What we Learned from the Southwest Elite Tournament

One of my favorite tournaments is the Southwest Elite Tournament hosted by Shiloh Christian High School and Fayetteville High School. The tournament is never at a shortage for talent. We are going to take a look at some of the talent that was impressive in this tournament. Meanwhile, we will also look at some observations made over the past few days with teams playing in the tournament.

The Rogers Mounties

The Mounties played extremely well over the two days of the tournament. Noah Goodshield Noah Goodshield 5'9" | 160 lbs | QB Rogers | 2022 State AR was impressive at the quarterback position. He showed excellent poise and good accuracy with his passes. Tight end Joel Garner Joel Garner 6'5" | 190 lbs | TE Rogers | 2022 State AR and wide receiver Finely Bunch are going to give the Mounties plenty of offensive firepower. Coming out of the Southwest Elite Tournament we learned that in the passing game, the Rogers Mounties are impressive and look ready for 7-A West play.

The Fayetteville Bulldogs

We knew that Fayetteville had impressive wide receivers going into the Southwest Elite Tournament. However, Jalen Blackburn Jalen Blackburn 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Fayetteville | 2022 State AR , Isaiah Sategna Isaiah Sategna 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Fayetteville | 2022 State AR , Dylan Kittell Dylan Kittell 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Fayetteville | 2022 State AR and Hays Robinson help give the Bulldogs possibly the best receiving corps in the state. Quarterback Bladen Fike Bladen Fike 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Fayetteville | 2022 State AR was impressive all of the tournament. On the defensive side of the ball, Ryan Maxwell Ryan Maxwell 5'8" | 155 lbs | DB Fayetteville | 2022 State AR pesters opposing wide receivers with how aggressive he is in coverage. The 7-A West is going to be a fight every week in conference play this season.

The Ozark Hillbillies

One team that opened up some eyes throughout the tournament was the Ozark Hillbillies. Ozark made every team they played earn a win, but they also beat some bigger teams in this tournament and displayed some talented players. Payten Durning, Eli Masingale Eli Masingale 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Ozark | 2023 State AR , and Landon Wright Landon Wright 5'9" | 165 lbs | QB Ozark | 2023 State AR all have talent to be playing on Saturdays. Ozark fans should look for another playoff run for the Hillbillies.

The Bentonville Tigers

The 7-A West is a loaded conference this season. The Tigers displayed an aerial attack that is going to give opposing defenses this season plenty of headaches. Charles Nimrod and Cooper Smith Cooper Smith 6'0" | 165 lbs | WR Bentonville | 2022 State AR make for a strong one-two punch in the passing game. The Tigers have two running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield in the forms of Josh Ficklin Josh Ficklin 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB Bentonville | 2023 State AR and Christopher Collier-Surly Christopher Collier-Surly 5'8" | 185 lbs | RB Bentonville | 2022 State AR . Bentonville is a powerhouse every season and the upcoming 2021 season does not look to be any different.

The Shiloh Christian Saints

Shiloh Christian is a defending state champion, and they return plenty of talented players this season. Eli Wisdom Eli Wisdom 6'0" | 180 lbs | QB Shiloh Christian | 2023 State AR moves around well in the pocket and can make the throws needed to sustain drives and find the end zone. Kahlil Mobley Kahlil Mobley 6'4" | 165 lbs | WR Shiloh Christian | 2022 State AR is an extremely reliable red zone target at 6-5 and he has the talent to make big plays in the passing game. On the defensive Kaden Henley Kaden Henley 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Shiloh Christian | 2022 State AR is a linebacker with the hands to play on the offensive side of the ball. This is a talented team that cannot be overlooked.

Over the next few weeks, in depth looks will be taking place here at Prep RedZone Arkansas over teams throughout the state. Coaches feel free to shoot me a message at trstabler@gmail.com and or on twitter @tctabler to spotlight some players that are going to impact your teams this season. The summer is coming to a close and football season is around the corner!