Music City 7v7 Showdown: BallHawkU Defeats Grind Hard For Title

The offseason of 7v7 football has been quite active this year with several strong tournaments across the state and the southern region thus far and on Sunday, we had another one in Nashville where most of the top organizations from in-state competed against each other with one local program walking away as winners. It was a hard, tough road to get there but BallHawkU and Team Flight went 6-0 on the day ending the tournament with a championship victory over a talented Grind Hard Team. The championship contest between BallHawkU and Grind Hard was the best overall game of the day as both squads kept trading offensive punches until the very end where Team Flight scored just enough to squeeze past the competition and come away as the tournament champions. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-312309" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/03/20220327_175432-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /> Both squads are loaded with top talent, so it wasn’t surprising to see either team make it to the championship game. The surprising part of the title contest was the lack of defense but that could be understood after both teams played throughout a long day of games and probably had just enough juice left to compete for the tourney trophy. It was the team’s offense that stole the show. Led by Independence quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="148864" first="Cody" last="Pagach"], the junior gunslinger has a masterful performance in the title game, throwing for multiple touchdowns and placing the ball with pinpoint accuracy. He was a major force behind Team Flight’s wins on Sunday and a big performer in the title game. His main target throughout the tournament and especially in the title game was 2024 Chatt Christian athlete [player_tooltip player_id="150277" first="Boo" last="Carter"]. This Scenic City playmaker was unguardable on Sunday and continuously showed why he could be one of the top prospects in the entire country for the 2024 class. Two other key targets for Pagach yesterday were a pair of Independence teammates in rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id="102246" first="Tre" last="Hartwell"] and receiver Daniel Morales. Both guys had clutch catches throughout bracket play and within the title game that helped push Team Flight to victory. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-312314" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/03/20220327_172711-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /> Team Grind Hard quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="297332" first="Thomas" last="Vaccaro"] had a stellar day as well. He went blow for blow with Pagach in the championship game, keeping his team within striking distance and matching score for score with BallHawkU. Vaccaro has some big time targets he threw to as well. His main target was CPA tight end [player_tooltip player_id="102187" first="Bo" last="Burklow"], who was a matchup problem all day long and a prospect that is seeing his recruiting stock soar big time at the moment. Another guy who had a big day for Grind Hard was Pearl Cohn athlete Deanthony Nelson . The strong and stocky 2024 prospect is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and a guy that could line up in a variety of ways on offense. He is also a really good defender in the secondary that should be a name to watch over the next two years. Both teams had star power that helped them get to the championship game but it was Team Flight that had more firepower on offense to walk away as tourney champs. Tourney News & Notes - Pagach has had a great offseason thus far and developed rapidly as the weeks continue to roll on. At this point in time, I have Pagach as the top quarterback prospect from the in-state 2024 class and is progressing towards becoming one of the top signal callers in the country. He sports great size, sound mechanics, arm strength and pinpoint accuracy that translates very well to the Power Five level. Pagach already holds an offer from Pittsburgh and I expect many others to follow suit very soon. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Great day for <a href="https://twitter.com/NPA_Tennessee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NPA_Tennessee</a> at the Music City Showdown 7v7 taking home the hardware. So many contributors to the teams very successful day including <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyPagach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CodyPagach</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/trehartwell_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@trehartwell_</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TyLockwood7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TyLockwood7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/boo_Carter6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@boo_Carter6</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielM91000840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanielM91000840</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jobcmorris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jobcmorris</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/brooks_sapone?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brooks_sapone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/luke_mcneilly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luke_mcneilly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HudsonCobb4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HudsonCobb4</a> <a href="https://t.co/g1mPiRX6ZK">pic.twitter.com/g1mPiRX6ZK</a> — Coach Pagach (@KylePagach) <a href="https://twitter.com/KylePagach/status/1508449048549863435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> - Another quarterback who performed at the Music City Showdown on Sunday that impressed me was Mean Green member and 2024 Munford passer [player_tooltip player_id="148838" first="Jordan" last="Bell"]. Watching this West Tennessee quarterback yesterday, I can easily see that Bell has improved his craft and is starting to become a legit college recruit. Bell has developed his mechanics further along with increasing his arm strength that could soon land him more college offers. He is a beautiful looking physical specimen with a great attitude, so I expect to see his stock continue to rise over the coming months. - Before succumbing to an injury, Sheffield (TN) safety [player_tooltip player_id="200381" first="Mark" last="Joseph"] was putting on a show for his Perfect7Sports 7v7 team, intercepting multiple passes and placing himself around the ball on a consistent basis. This guy is a true ball hawk that just has a knack for making plays and being a defensive playmaker that can change the game in a single play. This could be a prospect that sees his recruitment soar after performing in college camps this summer. - Much like Carter above, Blackman (TN) receiver [player_tooltip player_id="151256" first="Demitrius" last="Bell"] was unguardable and showed why he is one of the hottest recruits in the country at the moment. This dude has some unreal quicks off the line of scrimmage and is absolutely a handful for defensive backs to deal with. Just recently, Bell picked up new offers from Penn St., Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt and I expect many others to offer very soon. This is a national recruit that just hasn’t been placed on that status yet but that will change in due time. - College coaches need to start paying attention to Owensboro (Ky) linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="250828" first="Jeremiah" last="Goodwin"] as this is a prospect that is starting to come into his own and has the upside to play on the collegiate level. Yesterday in Nashville, Goodwin put together his best offseason performance yet, picking off three passes and disrupting several others. This Bluegrass State linebacker has great size along with a nice frame for added growth and long arms. Goodwin has the ability to drop and cover in space as well as rush the backfield. Morehead St. was the 1st school to offer Goodwin but they won’t be the last. - Two of the best defensive back performers from the Music City Showdown on Sunday were BallHawkU members [player_tooltip player_id="133432" first="Syncere" last="Safeeullah"] and Oakland rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="152933" first="Stephen" last="Ellison"]. Safeeullah had another consistent showing, picking off 2 passes and only allowing two catches through 6 games played. Ellison was everywhere on the field on Sunday and is really starting to come into his own. He made all the defensive calls for his team, picking off one pass and consistently putting himself around the ball. Both these guys in my mind are underrated and both are Power Five guys with bright futures ahead of him. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Music City Showdown Highlights: 2int, 8 PBUs, only 2 catches allowed out of 15 targets <a href="https://twitter.com/NCEC_Recruiting?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCEC_Recruiting</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NatlPlaymkrsAca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NatlPlaymkrsAca</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BallHawkU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BallHawkU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CSmithScout?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSmithScout</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HillsboroFball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HillsboroFball</a> <a href="https://t.co/90UtGbk4EZ">pic.twitter.com/90UtGbk4EZ</a> — [player_tooltip player_id="133432" first="Syncere" last="Safeeullah"] (@SyncereSafe30) <a href="https://twitter.com/SyncereSafe30/status/1508405183973408769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>