Offensive and Defensive Standouts: Justin Bethel 7-on-7

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BLYTHEWOOD | </strong>Blythewood provided an opportunity for 16 high school teams to better themselves on offense on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The inaugural Justin Bethel Beating All Odds Gridiron Classic featured a competitive 7-on-7 passing tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Such non-contact scrimmages offer an opportunity for both established and inexperienced starting quarterbacks to sharpen their passing skills and improve themselves against opposing defenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps no quarterback earned more spotlight on himself from his performance than Fairfield Central's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon']</strong>. The rising sophomore led the Griffins to an 11- 0 record enroute to claiming the $4,000 top prize.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot-3, 215-pound McMillon showed accuracy throughout the tournament both on short passes and long bombs for touchdowns. He also showed great stamina in playing in all 11 scrimmages and closed out the tournament with a dominant performance in the final against Gray Collegiate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairfield Central head coach Demetrius Davis credited McMillon with “uplifting” the play of all his teammates. This was also true on defense where safety <strong>Christopher Pearson</strong> was one of the better pass defenders on the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He used his long, rangy 6-foot build to break up passes and collect interceptions. It's also why Davis predicted he will be the top defensive back in his graduating class of 2025. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a list of other offensive and defensive standouts from the Gridiron Classic:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402511' first='Tyler' last='Waller']</strong> (Gray Collegiate) – Head coach Adam Holmes talked about a two-way battle for the starting quarterback position between his two rising sophomores. Injuries forced <strong>Dre'von Dopson</strong> to play in the secondary, opening for Waller to lead the War Eagles on offense. He showed a strong touch on his deep balls and until the final against Fairfield Central, showed a sure command of the offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='997302' first='Justin' last='Pauling']</strong> (Gray Collegiate) – The 6-foot-1, 180-pound rising senior was very disruptive the entire day on defense. He had a key interception in the quarterfinal win over J.F. Byrnes and helped with key stops in the semifinal versus Blythewood. He recently received a scholarship offer from Florida A&amp;M.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='440461' first='Harrison' last='Collins']</strong> (Blythewood) – The 6-foot-3, 225-pound rising senior made the right decisions throughout the tournament play. He showed composure and quick decision-making in the pocket for the Bengals and was aided by the strong play of wide receivers <strong>Chris Thomas </strong>and <strong>Trenton Lewis</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='804333' first='Kaleb' last='Kelly']</strong> (Blythewood) – The 6-foot, 160-pound free safety saw action primarily on defense and showed off his speed and hustle in breaking up passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='267455' first='Knai' last='Cook']</strong> (Byrnes) – The youngest of three brothers who've played for the Rebels, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound rising senior set the tone for the team's defense, according to head coach Reggie Shaw. He was consistent during most of Byrnes' nine scrimmages in staying close to wide receivers and defending deep passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272705' first='Armoni' last='Weaver']</strong> (Byrnes) – The 5-foot-10, 170-pound rising junior was “unbelievable” in the words of head coach Reggie Shaw. It appeared as if Weaver was open on every passing attempt and was automatic on short receptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR <strong>Jeffery Caesar</strong> (Manning) – A point guard in basketball, the 5-foot-10 rising junior had a busy day catching the football with 12 TDs in nine scrimmages.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='272715' first='Brady' last='Albro']</strong> (Chapin) – While head coach Justin Gentry acknowledged his team's offenses aren't built for 7-on-7 competition, his rising junior quarterback seemed right at home. His accurate passes resulted in big passing plays for rising juniors Khalen Bostick and Jonathan Sheppard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->