BOCA RATON – There is no offseason in football.
While students may be out for school due to summer break, there is no such thing as a break for the talented high school football players in South Florida.
Whether it is an offseason workout/training, time in the weight room, or camps, high school teams are always working. In South Florida, especially, teams are getting ready through 7-on-7 football.
FAU hosted a terrific, well-run 7-on-7 tournament Saturday afternoon (June 10) with over 30 high schools in attendance.
Teams played three games for seeding purposes. They tried out plays and worked in some younger players.
After seeds were determined, the playoffs begun.
Teams from all over Florida faced off against each other. From chirpy words being exchanged to deep passes being thrown, there was a whole lot going on all at once.
For West Boca, nothing was too hard. After going 3-0 in the three exhibition matches, the Bulls got a high seed for their playoff games.
West Boca first faced Deerfield Beach, which ended up being a blowout win. Then, the Bulls faced Booker T. Washington (Miami).
Booker got ahead early, but a game-winning interception from junior Jesse Richardson turned a loss into a win. Since games are only 20 minutes long, Booker found themselves in the lead so they used an amazing strategy in wasting game clock. It came back to haunt them when Jesse’s interception ended the game.
The Bulls then faced Miami Norland and top quarterback Ennio Yapoor. A win would put either team in the championship game, which would be played at FAU Stadium.
Ennio proved to be too much, exposing the middle of the field and an arguably weak secondary across the middle.
Ennio was (and is) the real deal. The 6-foot-0 quarterback easily has the tools to be a Power 5 player. With offers from Ole Miss, Colorado, FAU, and others, the nation should be paying close attention. He won a state title as an eighth grader, led Miami Norland to its best season since 2011, and has amassed 8,500 total yards and 82 touchdowns.
It was the icing on the cake for Ennio, who was the tournament’s best overall performer.
Another top performer at the tournament was Pace quarterback Aidan Karsh. He can really sling the ball for a 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback. He had 1,831 yards passing with 23 touchdowns in seven games last season.
West Boca’s top performer was Zach Walls, who was a freshman last year. Walls, who has offers from UMass, Pitt, Akron, Eastern Kentucky, and other schools, had over 15 catches on the day with multiple deep touchdown grabs.
Overall, it was an amazing event from the great people at Florida Atlantic University. Under the leadership of new head coach Tom Herman and his staff, FAU has had some amazing events for the community.
The Owls have been able to team up with both FSU and Georgia (back-to-back national champions) for “elite camps”. The Owls have also had a big man camp for lineman, a quarterback camp, specialists camp, etc.
Shoutout to the amazing players of FAU football, too, for serving as referees in the 7-on-7 tournament. Running back Larry McCammon III, who led the team in rushing last year, and new quarterback transfer Daniel Richardson were two of the many refs.
Here’s the final bracket:
