Garden State Gridiron Game Report: ASG Metro vs. Team Mars

Despite my strong distain for 7on7, its impact on the sport of football, the culture it is cultivating, and all that surrounds or comes with it, I covered my first 7on7 this weekend on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Prep Redzone produced the Garden State Gridiron tournament, a two-day championship event, hosted at Elizabeth Public School's William's Field and the city's downtown Todd Bowles Stadium. Day 1 of this event was a 10-hour nonstop, gauntlet of a marathon, with games every half-hour, on the half-hour. Nearly 35 U18 teams from as far as Western New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Long Island, as well as local teams alike, fiercely competed against everyone - their competition, the referees, event staff, coaches, spectators, security, and even internally amongst themselves - as nobody was safe.   With a lunch break, I did my best to cover each U18 team that was participating. With as much action as there was, I have decided to release my observations as game performance reports. Unfortunately, not all rosters were made available -neither by teams' managers nor Prep Redzone. As such, I have tried to report with as much fidelity as possible. Final score: ASG Metro 15 - Team Mars 0   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">ASG Metro</h2>   Unfortunately I was not provided a roster for ASG Metro; however, I recorded jersey numbers and corresponding notes for individual player performances.   First prospect that I noted was jersey #2. This prospect showed outstanding sideline awareness. He proved capable of making ballerina-esque catches, as he managed to get his feet down with a double toe-tap and maintain balance throughout the process. Defensively he was an extremely well coached defensive back. His backpedal was balanced, urgent, yet not frantic. As he took his drop, you can see him responding to the quarterback's eyes as he cheated that way, and breaking when he opened up his shoulder to throw.   Quarterback jersey #3 was a solid one. Reading the solo side in 3x1, he recognized man coverage and was on the same page as his receiver, throwing a spot-on fade. Moreover, he can get just enough on his out routes so they are not jumped. One thing I noticed was that on short routes in front of him, his prospect seemed to aim/target the ball, more than actually throw it.   My first look at jersey #7 showed that he has leaping ability and can high point the ball through both traffic and contact. Later on, he had an opportunity to showcase a second speed he possesses, unleashing it during intermediate route depth as he accelerates to push upfield vertically.   A defensive prospect that would make his secondary coaches back home proud wore jersey #19. It was as clear as day that he has been taught to play and defend with leverage. Instead of continually climbing and getting deeper when unthreatened, causing vertical stress on a defense, I noticed that he settles and levels in such situations.   Not to be outdone, jersey #5 might have been ASG Metro's top defender. Very stick in coverage, he did not quit on plays. It appeared that he was playing traditional Tampa 2 coverage, where a crosser received the ball and hit the hash up the seam. This prospect got on his horse and got downfield in a hurry, making the "tackle." about 12 yards downfield. Later on I remarked how well he funnels his leverage. As such, he was in total control as he not only prevented receivers from getting where they wanted to go, he dictated where he wanted them to go.   Jersey #4 made a very nice play. I noted how he made an excellent read when eh was solo backside when they ran all hitches. From there, he broke loose out of it and made an outstanding high point grab on a fade.   Jersey #6 did a nice job high pointing the ball and using his hands to pluck it out of the air. He also extended well to maximize his catch radius. Lastly, jersey #9 was a smooth route runner.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team Mars</h2>   Despite being given a roster by Team Mars, there were no jersey numbers provided on that roster. Team Mars did also not have jersey numbers on their uniforms. As a result, I was unable to report on individual player performances.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Garden State Gridiron U18 Coverage</h2>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-u18-teams-that-were-the-most">Garden State Gridiron: U18 Teams That Were The Most...</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-nj-dream-chasers-vs-ny-hustle">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: NJ Dream Chasers vs. NY Hustle</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-new-york-hustle-vs-hype-fam">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: New York Hustle vs. Hype Fam</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-hail-mary-vs-black-ops">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Hail Mary vs. Black Ops</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-report-ny-hustle-v-rock-hoppers-hustle">Garden State Gridiron Report: NY Hustle v. Rock Hoppers (Hustle)</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-new-jersey-rated-v-black-ops">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: New Jersey Rated v. Black Ops</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-litm-superstars-v-black-ops">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: LITM Superstars v. Black Ops</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-32-sports-vs-nj-rated-red/%E2%86%97">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: 32 Sports vs. NJ Rated (Red)</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-litm-blue-vs-nj-rated-red">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: LITM (Blue) vs. NJ Rated (Red)</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-asg-metro-vs-team-mars">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: ASG Metro vs. Team Mars</a>

Despite my strong distain for 7on7, its impact on the sport of football, the culture it is cultivating, and all that surrounds or comes with it, I covered my first 7on7 this weekend on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Prep Redzone produced the Garden State Gridiron tournament, a two-day championship event, hosted at Elizabeth Public School's William's Field and the city's downtown Todd Bowles Stadium. Day 1 of this event was a 10-hour nonstop, gauntlet of a marathon, with games every half-hour, on the half-hour. Nearly 35 U18 teams from as far as Western New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Long Island, as well as local teams alike, fiercely competed against everyone - their competition, the referees, event staff, coaches, spectators, security, and even internally amongst themselves - as nobody was safe.