Garden State Gridiron Game Report: LITM (Blue) vs. NJ Rated (Red)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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.<br><br><strong>Final score: Legends in the Making Superstars 16 - NJ Rated</strong> <strong>25</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Legends in the Making Superstars</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first prospect I recorded notes on was jersey #IV ([player_tooltip player_id='1707374' first='Jackson' last='Kwaizer']). Perhaps a bit over anxious, Kwaizer oughtright and completely tackled someone at the goal line. Whether it was emotions or inertial, Kwaizer must control his body because contact like that is unacceptable in a 7on7 setting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2174263' first='Cinsere' last='Tucker'] (jersey #9) surprised me a bit. Matched up against an opponent who was close to 6 inches taller than him, Tucker sincerely gave an outstanding effort defending a fade ball. Yes, the throw was bad; however, I do think that Tucker would have been in prime position to defend it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For jersey #1, [player_tooltip player_id='518166' first='Jack' last='Eskridge'] did his damndest to prove he was THE go-to target on offense. On a ball that was taken away by a brutal gust of wind, Eskridge showed outstanding ball skills and adjusted to it flawlessly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am not certain that jersey #00 [player_tooltip player_id='1649124' first='Aiden' last='Hopwood'] is the best utilized underneath. Running a pivot route, he did not break his hips down and could not get in and out of that route neither nor quickly nor sharply enough to create separation. I also noted that Hopwood rounded his routes later on; the same note applies to jersey #8 [player_tooltip player_id='2143338' first='Arnette' last='Williams']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1454294' first='Jackson' last='Grey'], a quarterback who wore jersey #15, had his favorite targets or favorite routes. One rep I saw Grey lock into his favorite target who was running an in route. In my opinion, Grey sat too long waiting on that route to develop; however, his intended receiver could not separate. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the roster, jersey #716 is listed as a "defensive leader" and Alantae Green's play showed flashes of that. When pressing a receiver, Green showcased his strength by getting hands on and not allowing a free release. In fact, that release came at a cost - both in timing and yardage -as that receiver was shoved about 4 yards in the direction Green sent him, which was opposite of where that receiver was trying to work to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We saw a similar approach to Cam Chinn, who adorned jersey #4. Perhaps more than any other defender on their roster, Chinn was physical with every matchup, nearly every time, as he looked to routinely jam receivers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although he did not have a jersey number, I managed to get quarterback Mike Taylor's name. Taylor is a quarterback that needs some refinement to his mechanics. Because of those mechanics, at times it left everyone unsure as to exactly who he was targeting when he threw over the middle. Additionally, at times he stared down and forced the ball to the target he wanted the entire time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #18 was not identified on the roster I was provided. This prospect appeared to be more of a solid defender than an offensive threat in my mind. Defensively I thought that his eyes were very disciplined and he knew what he was keying in on, as he reacted to route patterns in front of him. Conversely, on offense he was running wide open but missed the ball, clapping at it to catch it, rather than connecting his pinkies or thumbs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">NJ Rated</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #12 belonged to Matthew Gargano. I do not know of a better word to describe how Gargano runs with the ball other than "scamper;" additionally, I do not know if this word inherently has a positive or negative connotation - but the way Gargano does it is positive. Taking a crosser over the middle, scampered his way for big yardage and proved a tough prospect to corral. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teammate in jersey #7 was Malcom Harrison. Harrison made a gorgeous, one-handed catch. In doing so, he high pointed the ball extremely well. without his bearings underneath him, he contacted the ground very hard, but maintained possession the entire way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #0 was not identified on the official roster I was provided. This prospect did a great job of pushing vertically up field. His put pressed on safeties to get back quickly to account for him, creating and clearing space for anything underneath him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Garden State Gridiron U18 Coverage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><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><br><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><br><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><br><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><br><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><br><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><br><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><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-32-sports-vs-nj-rated-red/↗">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: 32 Sports vs. NJ Rated (Red)</a><br><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></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->