SUMMER FOOTBALL: Pike Road enjoys success in 7-on-7 camps
Pike Road won the regional title in the Hustle 7-on-7 in Hoover recently. The Patriots participated in three different events during the summer. (Contributed)
By TIM GAYLE
After three 7-on-7 appearances -- and a regional championship in the final event -- Pike Road coach Granger Shook is feeling optimistic about his team as it prepares for the opening of fall practice on Aug. 7.
The Patriots won the regional competition in the Hustle Up 7-on-7 at the Hoover Met last weekend, a remarkable accomplishment considering their status at the end of spring practice under the first-year coach.
“We’ve gotten better each time,” Shook said. “We’re very encouraged by the growth I’ve seen our kids have. There’s a lot that goes into that -- new offensive system, new coordinators, new system, new position coaches. The kids are learning new terminology, so that’s why we wanted to do these.”
Pike Road started their summer 7-on-7 journey in Auburn on June 15.
“We were using two quarterbacks, every other drive, so it was hard to get in sync,” Shook said. “We were very inconsistent. We beat Auburn High. That was a huge win, then we turned around and lost to someone we shouldn’t have. But the silver lining was we were able to tell our kids when we’re locked in, we can beat anybody.”
The following week, the Patriots ventured to Troy for another 7-on-7 event.
“Our young quarterback got hot and we made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to Bainbridge (Ga.),” Shook said, “but we had several good wins there.”
In the first 7-on-7 event, Shook and the Patriot offensive staff elected to alternate returning starter Kaleb Foster and freshman Cason Myers, but Myers’ development over the summer caused the coaching staff to utilize the freshman at the Hustle Up event and move Foster to wide receiver.
Shook praised Myers’ performance but was quick to point out the important role Foster has both at receiver and at quarterback.
“He’s going to be a very big recruit,” Shook said of Myers. “In 7 on 7, I think he has the hotter hand, but when pads go on and there are live bullets flying at you, the older quarterback with experience and Friday night reps -- that the kids respond extremely well to -- may still get the nod. Playing football with pads on is a lot different than 7 on 7.
“Come Aug. 7, our quarterback battle is going to be real again.”
In the 32-team Hustle Up event, there is pool play on Thursday to determine regional champions before the national event is played on Friday and Saturday. The Patriots went 8-0 in pool play to win their regional, defeating Helena (21-19), Pelham (34-12), John Carroll (35-8) and Homewood (30-6).
The Patriots then advanced to the regional bracket, defeating Sardis (33-0), Pelham (27-10), Opelika (18-17) and Oxford (37-15) to win the regional championship.
In the national competition, the Patriots went 3-2 on Friday and 2-2 on Saturday, wearing down a little more with each competition against traditional powers that didn’t have to navigate the event through pool play competition. Among Pike Road’s wins on Friday was a victory over Gainesville (Ga.) High. The two losses were a one-point setback to Evangel Christian of Shreveport, La., and a loss to Walton High of Marietta, Ga., the eventual Hustle Up champion.
“It was a good trip,” Shook said. “I thought our kids competed extremely well. And we were able to take 25 players and only five were seniors. For the majority of the camp, we had just one (senior) receiver on offense. I think our future is really bright.”
That senior receiver, Foster, “made some clutch catches,” Shook noted. He also praised receivers Mason Hussey and Levi Kelly along with junior Jordan King, “who probably had as good a day as anybody at that camp. He did a really good job of spreading the field and stretching the second and third levels.”
The camp is designed to provide recruiting exposure to the participants and Shook said sophomore tailback Ja’Michael Jones turned some heads after making some “clutch catches and scoring some touchdowns.”
Defensively, he praised Ced Foster and Braylon Outlaw, who had interceptions in the 7-on-7, along with Jordan Holmes and Trey Caver, who had several pass breakups.