FAYETTEVILLE OFF TO GOOD START AT TOURNEY

Fayetteville and Springdale Har-Ber were the top two teams at the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Tournament, hosted by Shiloh Christian last weekend. This week, the Bulldogs and Wildcats stepped up a notch with a trip to the National Select 7-on-7 in Hoover, Ala. After one day of pool play, both teams found out right away just how tough the National Select 7-on-7 competition is. Fayetteville, playing in Pool B in the 32-team field, put together a 4-2-1 record Friday to its eight-team pool. Before Hoover, Fayetteville had lost just one game the entire summer in tournament wins at Derby, Kan., and Shiloh Christian. "Awesome day," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "Our kids now understand we can play with anybody." The Bulldogs' two losses came against Clay-Chalkville, Ala., and pool B winner Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen. Clay-Chalkville defeated Fayetteville, 26-17, while McGill-Toolen outlasted the Purple'Dogs, 31-23. Fayetteville also settled for a 35-35 tie against Naperville (Ill.) Central. The Bulldogs closed out the day with two strong wins, 24-21 against Simsponville (S.C.) Hillcrest and 36-0 over Madison (Miss.) Central. Quarterback Taylor Powell completed 90 of 116 passes in the seven games with 26 touchdowns and one interception, and Tyson Morris led Fayetteville with 22 receptions while Bruce Armstrong led the 'Dogs with eight TD receptions. "Clay-Chalkville is the top team in Alabama," Patton said. "Grayson is another top team 10 in the country who we played. It could have been a little bit better, but I like the way we competed. "And like I told our kids, nobody has been better than Fayetteville on Saturdays this summer. So I still like our chances." Springdale Har-Ber had an even tougher stretch than Fayetteville on Friday, posting a 2-5 record in Pool A. The Wildcats went 1-2 in the morning session but let a pair of close games get away against Desoto Central and Byrnes, S.C. "I thought in the morning we missed a couple," Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. "In our first and third games, we let some wins get away. And we knew in the afternoon there was some tough teams." The Wildcats went through a four-game losing streak Friday before finishing the day with a 27-21 win against Florence, Ala. "I told our guys, if we just win this last one, it's a new day (Saturday). Everybody starts fresh." Bracket play at the National Select 7-on-7 begins at 9 a.m. today. The tournament is double-elimination. "I've been here four times, and this is the strongest field I've seen, top to bottom," Wood said. "From Hoover to Clay-Chalkville and McGill-Toolen and teams like Mallard Creek (out of North Carolina), it's a really strong field."

FAYETTEVILLE OFF TO GOOD START AT TOURNEY

Photo Credit: Fayetteville Athletics

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