    DeWitt Coach Doug Corley began the Perryville 7-on-7 Tournament a few years ago that Coach Tucker has continued. When Corley was hired at DeWitt, he created another 7-on-7 tournament at his new school. That tournament is in its 3rd year and will convene this weekend.

    Dumas will bring two teams, and we feel their first team will win this tournament. Carlisle has some talented players that may challenge the Bobcats for that title. It appears that England played well at the SEARK Shootout on Tuesday, entering the tournament as the #3 seed. We are unfamiliar with Des Arc and Clarendon this summer, so we are not sure what expect out of them.

    Pool 1: DeWitt, Dumas 2, Carlisle, Des Arc
    Pool 2: Dumas 1, Hamburg, Clarendon, England*

    9:00
    DeWitt vs. Dumas 2
    Des Arc vs. Carlisle
    Clarendon vs. Dumas 1

    9:30
    DeWitt vs. Carlisle
    Dumas 2 vs. Clarendon
    Hamburg vs. England

    10:00
    Hamburg vs. Dumas 1
    Des Arc vs. England

    10:30
    Clarendon vs. England
    DeWitt vs. Des Arc
    Carlisle vs. Dumas 1

    11:00
    DeWitt vs. Dumas 1
    Clarendon vs. Hamburg
    Dumas 2 vs. Carlisle

    11:30
    Carlisle vs. England
    Dumas 2 vs. Hamburg
    Des Arc vs. Clarendon

    12:00
    Dumas 1 vs. England
    DeWitt vs. Hamburg
    Dumas 2 vs. Des Arc

    1:30
    Tournament Begins (Seeding done with intrapool games only)

    * England may not be able to make it.  If they drop out, DeWitt will field a second team to replace them on the schedule.

    Perryville 7-on-7 Tournament Schedule

    The Perryville 7-on-7 Tournament is set for Saturday, July 16 starting at 9:30.  Twelve teams will battle it out to try to bring home the championship.  The teams will be divided into two pools, and each pool will play a round robin.  The top two in each pool will advance to the semifinals at 3:55 with the finals slated to begin at 4:30.

    Fountain Lake is the two-time defending champion and is our favorite to grab the hardware again this year after their championship performance in their own tournament last weekend.  Dierks may be the wild card as they won the FCA State 7 on 7 Championship in 2004, but we haven't seen their name come up on the 7-on-7 circuit lately.  Mansfield and Perryville will hope to challenge the Cobras, but we are picking Rose Bud to win Pool B and meet Fountain Lake in the finals.

    Pool A
    • Waldron
    • Walnut Ridge
    • Atkins
    • Bigelow
    • Dierks
    • Fountain Lake
    Pool B
    • Perryville
    • Mansfield
    • Horatio
    • Two Rivers
    • Western Yell County
    • Rose Bud
    9:30
    Waldron vs Bigelow
    Perryville vs Two Rivers

