SLMFCA 7 on 7 Recap: Lutheran North

The St. Louis Metro Football Coaches Association 7 on 7 Tournament on Saturday at Troy Buchanan High School featured some of the better teams in the St. Louis area and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few of them make long playoff runs this fall. If Lutheran North is going to be one of those teams, the Crusaders may look back on their performance during the sweltering tournament on Saturday as one of the lessons learned that helped propel them to future success. After starting the day by losing a lead and dropping a game against De Smet, another talented squad with playoff aspirations, Lutheran North was able to rebound and win out. The Crusaders defeated De Smet in a rematch in the championship game of the Gold Division. “Our guys finished," Lutheran North coach Kyle Wagner said. "In the first game we played we were up 19-0 and our guys kind of let off the gas. We have so many young kids. That was a lesson for them. … Going into that (championship) game, we talked about why we condition and that if you’re going to be out in this heat all day you might as well finish.” Here is a quick look at some of the standout performers for Lutheran North: <strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id="188600" first="Dakarri" last="Hollis"] </strong> One of the top quarterbacks in Missouri in the Class of 2025, Hollis will take over as the Crusaders’ starting quarterback after the graduation of three-year starter Brian Brown, who signed with Southern Illinois. Hollis has the size (6-1, 170), athleticism (4.85 40, 4.3 pro-agility) and arm strength to make him a player to watch over the next few years. “He’s special," Wagner said. "I’ve coached some good ones and he’s up there as a young one. He has some of that moxie that Brett Gabbert had at CBC when he was young. He has great arm talent. … He makes some crazy throws.” <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="294795" first="Keith" last="Bass"]</strong> Another Class of 2025 prospect to watch, Wagner described Bass as a speedster. "He’a an incredible deep threat," the coach said. "He stretches you vertically and horizontally." <strong>RB-S [player_tooltip player_id="172167" first="Ricky" last="Dixon"]</strong> Dixon is expected to be the Crusaders’ go-to running back this fall, but the 2023 prospect instead played slot receiver (and safety) throughout the tournament and made an impact on both sides of the ball with big catches and interceptions. <strong>CB [player_tooltip player_id="101718" first="Jonathan" last="Van Hook"]</strong> A Division I prospect in the Class of 2023, VanHook has been showing his coverage ability for Lutheran North and has had a good offseason, the coach said. “He’s been lights out," Wagner said. "He gave up one catch in the last couple weeks and it was an incredible catch by Deebo ([player_tooltip player_id="37686" first="Demetrion" last="Cannon"]) at De Smet.” <strong>WR [player_tooltip player_id="344904" first="Eric" last="Reedus"]</strong> Another Division I prospect in the Class of 2023, Reedus has stepped up this offseason and will be a player to watch this fall. "He makes big catches, timely catches, and is a leader on the offense for sure," Wagner said. &nbsp; <h6 style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/06/slmfca-7-on-7-tournament-photo-gallery/">SLMFCA PHOTO GALLERY</a></strong></h6> &nbsp;