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E-mail This StoryMembers of R.L. Turner’s football team joined fellow Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD members Newman Smith and Ranchview to participate in a 7-on-7 football tournament Thursday at Standridge Stadium.
Other teams participating included The Colony, Irving MacArthur, Irving Nimitz and Carrollton’s American Heritage.
Turner, which recently hired Tyrone Larkins as head coach, was participating in one of its first 7-on-7 events of the summer.
The Lions won their pool, edging out Ranchview, The Colony and Nimitz by scoring the most points in pool play. The team won pool games against Ranchview and Nimitz, but lost an overtime game to The Colony. Turner went on to reach the semifinals but fell to eventual champion Ranchview by a touchdown in a rematch from pool play.
Newman Smith, playing in a different pool, went 5-2 throughout the tournament. The Trojans also reached the semifinal round, but lost to eventual runner-up The Colony, which fell to Ranchview in the finals.
Larkins said he was very pleased with the strides the team made throughout the tournament.
“I thought we improved tremendously,” Larkins said. “Our quarterback Mikal Patterson did well. His timing was much better and you could see the difference. He was reading the defense and did a good job of checking down and taking what the defense gave him, not just going for the home run. Our receivers were a lot better also. They improved their route running and were a lot crisper.”
The improvement wasn’t limited to the offense, as Larkins also noticed dramatic improvements in the secondary.
“The safeties did a good job of reading the offense and changing the defense based on what they saw,” Larkins said. “They are learning to understand zones better and are communicating and making the transition better. One of the things 7-on-7 really provides is help with communication.”
But, the Lions weren’t the only ones improving during the tournament. Future District 10-4A foe Newman Smith was able to get experience for their younger players.
“We had a lot of our younger kids get some work,” said Newman Smith coach Paul Ressa. “We found a lot of bright spots and I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Ressa said the Trojans used the 7-on-7 tournament as an opportunity to focus on plays and packages from their playbook, not by making adjustments to the 7-on-7 style.
“We ran our plays and coverages and not 7-on-7 stuff,” Ressa said. “I was very happy. Our knowledge of the game is light years ahead of where it was in the past. We understand our weaknesses and where our strengths are and have a better idea of what we need to do.”
Both teams look at the tournament as a step in the right direction, and something to build on as they head to the season.
“We went from not winning to beating some good teams,” Larkins said.
