Hope 7v7 Quarterback Rundown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>32 Teams across Michigan traveled to Holland today to compete in one of the largest 7v7 events of the summer. This was a truly special event. This was close to 7-hours of non-stop football, and I'm not talking about NFL Redzone. 32 teams, 2 champions, and a ton of great quarterback play. Today, I'll be expressing my thoughts on every QB I watched today in chronological order. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1290558' first='Connor' last='Knapp'] | West Ottawa | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16684967/Connor-Knapp/about">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908319,"width":347,"height":228,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/Knatt-crop-1537x1009-1689478389.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908319" width="347" height="228" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Connor was a major surprise today. He was not on my radar at all, but he showed out against Mona Shores. Connor almost always got the ball off long before the 4-second sack timer ended, and he put some good power behind his throws. In terms of accuracy, he had a few overthrows and 1 interception in Game 1, though the vast majority of his throws were on the money. Especially in the short-intermediate parts of the field, he was near-perfect. West Ottawa ended up going all the way to the semifinals, an extremely impressive showing! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='602245' first='Jonathan' last='Pittman'] | Mona Shores | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15783158/Jonathan-Pittman/about">Hudl</a> </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908330,"width":347,"height":228,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9545-crop-1850x1215-1689478532.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908330" width="347" height="228" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've been impressed by what I've seen from [player_tooltip player_id='602245' first='Jonathan' last='Pittman'] this offseason. To start things off this morning, he honestly got off to a very slow start. Plagued with overthrows, he just couldn't get it going. Later against Grand Blanc, he flipped a switch. This quarterfinal matchup was a back-and-forth brawl. Here, Pittman made multiple deep throws (with some wind) that were absolutely pinpoint. A few of his receivers were running excellent routes, and Jonathan put the ball where only they could snag it. I've said it a ton, but [player_tooltip player_id='602245' first='Jonathan' last='Pittman']'s size and arm talent make for a prospect with an incredibly high ceiling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='814543' first='Preston' last='Otter'] | Nouvel Catholic Central | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15060603/Preston-Otter/about">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908344,"width":364,"height":239,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9602-crop-1715x1126-1689478622.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908344" width="364" height="239" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Predictably, Preston was good today. Like many other quarterbacks, he began his game against North Muskegon a tad slow, but he really turned it on just before halftime. His plays required a bit more time as he ran quite a few rollouts, but he was able to read the field and deliver some amazing bombs. I wasn't able to watch Preston for the rest of the day, though I heard he continued performing well for the rest of the tournament. Overall, Preston performed exactly how I expected him to perform!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='247694' first='James' last='Young'] | North Muskegon | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16259056/James-Young">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908358,"width":378,"height":248,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9612-crop-1321x868-1689478738.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908358" width="378" height="248" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James has been on fire lately. I've recently evaluated him at a few recent camps, and he did amazing at those. Here, he was spectacular at times. In the first matchup I saw him in against Nouvel, he was extremely accurate while making some good pre-snap reads. I'm honestly trying to recall any mistakes in that game, but I can't think of any! In a shootout with Otter, [player_tooltip player_id='247694' first='James' last='Young'] answered every TD Nouvel scored. North Muskegon-Nouvel ended in a tie, though they met again in tournament play. He was on fire, and that continued throughout the tournament as he helped his team knock off Wyoming and Holland. During the semifinals, he met up with Nouvel again, where he and Otter had another epic shootout. This time, [player_tooltip player_id='247694' first='James' last='Young'] led North Muskegon to victory, placing them in the finals! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='589851' first='Cason' last='Carswell'] | Mason | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12070034/Cason-Carswell/about">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908368,"width":378,"height":248,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9823-crop-1537x1009-1689478906.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908368" width="378" height="248" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm telling you there are so many QBs that have raised their stock this offseason. Cason is no exception, as he was excellent all day, even leading Mason to a championship victory. What I was most impressed with were his pre-snap reads and audibles. Oftentimes, he would change his receiver's routes just before the snap, which is something I didn't recognize from anyone else throughout the day. Cason definitely threw fewer risky deep balls than probably any QB, but that can be attributed to the fact his team rarely ever trailed. The harder throws he did make were to his taller receivers, and he put a few balls in areas only his receiver could catch it. I believe he faced two of the most skilled defenses with DeWitt and Grand Blanc, so it's impressive he was able to be productive and beat them both. This wasn't planned, but I ended up watching Mason more than any other team, and I saw very few mistakes from Cason throughout. Nice, consistent performance! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jake Morrow | Grand Blanc | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17318342/Jake-Morrow">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908374,"width":393,"height":258,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9740-crop-1729x1135-1689479054.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908374" width="393" height="258" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It just so happens that the two players I'm most excited to discuss are from Grand Blanc. First, we have standout 2026 QB Jake Morrow. Wow. Jake was the most impressive Quarterback I watched all day. For starters, he was the most consistent. Every other QB I watched 2+ games of had some ups and downs, but Jake was on-point throughout the entire contest. His timing and connection with one receiver in particular was stellar. Adding on, Jake likely had the best deep ball accuracy of any Quarterback in attendance. I watched him cruise Coopersville with a flurry of pinpoint throws all over the field. Later on, I saw him pull away against West Ottawa in the semifinals, leading Grand Blanc to the championship round. In the championship, he wasn't throwing quite as well, partly due to Mason's great defense but also to being in the heat competing for seven straight hours. Although Jake has some fundamental kinks to sort out and sometimes sticking to 1 read too long, this is a 2026 QB with special accuracy and arm talent. I absolutely can't wait to see where his high school career takes him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='286479' first='Beau' last='Harris'] | Coopersville | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14335493/Beau-Harris/about">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908376,"width":417,"height":274,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9725-crop-1598x1049-1689479159.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908376" width="417" height="274" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beau has been a long time coming for Coopersville, and this was my first time seeing him compete against substantial competition. Unlucky for him, it was against an excellent Grand Blanc defense. Beau was able to make quite a lot of good throws, but his performance declined as he made riskier throws due to the deficit. Overall I don't think I saw enough of him to form a full opinion. I remain confident that he'll lead Coopersville to the postseason playing in the OK-Blue!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elliot Larner | DeWitt | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15751342/Elliott-Larner/about">Hudl</a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":908383,"width":437,"height":287,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/07/IMG_9795-1-crop-1067x701-1689479587.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-908383" width="437" height="287" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DeWitt was a team I didn't catch much of, mostly because I recently saw them at a 7on7 against West Catholic, Rockford, and East Grand Rapids. Elliot performed similarly in last week's 7on7 as he did this one. The "stakes" were surely higher here because of the long hours in the sun + tournament bracket, but Elliot didn't flinch. He was as consistent as I know him to be, being accurate in the short game and good in the intermediate-long game. He made a few deep throws that were perfectly in stride with his receiver, but he also had a few that were just off the mark. Again, I didn't see him too much today, though I remain just as confident of his reliability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->