    9:55
    Walnut Ridge vs Dierks
    Mansfield vs Western Yell County

    10:20
    Atkins vs Fountain Lake
    Horatio vs Rose Bud

    10:45
    Waldron vs Dierks
    Perryville vs Western Yell County

    11:10
    Walnut Ridge vs Fountain Lake
    Mansfield vs Rosebud

    11:35
    Atkins vs Bigelow
    Horatio vs Two Rivers

    12:00
    Waldron vs Fountain Lake
    Perryville vs Rose Bud

    12:25
    Walnut Ridge vs Bigelow
    Mansfield vs Two Rivers

    12:50
    Atkins vs Dierks
    Horatio vs Western Yell County

    1:15
    Waldron vs Walnut Ridge
    Perryville vs Mansfield

    1:40
    Bigelow vs Dierks
    Two Rivers vs Western Yell County

    2:05
    Walnut Ridge vs Atkins
    Mansfield vs Horatio

    2:30
    Dierks vs Fountain Lake
    Western Yell County vs Rose Bud

    2:55
    Waldron vs Atkins
    Perryville vs Horatio

    3:20
    Bigelow vs Fountain Lake
    Two Rivers vs Rose Bud

    3:55
    Semi-Finals

    4:30
    Finals

    Henderson State University 7-on-7 Tournament Schedule

    On Saturday, July 16, Henderson State will host an 8-team tournament in Arkadelphia beginning at 9 a.m.  These teams will be some of the first, if not the first to compete on HSU's new artificial turf field.  This event will divide the teams into 2 pools of 4 teams.  Each team will play a team in their pool plus a 4th game against a team in the other pool.  They will then break for lunch and come back for the tournament in the afternoon beginning at 12:15.

    We fully expect Bryant (#6 in our Top 10) to come away with an undefeated championship at the end of this day.  The question is who they will play in the finals.  Any team in their pool has a chance, but our odds makers* put Catholic as the favorite followed by Fordyce from Pool B.  Fordyce is fresh off a championship at the SEARK Shootout on Tuesday.  We feel their chances are dramatically hampered by their depth.  By the time the 6th or 7th game rolls around, they may not have the legs to compete with the larger 6A and 7A schools.

    A big thanks to Henderson State assistant coach, Tyler Gower, for organizing this tournament and getting us this information.

    Pool A
    • Bryant
    • LR Catholic
    • Benton
    • Ashdown
    Pool B
    • Fordyce
    • Benton JV
    • Poyen
    • DeQueen

    9:00
    Bryant vs. Ashdown (Game field)
    LR Catholic vs. Benton (Game field)
    Fordyce vs. Benton JV (Practice field)
    Poyen vs. DeQueen (Practice field)

    9:35
    LR Catholic vs. Bryant (GF)
    Benton vs. Ashdown (GF)
    Fordyce vs. DeQueen (PF)
    Benton JV vs. Poyen (PF)

    10:05
    Benton JV vs. DeQueen (GF)
    Poyen vs. Fordyce (GF)
    Bryant vs. Benton (PF)
    LR Catholic vs. Ashdown (PF)

    10:35
    Benton vs. Poyen (GF)
    Bryant vs. Fordyce (GF)
    Ashdown vs. Benton JV (PF)
    LR Catholic vs. DeQueen (PF)

    11:05-12:05
    LUNCH

    12:15
    Tournament Begins

    Thursday, July 14, 2011

    Hoxie 7 on 7 Tournament Schedule

    Coach Tom Sears and his Hoxie Mustangs will host 1 of 5 reported tournaments that will be going on this weekend around Arkansas.  The tournament will consist of 14 teams divided into 2 divisions - large school and small school.  A round robin will be played for each division with the top 2 teams playing for a championship in their division.

    We're going to plead ignorance as we have seen very few of these teams' results from other tournaments much less seen them play. With that in mind, we predict Bald Knob to defeat Gosnell for the lower division championship, and Jonesboro to defeat Valley View in the upper division. Valley View may struggle with the athletes that Wynne, Forrest City, and Marion throw at them, but we think their proficiency in the spread offense will allow them to be consistent enough to finish in the top 2. Also, don't be surprised if host school, Hoxie, or Cave City challenge for the title for the small schools.

