Golden Tigers head to 7-on-7

by Kadin Pounders for the FCT

The Russellville Golden Tigers will be headed down to Daphne June 26-27 to participate in the third annual Jubilee City 7-on-7 camp.

The 7-on-7 games pit seven skill players on offense – the receivers, running backs, and the quarterback – versus seven skill players on defense – the linebackers and defensive backs. The 7-on-7 focuses on improving passing offense and defense.

The Golden Tigers will be bringing a small group to south Alabama to compete against 24 of the best teams from all over the Southeast.

“I think we’re carrying 22 (players),” said head coach Mark Heaton. “We’re carrying guys that’ll be competing for starting spots.”

Heaton said he feels the 7-on-7 will be a good chance for his players, especially the young players, to compete.

“There’s a lot of guys at wide receiver that’ll get a chance to compete,” he said. “There are a lot of young guys we want to see.”

The linebacker position is also a spot where Heaton hopes players will begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

While Heaton is expecting his players to engage in healthy competition amongst themselves, he also expects his team to be a tough opponent in the tournament.

“Well, we want to win. We want to be competitive, and we want to play well,” he said. “I think the talent (level) is pretty widespread.”

Heaton said the Golden Tigers will take the tournament game by game and will take the results as they are.

“You never know what’s going to happen when you go to things like this,” he said. “We’re going to be competitive, and we’ll see what happens.”

Russellville will be hosting its own 7-on-7 camp July 10 and will be attending another 7-on-7 hosted by Brooks July 17.