Gaither Cowboys Show Grit at 7-on-7 Tournament

Gaither High school's football team continues to show signs that they are ready to be a legitimate football power this season. Just last week, they finished in the top four at The NFL High School Player Development 7 on 7 Tournament. 

This past weekend, the Cowboys went into The BCP 9 Route 7 on 7 Tourament with guns blazing.

In their first pool game, they went up against a dominant Plant team that won a prominent 7-on-7 tournament in Miami just last week, and was the favorite going into the BCP tournament. They played the Panthers very close, and lost by a narrow margin of 19-14.

They edged out Tampa Bay Tech in the second pool game, 24-21.

Then they lit up Blake in the third pool game, 44-7.

Newsome forfeited the fourth pool game, and the Cowboys went into Saturday's double-elimination round 3-1 seeded in the top four.

They played Blake again in the first game on Saturday, this time it was much closer. If not for a Tyler McCollum pick-six, the Cowboys would have been in trouble. McCollum helped them to a 32-28 win.

Again, they took on Tampa Bay Tech in their second Saturday game. Again, this game was much closer. Sophomore Wanya Lamar came up big with two long touchdowns catches to seal the victory. Senior Carlo Perello caught the third touchdown for the Cowboys and McCollum broke up a touchdown pass from TB Tech to end the game 19-13.

Their third game on Saturday was a re-match with Plant. Both sides launched into their team chants while fans and parents stocked the sidelines with pennies stuffed in water bottles for noise-makers.

Senior Eddie Pastrana intercepted the first Plant pass of the game to set the tone. Scores were not going to come easy in this one. The Panthers intercepted first year Cowboy quarterback Alex McGough on the next possession.

It was an ill-fated drive, but it showed something that might prove interesting for Gaither. McGough recently transferred from Wesley Chapel, and having him at quarterback opens up the playing field for how Shug Oyegunle can be used in the offense. Of course Shug will play quarterback, but having someone else reliable at the position allows the Cowboys to further exploit Shug's athleticism.

After the interception, the Panthers came back with a long reception by Austin Aikens, followed by a short touchdown reception by running back Wesley Bullock.

Plant intercepted the Cowboys on their next possession off a tipped ball but Gaither got it right back with a pick by junior Josh Scarberry. 

The Cowboys got a long reception from Carlo Perello but faced a fourth and goal when McGough threw a jump ball in the corner of the end zone. Newcomer Demarius Sexil found the highest point and came down with it. The Cowboys failed on the point after but closed it the score to 6-7.

On Gaither's next drive, Carlo Perello again came up with a huge reception, this time for a go-ahead touchdown. The Cowboys converted the point after and led 13-7 with time running out. 

However, the Panthers would not be denied. They worked down the field and again scored on a short pass to Wesley Bullock. They converted the extra point and took a 14-13 lead. Gaither had one more chance but turned it over on downs.

It was a great tournament for the Cowboys. Several players made cases for themselves including Perello and Pastrana. McGough showed he can play a little quarterback and that was encouraging too. Paul Barrett got some action at wide receiver and if he can get better with his hands, he will prove to be a force on the outside with his speed.

"It's a great opportunity for us, for the kids to get a chance to compete," said Coach Stokes.

7-on-7's are a great testing ground but they are hardly an indication of how well a whole team will be.

"I think people read too much into these things, but they are very valuable," said Stokes. "It's a really great way to break up the monotony of the off-season."