    Pool A Pool B
    HOXIE GREENE COUNTY TECH
    JONESBORO JV JONESBORO
    BROOKLAND VALLEY VIEW
    GOSNELL WYNNE
    HIGHLAND FORREST CITY
    CAVE CITY WEST PLAINS
    BALD KNOB MARION
    9:00 Hoxie vs. Brookland GCT vs. Jonesboro
    9:25 Jonesboro JV vs. Gosnell Valley View vs. Wynne
    9:50 Highland vs. Cave City Forrest City vs. West Plains
    10:15 Bald Knob vs. Hoxie Marion vs. Jonesboro
    10:40 Jonesboro JV vs. Brookland GCT vs. Valley View
    11:05 Highland vs. Gosnell Forrest City vs. Wynne
    11:30 Bald Knob vs. Cave City Marion vs. West Plains
    11:55 Hoxie vs. Jonesboro JV Jonesboro vs. Valley View
    12:20 Gosnell vs. Brookland Wynne vs. GCT
    12:45 Highland vs. Bald Knob Forrest City vs. Marion
    1:10 Cave City vs. Hoxie West Plains vs. Jonesboro
    1:35 Brookland vs. Highland GCT vs. Forrest City
    2:00 Jonesboro JV vs. Bald Knob Valley View vs. Marion
    2:25 Gosnell vs. Cave City Wynne vs. West Plains
    2:50 Hoxie vs. Highland Jonesboro vs. Forrest City
    3:15 Brookland vs. Bald Knob Marion vs. GCT
    3:40 Jonesboro JV vs. Cave City Valley View vs. West Plains
    4:05 Gosnell vs. Hoxie Wynne vs. Jonesboro
    4:30 Brookland vs. Cave City GCT vs. West Plains
    4:55 Jonesboro JV vs. Bald Knob Wynne vs. Marion
    5:20 Highland vs. Gosnell Forrest City vs. Valley View
    5:50 Lower Div. Championship Upper Div. Championship

    Monday, July 11, 2011

    Mid Summer Tournament Updates

    We are in mid-July and are about hit the end of the 7 on 7 season with a flurry of small tournaments this week, and culminating next week with the Mid-South Shootout at Arkansas State on July 21.

    As we previewed earlier today, the SEARK Shootout is tomorrow (Tuesday, July 12) at Hermitage.  Then Saturday features at least four tournaments at Perryville, DeWitt, Smackover, and in Arkadelphia at Henderson State University.  We will try to preview each of those beginning Tuesday and running through Friday.  Please let us know if you are aware of anymore tournaments scheduled for this year.

    We would also like to keep you updated on how Arkansas teams are fairing out of state.  As we told you in our Shootout preview, CAC won the Auburn 7 on 7.  We have heard that Har-Ber did well at Alabama, but we were never able to get their second day results.  We know that this week Lake Hamilton is headed to Vanderbilt and Pulaski Academy is going to Washington, D.C. for the Mel Kiper, Jr. 7 on 7 National Championship.  Next week, at least two teams, Shiloh Christian and Fayetteville, are headed to Hoover Alabama for the Select 7 on 7 National Championship.  Both Bentonville and El Dorado qualified for the tournament with their finals appearance at the Elite 7 on 7, but we have not heard whether they will attend.

    We usually don't comment about individual competitions, but we feel this one is worth mentioning.  North Little Rock junior running back Altee Tenpenny was one of 150 players invited to Nike's "The Opening" in Oregon, and one of just 3 juniors.  On top of that, he competed very well and finished second in the SPARQ ratings (RESULTS).  Below are links to two articles discussing various things about college football, but both mention Mr. Tenpenny, and we want to say congratulations to that young man as well.  It sounds like he represented Arkansas very well as both an athlete and as a person as one article claims he was a "crowd favorite."

    Please let us know of any other tournaments, teams playing out of state, or other news that you think we may need or might like to write about.  Please feel free to comment anytime.  We'd love to know what you think of our site and what you might like to see from us in the future.

    Here is a summary of this year's results:

    June 4 - Sonic Air Raid

    • Champion: Pulaski Academy
    • Runner-up: Lake Hamilton
    June 9 - ASPC Summer Showdown

    • Champion: Pulaski Academy
    • Runner-up: Bryant
    June 9 - Ouachita 7 on 7

    • Champion: Lake Hamilton
    • Runner-up: Sheridan
    June 10-11 - Harding University 7 on 7

    • Champion: Trinity (TX)
    • Runner-up: West Memphis
    June 17-18 - Shootout of the South

    • Champion: Pulaski Academy
    • Runner-up: Allen (TX)
    July 8-9 - Southwest Elite 7 on 7

