By JOSH FRYE
News Sportswriter
The Escambia County High School varsity and junior varsity football teams had an excellent showing during the first 7-on-7 tournament of the year for the Blue Devils.
ECHS faced three different schools June 26 at Mobile Christian School.
In on the action against the varsity Blue Devils for one 20-minute quarter of football were Mobile Christian High, Williamson High and Blount High.
“The guys played extremely well,” ECHS head coach Scott Mason said. “We were missing a ton of kids due to various sports camps taking place but were able to make a huge statement and excellent showing despite the absences.”
The ECHS varsity team started with a contest against Mobile Christian.
The Blue Devils had an outstanding showing, with a ton of deep passes being thrown but as the short time ticked away, the Leopards completed a deep pass that left them trailing ECHS by a score of 21-20.
With only a minute left on the clock, Mobile Christian attempted a two-point conversion. It was batted down by the Blue Devils but fell into the hands of a Leopard player, thus giving Mobile Christian a 22-21 win.
“We suffered a heartbreaker in that game, with the end result playing out like it did,” said Mason. “The guys played outstanding, however, especially with how many guys we were down.”
With players having to double-task and even triple-task at certain positions, ECHS set up to play Williamson in the day’s second contest.
“We started well against Williamson,” Mason said. “We threw the ball really well against a strong athletic team.”
The Blue Devils were able to score three touchdowns during the game, and an interception by ECHS sealed the deal and preserved a 20-14 win over the Lions.
For the third and final 7-on-7 matchup of the day, the Blue Devils faced Blount.
ECHS was not able to pull out a victory, falling by a score of 20-14.
“Blount had a great-looking team,” Mason said. “We just simply ran out of clock and juice. The guys got tired but still played a great game. I couldn’t be prouder of the performance and effort the kids put forth.”
Mason expressed that the team still has a ton of shining and polishing to go in the weeks leading up to their August 23 preseason game against T.R. Miller.
In JV action during the 7-on-7 tournament, the Blue Devils fell to Mobile Christian, 16-8, and were also knocked off, 20-12, by Williamson.
Incoming freshman Anthony McCants stood in at quarterback with an outstanding performance.
Even though yardage stats were not available, Mason stressed that McCants gave an outstanding starter performance and threw for an incredible game for a young player.
“McCants is going to be a great player to watch grow,” Mason said. “He did an outstanding job and has a bright future in store for him.”
The Blue Devils will next travel to Cottage Hill Christian School for another 7-on-7 tournament on Tuesday, July 9.