By Andy Villamarzo
FHS7v7A College Link Correspondent
THE VILLAGES, FLORIDA- All the action was taking place in Mid-Central Florida on Friday when the FHS Association 7v7 put on its annual state championships at The Villages Charter School.
43 schools took to the fields to take a chance at showing they could be the top team of the tournament.
Day 1 of action left with three teams finishing with undefeated records, as Plant Black, Steinbrenner and Vanguard all ended with 5-0 records.
Other impressive teams included Alonso, East Lake, Hernando, Lake Howell, Lyman, Northeast and Sanford Seminole Orange, which all aforementioned clubs finished with four wins after the opening day.
"We're really happy at where we are during the summer," Hernando head coach John Scargle said. "We are heavily loaded with upperclassmen across the board, including up front on the offensive and defensive lines. We're really excited for the new district we're going to be in. It's been great being able to get in work at the tournament."
One of the teams that found Friday's action to be very beneficial ahead of summer/fall practices kicking off in August was Riverview head coach Antonio Rodriguez. The Laude College graduate spoke about how the FHS 7v7 tournament was helping the Sharks 'steal reps' during the summer as they're just about a month away from official practices.
"It's a great event," Rodriguez said. "Will Dettor puts on a great event. This is our second year in a row being in it. It's a blessing because we get to steal away a lot of reps. We're going to be really young this year. This is crucial training for us from the passing side of things and also to get our coverages down. Not to mention the competition side of it. It's all about building chemistry."
Another head coach that really enjoyed the competition across the board was Nature Coast’s Rob Kazmier. The Sharks’ lead man spoke about the tournament helping even a run-heavy team like Nature Coast find plenty of benefits from the day.
“It’s no secret that we run the football at Nature Coast,” Kazmier said. “We are pretty darn good at it. But we still want to strengthen our passing game, so we are out here to showcase our skill players and improve our passing game against the best in the state. Our three losses are to teams who are a combined 12-2-1 and currently first, fourth and seventh in the standings after morning pool play. We got better against outstanding competition today and that’s what it’s all about. We are excited to get back to it (Saturday)!”
Down below are some of the standouts from Day 1 and all of the final scores.
Day 1 standouts
Michael Clayton, QB, Sanford Seminole: There's a reason a slew of Power 5 schools are after Clayton. That's because of his accuracy and ability to push the ball downfield. Clayton displayed the ability to read the field quickly and find the open receiver. Clayton arguably had the best day of any passer.
Joseph Glennon, QB, Alonso: Quick trigger release and a rocket arm means good things for any quarterback. Luckily for the Alonso Ravens, Glennon is on their side and the signal caller was zipping passes all afternoon. Glennon has great velocity on every throw, but can also pass with touch when needed.
Jackson Hoyt, QB, Nature Coast: The University of Florida commitment for baseball showed why he's primed for a huge senior season for the Sharks. The southpaw made plenty of impressive throws throughout the day and will look to improve on Day 2 for Nature Coast.
Jaccorrion Owens, WR, Nature Coast: Owens stands 6-foot-2, around 170 pounds and showed off the ability to get behind defenders with his speed. The wide receiver is undoubtedly the Sharks' No. 1 option out wide and has continued to improve throughout the off-season.
Byeton Edge, WR, Columbia: Brian Allen is going to need his offensive guys to step up in 2024 and Edge is one of the players expected to make some noise in the fall. The wide receiver made a slew of plays all throughout the day and should carry that over into Day 2.
Da'Jon Brown, LB, Columbia: Not many outside linebackers get shoutouts from their coaches, but Brown did. Allen pointed to Brown as having a good day against opposing offenses. The linebacker is poised to have himself a big 2024 season.
Francisco Rodriguez, QB, Sickles: With the graduation of Brandon Royal at quarterback, someone has to step up for the Gryphons. Enter Rodriguez into the mix, with the signal caller showing first-year head coach Xavier Bolden he has what it takes to command the offense.
Ja'cari Jackson, WR/DB, Olympia: I mean, what can't Jackson do for the Titans? The 2026 prospect impressed those in attendance with his play on both sides of the ball. Transitioning from playing quarterback last year, Jackson will be an all-around option for Olympia this upcoming season.
Will Wankelman, QB, Olympia: Transferring over from Winter Park, Wankelman has fit in just nicely with the Titans. That was easily evident on Friday, with the 2026 prospect making plenty of solid throws. Wankelman displayed good accuracy and decision making throughout the day.
JC Mirasola, QB, Plant: Now with the opportunity to showcase what he has as the standalone starter, Mirasola is taking full advantage of that. The 6-foot-, 180-pound quarterback showed poise and was another passer that has great accuracy once making a decision. Should be one to watch for on Day 2 and this fall for the Panthers.
Michael Saltsman, QB, Hernando: Making all the right reads and playing with the offense is exactly what Saltsman did throughout the afternoon for the Leopards. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound quarterback made smart throws and had the uncanny ability to find the open receiver.