    • Champion: Bentonville
    • Runner-up: El Dorado
    July 9 - Fountain Lake 7 on 7
         LARGE SCHOOL

    • Champion: Lake Hamilton
    • Runner-up: Nashville
         SMALL SCHOOL

    • Champion: Fountain Lake
    • Runner-up: Magazine 

    2011 SEARK Shootout 7-on-7 Preview

    Tuesday marks the beginning of a big week for 7-on-7 events in Arkansas, as the SEARK Shootout 7-on-7 kicks off at Hermitage High School.  On Saturday, there will be four tournaments that we currently know which include tournaments being played at DeWitt, Perryville, Smackover, and Henderson State University.  We plan to have a preview of each tournament for each day of the week.  

    [Information below provided by Hermitage assistant coach, Chris Norton.  A big thanks to him for him putting this tournament on and taking the time to help us out.]

    The SEARK Shootout will feature 12 teams in 2011, up from 8 in the inaugural event last year.  Teams will be separated into three pools of four teams.  Each team will play three games within their pool, then will be seeded in the single-elimination tournament by overall record, points scored, then points allowed.  Seeds 1-4 will receive byes in the first round.

    One out of state team is entered into the tournament, and they are entered twice.  Ouachita Christian from Monroe, LA will bring two JV teams.  OCS played in the 1A State Championship game last year, so their young guys should compete well.  The one representative from Mississippi (St. Joseph) are unable to compete due to their dead week. 

    The tournament champion will receive a trophy and t-shirts courtesy of Southeast Sporting Goods in Crossett. A concession stand will be open, water will be provided for the players on each field, and a hospitality room will be available for coaches. There will be a $5 per car gate fee.

    Here are the pools followed by analysis by Coach Norten.  Bolded team is who we (Arkansas Football Bloggers) pick to win each pool.

    Pool A – Fordyce, Norphlett, Ouachita Christian “A”, Poyen

    Fordyce will be one of the better teams in the event.  They had some success at the Summer Showdown and finished third last year in this event behind Warren and DeWitt.  They are an athletic bunch, second year under Coach Rodgers, fully expect them to be a tough out in Pool A and in the tournament overall. Norphlet will provide the Redbugs some tough competition. Coach Means and the Leopards run a unique system, really get the most out of their talent. Ouachita Christian and Poyen are real unknowns in Pool A.

    Pool B – England, Hamburg, Hermitage, Smackover

    Smackover has a lot of skill guys, a real impressive looking bunch. They were in the Fountain Lake tournament this weekend [finished 3rd in small school division], our event, and they are hosting the Oil Town 7-on-7 on the 16th. They’ll definitely be the most experienced 7-on-7 club in Pool B. Hamburg may be the most talented team in the pool, but Coach Cox is still trying to get his system installed and everything running in the right direction. England will be the wild-card in Pool B. Our staff saw them on film and in person last season and came away impressed with both their athletes and effort. Hermitage rounds out the pool with a very young group. The Hermits have competed much better this summer in 7-on-7 competition than in the past couple of years. Coming off an 0-4 showing in last year’s event, the Hermits hope to post a win or two before taking on the competition in the Oil Town 7-on-7 on the 16th.

    Pool C – Drew Central, Harmony Grove (Camden), Ouachita Christian “B”, Parkers Chapel

    Pool C is a real toss-up. It is safe to assume Harmony Grove will have plenty of talent at their disposal. Parkers Chapel is working in a new offensive coordinator, but should battle Harmony Grove for the top spot in the pool. Drew Central is under a new head coach, James White, and this may be their first ever 7-on-7 event. OCS ‘B’ rounds out the pool.

    Check out their website: http://searkshootout.weebly.com for updates throughout the day.

    Arkansas Football Bloggers pick Fordyce to defeat Smackover in the championship game with England defeating Harmony Grove for 3rd place.  

