This weekend we had one of the biggest 7v7 events for the entire 2022 circuit take place in DeSoto, Texas. TrueBuzz 7v7 hosted the Battle Dallas 7v7 tournament with over 140 teams participating. California, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida, and of course Texas were all represented this weekend so of course the talent was through the roof.
Peyton Bowen – S – Denton Guyer – 2023
It’s no surprise that Peyton Bowen was able to make an impact for the 940 Elite this weekend. The Notre Dame commit did a great job impacting his games and coming away with key plays. He helped lead them to the tournament finals & was very vocal on defense. On top of being a great defender he was making plays on offense too showing off what he can do once he gets the ball in his hands. Overall I loved what I saw out of the Denton Guyer product and will be seeing more of him in the future for sure.
Kelden Ryan – QB – Keller Central – 2025
Once again Kelden Ryan came out looking very impressive this weekend. He is on pace to become a 5-star quarterback personally if he continues to build off this great offseason. As stated in my Pylon write up, his frame is already an impressive feature. Ryan still hasn’t completed his freshman year of high school yet is able to stand toe to toe with some of the best athletes in the Class of 2023. This weekend he nearly knocked off the Trillion Boys, a 7v7 team with multiple Power-Five commits, early on elimination day.
Jamarion Woods – WR – Mesquite – 2023
Team Grind had plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense had flashes too. Led by a freshman quarterback in Edward Griffin, Jamarion Woods made his life a lot easier this weekend. Woods is a junior (‘23) wide receiver at Mesquite High School. He found holes in coverage and flashed fluid route running ability.
Drew Forkner – QB – John Paul II – 2023
Drew Forkner put together a great weekend in DeSoto helping 940 Elite reach the finals. He didn’t make mistakes often, but wasn’t scared to sling it either. He completed multiple passes that had a very tight window and attempted even more. On a field with tons of highly ranked DBs Forkner was more than happy to test their ability. For someone with a lesser known profile, you love the confidence in his ability to get the job done. You love even more his ability to back it up.
Joshisa Trader – WR – Miami Central – 2024
South Florida Express was missing a few of their key players this weekend but they still were able to be one of the top teams in the tournament. Joshisa Trader consistently was the top target on the field for SFE. The Miami native attends Miami Central High School and is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2024. On3 currently has Trader as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2024. He looked very fluid with his routes and finding open space. He also flashed his ability to make a spectacular catch.
Miami Immortals
The Miami Immortals honestly deserve their own section for this. They simply were one of the most outstanding groups of athletes on the field this weekend regardless of coming up short in the end. First off Jaden Rashada made a strong case for being the top quarterback in the Class of 2023. He had full control of his game the entire tournament. It seemed like every pass was potentially going for a touchdown.
It is easy to think that with the receivers he had at his disposal though. Adam Moore Jr was an absolute mismatch, especially in the red-zone. He looked all of the 6’2, 220-pounds that he is listed as on 247Sports. Moore recently announced he will be transferring from Booker T. Washington to Miami Northwestern for his senior season. Newly committed athlete Robby Washington was able to put on a show all weekend too. Just before the tournament him and his brother Bobby announced their commitments to the University of Miami.
The defense was flying as well. Their IMG duo in Jaydan Hardy & Desmond Ricks made for an unpleasant time for offenses through out the weekend. Ricks was able to lockdown which ever size he was covering, and honestly wasn’t tested too often. It was nice to finally see the Class of 2024’s No. 1 CB in person and check out his build myself.
With Desmond locking down his side of the field that caused Jaydan Hardy to see a little more action on his side as they were rarely lined up next to each other. Multiple times Hardy was able to either effect the pass itself for a deflection or pick, or at the very least keep his zone locked down in coverage. I am excited to see how that secondary looks at IMG Academy this coming fall.
Up next I will be heading to Plano, Texas to provide some coverage at the DRSportz Showdown N D-Town 7v7 Tournament. After that I will be at the Dallas Rivals Camp at Coppell High School on April 9th. Be sure to check out the Instagram, YouTube & TikTok for more content from the events I go to.
