Official GFL 7th Grade FBU National Championship Preview
Get Familiar: To not see a GFL team at championship last year was a crazy turn of events. Coaches said last year’s loss as 6th graders was absolutely heartbreaking, as it marked the first time in a decade that their head…
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Continue ReadingGet Familiar: To not see a GFL team at championship last year was a crazy turn of events. Coaches said last year’s loss as 6th graders was absolutely heartbreaking, as it marked the first time in a decade that their head coach was not involved in championship week. They credited GMSAA for the win but stressed that they are back in the hunt this year. Expect a good team of natural competitors who want to reverse the tide for this GFL squad. They enter this year’s tournament with the understanding that wishing isn’t going to get them there–they have to execute. In my opinion, a rejuvenated and humbled GFL squad knows they can’t look past anyone and they look forward to playing as hard as they possibly can.
How they’ll light it up: Coaches relayed to expect multiple sets from this team because they’ve learned, you can’t be all in one way or another–the tournament is too demanding. They plan to do a lot of scouting and researching in order to put their best foot forward in each game. They will try to do different things depending on what coaches see from their potential opponents.
How they’ll shut it down: Defensively, look for GFL to come out with a four man front. Coaches underlined the fact that they need their guys to hustle and hit if they want to be successful. They are looking for their speed guys to get to the ball in packs and to stop the big play. Expect them to play a disciplined gap-control defense with the goal to make teams have to earn every yard and score on long drives, rather than the quick hitters.
Mt. Rushmore
Elam Rahman | Quarterback
Highly competitive left quarterback who should put up some big numbers for GFL’s offense. Shorter, compact quarterback at 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds. Has a very strong arm and make a lot of the passes necessary to keep the chains moving and eat up large chunks of yardage. Was QB1 for North Gwinnett this year and put up impressive stats, including 11 touchdowns in his first four games.
Andrew Beard | Running Back/Linebacker
Very promising young player that I’m excited to watch play in the tournament. Has some of the best vision for a running back I’ve seen in this 2027 class. As a linebacker always seems to be exactly in the right place at the right time to make a big play. Strangely enough, looks faster with the ball in his hands running down field than running without the ball in a straight sprint.
CJ Frazier | Athlete
In my opinion the top prospect on this team is Frazier. At 5-foot-11 and sporting an extremely solid build he’s going to be all over the stat sheet, wherever he ends up playing. Right now I think he’ll project to an absolute nightmare of a defensive end for this GFL team. Can play equally well against the pass and the run. Has the motor of an athlete much smaller than him, yet he is the one chasing down plays from behind on the opposite side of the field.
Joel Bradford | Running Back
Another intriguing athlete to me is Joel Bradford. He’s still quite raw at the running back position, but is looking like he could be a big-time playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. The Peachtree Ridge athlete was the conference player of the week in early October after a strong performance. The experience of this tournament is going to fast track his development at the position and he’s going to score touchdowns while that happens.
Offensive Ballers to Know
- Evan Manley | Offensive Line
- Preston Glasco | Wide Receiver
- Evan Hawkins | Wide Receiver
Defensive Ballers to Know
- Max Brown | Linebacker
- Christian Webb-Scott | Defensive End
- Joshua Echols | Linebacker