    Schedule
    2:00 Fordyce v OCS'A'  / Smackover v Hamburg   / Parkers Chapel v Drew Central
    2:30 Norphlet v Poyen  / England v Hermitage   / Harmony Grove v OCS'B'
    3:00 OCS'A' v Norphlet / Hermitage v Smackover / Drew Central v Harmony Grove
    3:30 Poyen v Fordyce   / Hamburg v England     / Parkers Chapel v OCS'B'
    4:00 OCS 'A' v Poyen   / England v Smackover   / Harmony Grove v Parkers Chapel
    4:30 Fordyce v Norphlet/ Hermitage v Hamburg   / OCS'B' v Drew Central

    Sunday, July 10, 2011

    Lake Hamilton, Fountain Lake Win Fountain Lake 7 on 7 Titles

    Lake Hamilton’s performance Saturday was dominant to say the least.  No one played them closer than two touchdowns in the short 20-minute games as they outscored their opponents 200-65 in 7 games, an average of about 29-9.  They defeated Clinton, DeWitt, Nashville, Pulaski Academy JV, Nashville, and Russellville in pool play, then beat Nashville again in the championship game.  This is Lake Hamilton’s second tournament championship this summer as they won the Ouachita Baptist 7-on-7 in mid-June.  They finished second at the Sonic Air Raid, and were in the semifinals at the Shootout of the South.  They will travel to Vanderbilt next weekend for their last tournament of the summer.

    Fountain Lake had to work a little bit harder in some games than the Wolves, but they still finished undefeated and outscored opponents 179-100.  They defeated Magazine, Mansfield, Perryville, Russellville JV, and Smackover in pool play.  They played Magazine again in the championship game and won, 37-28.


    SCHEDULE

    9:00
    Ftn Lake JV 16
    vs
    Perryville 21
    PA JV 14
    vs
    Russellville 35
    9:25
    Ftn Lake 16
    vs
    Mansfield 7
    Nashville 28
    vs
    Clinton 14
    9:50
    Magazine 39
    vs
    Russellville JV 7
    Lake Hmlton 30
    vs
    Benton 14
    10:15
    Perryville 14
    vs
    Smackover 37
    DeWitt 2
    vs
    Clinton 23
    10:40
    Ftn Lake 27
    vs
    Magazine 23
    PA JV 7
    vs
    Benton 7
    11:05
    Ftn Lake JV 20
    vs
    Russellville JV 23
    Nashville 7
    vs
    Lake Hmlton 39
    11:30
    Mansfield 14
    vs
    Magazine 28
    Russellville 14
    vs
    Benton 30
    11:55
    Smackover 28
    vs
    Russellville JV 14
    DeWitt 0
    vs
    Lake Hmlton 23 
    12:20



    PA JV 14
    vs
    Nashville 21
    12:45
    Perryville 27
    vs
    Russellville JV 28
    Clinton 9
    vs
    Lake Hmlton 25 
    1:10
    Mansfield 16
    vs
    Ftn Lake JV 0
    Russellville 14
    vs
    Nashville 27
    1:35
    Smackover 21
    vs
    Ftn Lake 23
    DeWitt 16
    vs
    PA JV 23
    2:00
    Magazine 23
    vs
    Ftn Lake JV 7
    Benton 14
    vs
    Nashville 14
    2:25
    Perryville 0
    vs
    Ftn Lake 37
    Clinton 21
    vs
    PA JV 28
    2:50
    Mansfield 7
    vs
    Smackover 14
    Russellville 30
    vs
    DeWitt 0
    3:15
    Russellville JV 21
    vs
    Ftn Lake 37
    Lake Hmlton 28 
    vs
    PA JV 14
    3:40
    Magazine 28
    vs
    Smackover 21
    Benton 21
    vs
    DeWitt 7
    4:05
    Perryville 14
    vs
    Mansfield 16
    Clinton 7
    vs
    Russellville 30
    4:30
    Ftn Lake JV 2
    vs
    Smackover 16
    Nashville 23
    vs
    DeWitt 7
    4:55
    Russellville JV 25
    vs
    Mansfield 16
    Lake Hmlton 16
    vs
    Russellville 0
    5:20
    Magazine 32
    vs
    Perryville 28
    Benton 20
    vs
    Clinton 23

