Pylon 7v7 national championship: EPS Blaze notes

EPS Blaze were the last Louisiana-based team standing in the quarterfinals of the Pylon 7-on-7 national championship tournament. An undefeated pool play Friday (2-0-1) earned a first-round bye in bracket action, and a clutch defensive stand helped punch the ticket from the Sweet 16 on to the quarters before falling to eventual runner-up 24K. Here were a handful of the best performances on a long list from the talented roster. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128246" first="Kody" last="Finley"] — 6-5, 195 WR — Ponchatoula (2022)</strong> The younger brother of LSU-to-Auburn transfer quarterback T.J. Finley finished his three-year run with the EPS Blaze the same was he had spent the entire spring and summer: a clear favorite target of 2023 Foster (Houston) passer J.T. Fayard, the son of Louisiana native and former LSU tight end Jonny Fayard. [player_tooltip player_id="128246" first="Kody" last="Finley"] is a huge target not only because of his physical frame, but additionally an impressive catch radius and sure hands. The younger Finley will be an interesting prospect to watch this fall in terms of where he fits and how colleges perceive his continued physical development — whether he can improve his speed as a wide receiver or follows through with a potential transition into more of a tight end or hybrid prospect. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DIfY9P4jvsI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136613" first="Connor" last="Orgeron"] — 6-2, 220 LB — John Curtis (2022)</strong> Seven-on-seven isn’t the more natural wheelhouse for a physical linebacker whose strength during the fall season is probably more in the box and coming downhill. But Orgeron dove head-first into the 7-on-7 space where he could gain months of valuable reps in constant coverage, and his EPS Blaze coaches raved about his development. Orgeron is a clear leader, who brings a swagger and vocal communication to the defense, and made a few notable pass breakups during the course of the tournament. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138306" first="Curley" last="Reed"] — 6-2, 185 DB — Lake Charles College Prep (2023)</strong> One of the state’s top rising juniors continues, a versatile defensive back, continues to grow more and more comfortable and confident on the perimeter as he gains experience there. And Reed was lockdown for the Blaze, particularly for a stretch in Friday’s pool play in which he came through with one breakup after another down the sideline. Several LCCP Blazers, such as Rice-committed wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="136529" first="Braylen" last="Walker"] and youngsters [player_tooltip player_id="144874" first="Erick" last="Franklin"] Jr. and [player_tooltip player_id="144877" first="Elijah" last="Garrick"], had strong weekends. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Pg5NNtddhI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>CamRon Spencer — 6-2, 180 DB — Westgate (2022)</strong> The aforementioned "clutch defensive stand" to advance to the quarters came down to a leaping fourth-down deflection in the back corner of the end zone by the rising senior cornerback, playing on the island opposite Reed. Spencer hasn’t garnered the same fanfare as recent Westgate stars such as Kayshon Boutte and Makholven Sonn or rising junior safety [player_tooltip player_id="138303" first="Derek" last="Williams"] Jr., who will play alongside him in the secondary again this fall. But the long, speedy cornerback is an interesting prospect already on some Group of Five radars who could move the needle from "interest" to "offers" with a strong senior campaign. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CefuiksVrPo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="139279" first="Tray" last="Taylor"] — 5-6, 140 WR — Loyola Prep (2022)</strong> The flip side to [player_tooltip player_id="128246" first="Kody" last="Finley"] was [player_tooltip player_id="139279" first="Tray" last="Taylor"], the quick, undersized receiver from the Shreveport area. If asked, his teammates may very well have voted Taylor the weekend’s MVP after dominant stretches cutting up opposing defenses for open catches and extra yards to follow and, on numerous occasions, impressive handling of rough play by bigger opposing defensive backs. Taylor said he is eager to return to his Flyers this fall more confident than ever after the strong 7-on-7 showing. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PY-DAFR7arU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VpCoNSE3lIk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PJN0dWd-0yw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s0YS6OdEn-o" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WUlbOyeH-Kk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>