CLEWISTON – To put it quite bluntly, it was Cardinal Gibbons and then everyone else at today’s (June 25) Clewiston 7-on-7 Tournament.
While the Chiefs (6-0) did not get to play all of the tournament entrants, they came through in every game they competed in.
As the No. 1 overall seed, Gibbons beat teams like No. 8 seed Glades Day (quarterfinalist) and No. 5 seed Stranahan (semifinalist) to reach the title game against No. 2 seed Dunbar (Fort Myers).
In this championship tilt, Chiefs 2023 quarterback and UCF verbal commit Dylan Rizk found his targets and threw for three touchdown passes to lead his team to a 24-6 win over the Fighting Tigers.
Gibbons had a 15-0 lead before Dunbar got a breakthrough moment with a touchdown pass of its own. This score cut the Gibbons lead to 15-6.
But Dunbar would get no closer than that, as Rizk zipped a pass to the end zone on the next possession, which effectively sealed the deal for Gibbons.
“I thought it was a great team win,” said Rizk, who was the Clewiston 7-on-7 Tournament MVP. “All of us were pushing us hard all the time. We expect this out of ourselves, the way we work out in the weight room and on the field at our practices. We came out here to have fun today. We got the job done.”
Rizk spoke on the comfort level he has with his teammates at Cardinal Gibbons.
“They’re my guys,” Rizk said. “You’re around them 24-7. We all have a great time together. We all laugh, we all joke with each other. But when business comes around on the field, there’s no more joking. All that stuff gets cut out. We just have a good time together and win. That’s what we like to do. We like winning.”
Fellow Gibbons teammate Guy Edmond (2024; transfer from Benjamin) spoke on how well Rizk performed at the Clewiston 7-on-7 Tournament.
“This is the best I have ever seen him play,” Edmond said. “Finding his guys, he’s just been throwing it…He’s been playing excellent today.”
Cardinal Gibbons head coach Matt DuBuc spoke on Rizk’s overall performance at the tournament as well.
“I think Dylan’s game is just gonna continue to elevate,” DuBuc said of Rizk, who will be entering his senior season as the Gibbons starting quarterback. “He’s got all the intangibles, the size, the speed, the arm strength. Now he’s got a second year in the offense. He knows it as well as I do and our coaches do. When you get that guy on the field, he can make everyone else around him better. He just proved today he’s an elite quarterback in the state of Florida.”
DuBuc on how the entire team performed today:
“We’ve been preparing the last couple of days,” DuBuc said. “We haven’t been throwing as much as we typically do. Our guys have been on a college tour. But a lot of young guys stepped up…Our program continues to build with the young guys, and they made some serious plays today. It was awesome. I’m happy with all of our guys who played today.”
NOTES: There were nine total teams in the Clewiston 7-on-7 Tournament, which included the likes of No. 3 seed/semifinalist/tournament host Clewiston, No. 4 seed Pahokee, No. 6 seed Avon Park, No. 7 seed South Fort Myers, and No. 9 seed Oasis (Cape Coral).
The Clewiston 7-on-7 Tournament was sponsored by H.E. Hill Foundation, Inc. and U.S. Sugar.
Cardinal Gibbons (FHSAA Class 4A state champion in 2029 and 2021) won this tournament for the second year in a row.
