On Sunday, two of Indiana’s premier 7on7 teams will go to battle with each other and 16 other challengers to claim champions of the Core 6 Athletes 7on7 Shootout in Chicago. Both of these teams feature some of the best talent across the state of Indiana. It’s safe to say with confidence, that we expect one of the 2 squads to come out on top Sunday.
When you mention 7on7 football in Indiana, there is one team that comes to mind and that is Athletes With Purpose(AWP) of Fort Wayne. AWP burst onto the scene several years ago, competing very well in tournaments when the idea of 7on7 wasn’t popular in Indiana. AWP’s CEO Mike Ledo has put together strong, competitive teams over the past few years and in 2012 the AWP team finished 5th in the nation at the IMG 7on7 Tournament in Florida. With a roster that featured players like Notre Dame commit Jaylon Smith and Purdue commit Tyvel Jemison, it’s easy to see why AWP has had much success. So far this year, the AWP team has kept pace with last year’s squad by winning their first tournament at the New Level Athletics Midwest Regional. Look for talented division recruits Donovan Clark, Dru Tranquill and Quarterback Michael Fiacable to lead the way.
In 2012 a new start-up 7on7 club founded by Preps2Prospects founder Harvey Scruggs started to grab people’s attention with a roster that brought top players from talent laden areas like Indianapolis together. Key players like Auburn commit Elijah Daniel and Indiana’s high school all time leading receiver Anthony Warrum led the P2P team to several victories in their first year of existence. Although the team did not participate in larger tournaments, it was to be believed the squad was one of the best in the Midwest. In February, the Elite 7s squad (formerly P2P) made the trip to Cincinnati to compete in the Core 6 Showcase. The Elite 7s once again made teams take notice when Wide Reciever Dominique Booth dominated the event and took home Wide Receiver MVP. The team was very impressive in the 7on7 portion of the showcase by pitching shutouts versus a talented Core 6 Athletes team and a Hype Athletics team of Michigan. With division one prospect Dominique Booth, state championship runner-up Quarterback Jake Purichia and a cast of next level athletes, gives the Elite 7s squad optimism for a great run at the IMG National Championship in 2013.
Both AWP and Elite 7s feature next level recruits who plan to raise their stock on the 7on7 circuit. Here are a few names to look for and expect to have a big day at the Core 6 7on7 Shootout in Chicago on April 14th.
AWP DB Donovan Clark S/LB Dru Tranquill QB Michael Fiacable WR Jordan Hogue WR Blake Faus QB Quinn Cook RB Shaq Vann
P2P (E7) WR Dominique Booth QB Brent Lyles WR Darian Green DB Daigien Morgan WR Darius Lee DB Jalen McIntyre RB Markell Jones QB Jake Purichia
Also expect a crop of young players and sleepers to make some noise. AWP QB Noah Wezensky, RB Justin Tranquill, WR Austin Mack, WR Antwon Ivery P2P (E7) DB Keith Cork, QB Michael Myers, RB Taylor Sanders, QB KJ McCarter, DB Oshea Heard, DB Haki Woods
INDIANA PREPS SPORTS NETWORK 