    SMALL SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP
    FOUNTAIN LAKE 37, MAGAZINE 28

    LARGE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP
    LAKE HAMILTON 39, NASHVILLE 21

    STANDINGS
      SMALL SCHOOL
        FOUNTAIN LAKE      5-0
        MAGAZINE           5-1
        SMACKOVER          4-2        
        RUSSELLVILLE JV    3-3
        MANSFIELD          2-4
        PERRYVILLE         1-5
        FOUNTAIN LAKE JV   0-5

      LARGE SCHOOL
        LAKE HAMILTON      6-0
        NASHVILLE          4-1-1
        RUSSELLVILLE       3-3
        BENTON             2-2-2
        PULASKI ACADEMY JV 2-3-1
        CLINTON            2-4
        DEWITT             0-6

    Bentonville Brings Home Elite Championship

    The Bentonville Tigers finished 10-0 en route to the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase Championship.  Controversy surrounded Bentonville coming into the tournament as they had planned to use 8 defenders on defense and dropping one "blitzer" on a knee on the snap to help them work on their regular season coverages.  However, seven defenders were all they used and all they needed as they rolled through their pool play to grab the #1 seed in the tournament.  They disposed of #16 seeded Jonesboro, 40-24, in the second round of the tournament (they had a first round bye).  Against #8 seed Fayetteville in the quarterfinals, Fayetteville had the ball with the game tied, but were stopped with 25 seconds left, giving Bentonville the 2 point win (stops were worth 2 points in this tournament).  They defeated #4 seed Har-Ber in the semifinals, 31-15, before needing another heroic stop in the finals against El Dorado, forcing a 3rd down incomplete pass from the 1-yard line as time expired and escaping with a 22-16 championship victory.

    This gave the Tigers their first 7-on-7 championship of any tournament that we have on record.  They generally only compete in one or two tournaments each summer and usually do not fare well.  However, they made a statement this weekend, and I'm sure it's a statement that their 7A foes received loud and clear.  Quarterback Dallas Hardison did what he had to do to win, and receiver Desi Smith was a playmaker all weekend.  That tandem will be tough to stop in that Bentonville offense this fall.

    Here are some of our notes on the tournament:

    • First of all, kudos to Bentonville.  They've been ragged on about the way they play 7 on 7, but now they showed they can do it if they focus on it.  
    • El Dorado's talent at the Shootout of the South was evident, but they made too many mistakes in dropped passes and some bad decisions throwing the ball.  QB Lucas Reed is a very good quarterback with lots of weapons, and that combination was much more consistent this weekend.  The strength of their team, however, may be their secondary.
    • Our favorite going into the tournament was Fayetteville.  They had a rough day one, but had big wins over previously unbeaten Olive Branch and Bastrop on day 2 before their showdown with Bentonville.
    • Rogers Heritage had another great tournament, only losing to Midwest City in pool play and in the quarterfinals to Har-Ber in a controversial ending as they were stopped on the half yard line as time expired.
    • Har-Ber's only losses were to Bentonville, but we felt that Fayetteville, El Dorado, and Rogers Heritage may be the only ones to have a shot at them, but they were challenged in a few games.  And that was before we realized that Bentonville had other ideas.
    • I don't think you can help but notice Shiloh's performance.  Everyone knew this was going to be a rebuilding year, but we thought they would be much improved by this point in the summer. They finished the tournament at 4-5.  The only glaring loss was to Charleston, but we are used to seeing Shiloh take down or at least compete with the big boys, and that just didn't happen this weekend.
    We will try to post results later, meanwhile, you can go to the tournament's website at http://www.elite7on7.com for results and a completed tournament bracket.