Gabe Sansone, DB, Hernando: The 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete will see time in the back and secondary for the Leopards, Saltsman saw more defensive back on Friday. With the ability to read the field from his safety position and good arm extension, Sansone continues to be a player to watch for.
Memphys Garcia, QB, Steinbrenner: Stepping into the saddle for Steinbrenner, Garcia continues to grow into being a solid quarterback for the team. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound gunslinger led the squad to an undefeated Day 1 and made all right throws when needed. Garcia will surprise people this fall.
Emmanuel Arango, RB, Steinbrenner: Arango transferred over from Gaither during the off-season and the 5-foot-7, 190-pound tailback may have found a nice role with the Warriors. A pass catching threat out of the backfield, the running back made some nice grabs.
Rod Mack, QB, Riverview: Mack will head into his first season as a starter, though he will be a senior this fall. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound quarterback impressed coach Rodriguez throughout the day in leading the Sharks to four wins. Mack has good mobility to move around in the pocket and find open receivers when plays break down.
Day 1 game scores
Morning Flight
Eastside 23, Colonial 6
Harmony 16, Leesburg 14
Lyman 28, Nature Coast 14
Plant Black 34, Robinson 7
Seminole Black 51, South Lake 6
Plant Gold 16, Winter Springs 13
Tocoi Creek 12, Tavares 6
Vanguard 16, The Villages 6
West Port 36, Wharton 6
Windermere 17, Space Coast 13
Harmony 16, Colonial 0
Eastside 15, Leesburg 12
Plant Black 22, Lyman 15
Nature Coast 21, Robinson 19
Seminole Orange 33, Tocoi Creek 19
Plant Gold 30, South Lake 6
Vanguard 23, Tavares 0
The Villages 19, Tavares 9
West Port 14, Windermere 8
Winter Springs 33, Wharton 6
Leesburg 24, Creekside 6
Eastside 13, Harmony 13
Lyman 27, Robinson 22
Plant Black 43, Nature Coast
Seminole Orange 29, Plant Gold 13
Space Coast 19, South Lake 13
The Villages 13, Tavares 12
Vanguard 23, Tocoi Creek 13
West Port 16, Winter Springs 6
Windermere 14, Wharton 13
Nature Coast 23, Colonial 6
Lyman 16, Eastside 15
Robinson 20, Harmony 18
Plant Black 33, Leesburg 14
Seminole Orange 30, Windermere 12
Vanguard 30, South Lake 25
Winter Springs 6, Space Coast 3
The Villages 20, West Port 20
Wharton 22, Tavares 0
Plant Gold 23, Tocoi Creek 21
Winter Springs 22, Tocoi Creek 20
Windermere 18, Tavares 6
Plant Gold 19, Wharton 6
Space Coast 19, West Port 7
The Villages 17, South Lake 7
Vanguard 13, Seminole Orange 7
Leesburg 40, Robinson 9
Plant Black 27, Harmony 6
Eastside 21, Nature Coast 12
Lyman 24, Colonial 0
Afternoon Flight
West Orange Blue 23, FSU High 16
Avon Park 25, East River 16
Est Lake 25, Columbia 23
Braden River 22, Alonso 13
Olympia 15, Riverview Black 7
Sebastian River 23, Lake Region 9
Hernando 18, West Orange Orange 15
Steinbrener 12, Sickles 11
Northeast 19, Riverview 10
Steinbrenner 40, Riverview Blue 16
Northeast 14, West Orange Orange 12
Sebastian River 21, Hernando 15
Lake Howell 18, Olympia 7
Riverview Black 24, Lake Region 9
Columbia 26, Braden River 6
Alonso 19, East River 9
East Lake 37, FSU High 0
West Orange Blue 32, Avon Park 0
Hernando 21, Olympia 20
Riverview Blue 14, Sickles 6
Lake Howell 25, West Orange Orange 17
West Orange Orange 23, Braden River 3
Alonso 36, Columbia 17
East Lake 23, East River 12
FSU High 23, Avon Park 9
Riverview Black 15, Sickles 14
Hernando 10, Northeast 8
Lake Howell 16, Riverview Blue 3
Steinbrenner 27, Lake Region 0
Sebastian River 28, West Orange Orange 20
Alonso 30, West Orange Blue 21
Columbia 18, Avon Park 9
East Lae 32, Braden River 6
FSU High 20, East River 16
Riverview Black 10, Hernando 0
Lake Howell 21, Sickles 12
Northeast 27, Lake Region 6
Olympia 24, Riverview Blue 0
Steinbrenner 23, Sebastian River 17
West Orange Blue 35, East Lake 26
Alonso 33, Avon Park 0
FSU High 16, Braden River 12
East River 15, Columbia 14
Riverview Black 20, Lake Howell 16
Hernando 24, Lake Region 0
Olympia 30, Sickles 23
Northeast 30, Sebastian River 20
Steinbrenner 17, West Orange Orange 3
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