by Michael Swisher (@michaelswisher)5/30/2018 2:49:46 PM
posted in: News | 4,539 views
Work don’t stop.
Beast don’t rest.
Football is life.
Swisher reigns supreme.
Three of those slogans will be on full display the fourth weekend in June when the Skordle Showdown lands on both sides of the state, bringing you the biggest and best 7-on-7 football tournament Oklahoma has seen.
Eighteen teams from the west will gather June 23 to battle it out for supremacy at Norman North High School.
Meanwhile, another 16 teams that same day will do the same at Bixby.
On the next day, the victors will merge in Stroud to determine the state’s best 7-on-7 squad.
Surely you know by now what exactly 7-on-7 is. If not, quick lesson: Offense has a QB, RB, WRs and TEs. The defense has LBs/DEs and DBs. Offense tries to score. Defense tried to stop them. No linemen, tackling or blocking. Easy enough.
The concept certainly isn’t new, but it’s quickly gaining momentum nationwide as a tool for college recruiting and high school team building (among other reasons).
“First of all, you get those reps of your quarterbacks throwing the ball and your receivers, tight ends and running backs catching it,” said Cashion coach Lynn Shackelford, whose team will be playing in Norman.
“But you also get that competition, which is important to keep you sharp, and seeing how kids react in adverse situations.”
(Ed. note: In some areas this is already the case, but 7-on-7 could quickly turn into AAU basketball…the bad parts of it. As long as we keep it away from handlers/AAU-type coaches and keep it with the high school coaches, I’m all for it. But all of that is a column for another day.)
The large-school pool at Norman North features the Timberwolves, Stillwater, Del City, PC North, Moore, Westmoore, Mustang, McGuinness and Midwest City.
Pool 2 includes Cashion, Perkins-Tryon, Crossings Christian, OCS, Chisholm, Heritage Hall, Alva, Stroud and Casady.
Teams will battle it out in pool play beginning at 8 a.m. The tournament portion begins at 5 p.m. with the top-seeded teams from each pool taking on one another for the championship at 6 p.m.
The tournament in Bixby follows pretty much the same format (check our social media and website for complete details as the tournament approaches).
The large-school pool there will feature Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, Broken Arrow, Shawnee, Booker T. Washington, Edison and the host Spartans.
The small-school version will include Coweta, Locust Grove, Bishop Kelley, Blackwell, Beggs, Dewey, Lincoln Christian and Nowata.
We’ll have interviews with players and coaches, which you’ll be able to find on our website and social media accounts (go “like” us and go “follow” us right now if you aren’t already). We may be going live from both sites from time to time, so you’ll want to be on standby if you can’t be in Norman or Bixby.
We’ll also have results of every game and more. Stay tuned.