Cougars, Bulldogs Learn Through Rough Day Against Top QBs at 7-on-7 Tourney

CREVE COEUR – A 7-on-7 football tournament is the perfect opportunity to showcase the quarterbacks.

There were plenty on display Saturday at DeSmet Jesuit High School.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Football Coaches Association held its inaugural 7-on-7 tourney at DeSmet with 23 teams from Missouri and Illinois participating.

Top area quarterbacks like Dalton Demos of Christian Brothers College, Gateway Tech’s Paul Rice, Ladue’s Brandon Carr, DeSmet’s Conner Harrison, Fort Zumwalt West’s Drew Hare and Lindbergh’s Peter Simpson all aired it out without having to worry about getting hit by an oncoming rush.

The tournament was two-hand touch, played without pads and had no rushing attempts.

Picking up an event that had been previously been held in one form at Columbia high schools Hickman and Rock Bridge, Mahoney said his school made sense because of its location and facilities.

“Everybody runs 7s, but the difference maker is that they’re not as competitive,” De Smet coach Pat Mahoney said. “Here you’ve got a lot of teams; you’ve got people you’re going to see later in the year, so the competition level rises. Now you get a little more game situations and get to do some coaching on the field.”

Zumwalt West was the overall champion, defeating Gateway Tech in the Gold Division title game. Gateway beat West in pool play in a 47-45 shootout. Ladue beat Alton 26-14 for the Silver Division title and Cardinal Ritter defeated Belleville West 27-14 to win the Bronze Division.

In addition to the quarterbacks showcased, there were also plenty of new coaches at new schools. Wentzville Holt, University City, Brentwood, , Columbia Hickman, Alton, Belleville West and Gateway Tech all have someone new to lead the program. That made Saturday’s 30-minute games even that much more important.

“Any chance we can get to compete, we’re going to take it and embrace it,” said Lutheran St. Charles coach Matt Marty, who spent the previous two years at Lutheran South.

The Cougars were shorthanded and were the only team to have most of their team play both ways. The Cougars and Brentwood were the only winless teams on the day.

 “Whether it’s competing in practice or here, we really emphasize competition,” Marty said. “To see competition that we’re seeing, I couldn’t ask for anything better.

“We’re getting great effort and great attitude from our players.”

coach Scott Fulton was impressed with the competition level.

“Really good competition out here, some good teams from both sides of the river,” said Fulton, whose team went 1-2-1 on the day and lost in the semifinals of the Bronze Division. “We competed with all of them. We’ve got a young group and I’m real pleased with how we’re progressing.”