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Sports

Richards 7-On-7 Football Camp Draws Elite Field

No pads, no problem: Eight high school football teams competed in 7-on-7 drills Saturday at Richards in preparation for the upcoming season.

In what has become an annual tradition over the last 25 years, eight local high school football teams competed in 7-on-7 drills at Richards on Saturday morning. Without the use of pads and offensive linemen, the camp is designed to help teams develop chemistry and foster intrasquad competition with offensive skill players and in their secondary and linebacker groups.

“It’s good to see a lot of the really good teams in the area come out and play,” Richards head coach Tony Sheehan said.

Every team completed four sessions of offensive and defensive matchups against another school. The offenses ran a set number of plays before being switched out for the defenses, and no official scores were kept. Although every play was whistled dead with two-hand touch, wrap-ups were not uncommon.

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Brother Rice Football Returns 18 Starters

After going 5-4 last season, expectations are high for Brother Rice and its 18 returning starters. Offensive coordinator Matt Kelly said the team was using the 7-on-7 drills to work on fundamentals.

“This is kind of fine-tuning, making sure we’re ready so when we come back in August we’ll be able to prepare for a great season,” Kelly said.

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Kelly emphasized good route-running with his wide receivers and making sure his quarterbacks make the right reads in their throws.

The Crusaders have two weeks of camp left and Saturday marked the team’s last 7-on-7 competition of the summer.

Marist Football Coaches Evaluating Players

For Marist, the 7-on-7 drills provided the coaching staff another opportunity for evaluation, specifically on players’ effort.

“We want to see who is going to compete. Every job is wide open right now, whether you were a starter last year or non-starter,” Marist coach Pat Dunne said. “It’s a whole new season.”

Marist graduated a number of seniors from last year’s squad, so Dunne said there are lots of jobs that are wide open. The RedHawks have a couple more 7-on-7 competitions and will open camp in July.

“We want to set the tempo of how we’re going to practice and play for the year and these things really do a great job, of course using it as a learning tool,” Dunne said.

Richards Football Moves On Without Williams

Replacing all-state senior Jarrell Williams is an almost impossible task because of how versatile he was. But Sheehan hopes the summer will provide a glimpse into the people who can fill his role as a receiver, running back, corner and return man.

“We’re out here to compete, judge some guys and see how they are picking up the offense and defense,” Sheehan said. “See who’s going to compete and work hard and get after it.”

Richards has only three starters back from last year’s team, so Sheehan says a lot of starting positions are open, and he’s seeing a lot of good competition. He noted a number of sophomores and juniors who might be short on experience, but definitely possess the talent.

“Guys are really working hard, and they’re all pushing each other,” Sheehan said. “It’s made for a good summer thus far.”

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