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Sports

De Smet, CBC QBs Get Chance to Flash Skills at 7-on-7 Tourney

Quarterbacks get chance to air it out during this inaugural football tournament at De Smet.

A 7-on-7 football tournament is the perfect opportunity to showcase quarterbacks.

There were plenty on display Saturday at De Smet Jesuit High School.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Football Coaches Association held its inaugural 7-on-7 tourney at De Smet with 23 teams from Missouri and Illinois participating.

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Top area quarterbacks, such as Dalton Demos of Christian Brothers College, Gateway Tech’s Paul Rice, Ladue’s Brandon Carr, De Smet’s Conner Harrison, Fort Zumwalt West’s Drew Hare and Lindbergh’s Peter Simpson all aired it out without having to worry about getting hit by an oncoming rush.

The tournament was two-hand touch, played without pads and had no rushing attempts.

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“The biggest thing is that the quarterbacks get work,” De Smet coach Pat Mahoney said.

Picking up an event that had been previously been held in one form at Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools in Columbia, MO, Mahoney said having the event at his school's site made sense because of its location and facilities.

“Everybody runs 7s, but the difference-maker is that they’re not as competitive,” Mahoney said. “Here you’ve got a lot of teams, you’ve got people you’re going to see later in the year, so the competition level rises. Now you get a little more game situations and get to do some coaching on the field.”

Zumwalt West was the overall champion, defeating Gateway Tech in the Gold Division title game. Gateway beat West in pool play in a 47-45 shootout. Ladue beat Alton 26-14 for the Silver Division title, and Cardinal Ritter defeated Belleville West 27-14 to win the Bronze Division.

“There’s some good talent here,” CBC coach Scott Pingel said. “There are a lot of things that go into the game, but we’re happy to have Dalton.

“He’s got a good release, good footwork. He can move around in the pocket and can understand the game now. He’s pretty special.”

The Cadets return several starters on offense, including Demos and standout tailback Antonio Brown, but Pingel said they have to find some replacements for a defense that was hit hard by graduation. CBC went 4-0 within the Metro Catholic Conference and finished last season with a 10-2 mark as Brown rushed for 1,190 yards and scored 21 touchdowns.

CBC will open 2011 against West, which trounced the Cadets 35-12 in the first round of the single elimination playoffs in the Gold Division. CBC, which defeated Fort Zumwalt South, Alton and Vashon to win its pool, was the No. 2 seed behind Gateway Tech in the top tier of the three divisions formed following pool play. The six pool winners and then two at-large teams--Zumwalt West and Maplewood-Richmond Heights--comprised the eight teams in the Gold Division.

Pingel, entering his fourth season, said it was beneficial to play Zumwalt West despite the loss.

“It’s good to compete against (them),” Pingel said. “We know where they’re at, and we know where we’re at. We’re a little behind, and we’ve got to pick it up a little bit.”

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