TAMPA – We got a chance to stop by and check-in on some of the Hillsborough County (plus one Pinellas County) squad(s) at Skyway Park on Wednesday afternoon in a little 7v7 passing league action. There are plenty of things to go around as far as talking points, but here are three impressions that stuck in the memory bank from the action.
Teams involved: Clearwater, Gaither, Plant, Leto, Steinbrenner, Tampa Catholic and Robinson.
There’s work to be done…but credit where it’s due
Some of the teams brought their A-listers, while other teams had a hodgepodge of talent that was out there with the intention of getting much needed reps. Regardless of the strength, all of the squads present walked away with plenty of things to work on. That’s the beauty of these weekly meetings however. That said, there were some really nice plays made on the offensive and defensive side of the ball with plenty of BCP campers putting in some productive work on the afternoon. Guys like Nate Craig-Myers and Garrison Bryant are going to get theirs in settings like this, but the team efforts from Leto and Steinbrenner were just as impressive as the individual guys getting their work in on Wednesday. Speaking of Steinbrenner, LB Tyler Mirabella was quite active for the Warriors in the middle with an interception and another near INT towards the end of the day.
The experience can only help, not hurt…
There’s that old saying about if you have two QB’s then you probably have none. That’s not necessarily an absolute if your Plant and Clearwater. The pecking order is quite clear on both of those rosters, but the fellas playing behind the starters are proving to be just as competent as time marches on. Clearwater’s Garrison Bryant and Austin Day made for a nice little platoon on offense for the Tornadoes while Plant’s tandem of Kyle Trina and Judge Culpepper made some really nice throws on the day. Culpepper even got a little burn at the slot receiver position against Leto. Not to be left out, Robinson’s Malik Tyson also made some beautiful throws on the afternoon and should be a factor come this Sunday at Xecutives.
Wait, what’s Clearwater doing at Skyway?
Well, it’s kinda hard to beat the kind of competition (A-B-C or D-list) they’re facing plus the added bonus of having referees at this location certainly makes the format much smoother and more structured for the kind of prep that Head Coach Don Mesick is trying to get for his squad. The Tornadoes were missing a few key elements on the offensive side, but things were pretty seamless as they are coming off a fantastic showing in the state 7v7 tournament in Kissimmee this past weekend. Mesick is pleased with his teams’ progression on offense in particular now that they’ve had a year to digest it which means they can run faster tempo…which also means blink you and might miss them scoring this fall if that’s the case. The Tornadoes along with Plant and Tampa Catholic are slated to participate in the BCP 9-Route tournament on July 11th-12th at Fishhawk Sports Complex in Lithia.