Garden State Gridiron Game Report: LITM Superstars v. Black Ops

<!-- 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 13 - Black Ops 17 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Legends in the Making Superstars</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lining up on defense, jersey #15 belonged to [player_tooltip player_id='1454294' first='Jackson' last='Grey']. Grey did an outstanding job of playing through the ball to create pass break ups. I think part of what allowed Grey to be so instinctual-looking is the fact that he follows the quarterback's eyes very well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another reactive athlete adorned jersey #8, [player_tooltip player_id='2143338' first='Arnette' last='Williams']. When there was a ball that was tipped or redirected in mid-air, Williams was all over it. He does need to, however, get his head around and expect the ball at some point when on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cam Chinn, in jersey #4, rounded his routes just a bit. The flag route I watched him run was a bit circular. Snapping it off flat and sharper will enable him to create more natural space and lead to easier, less contested receptions. At the line of scrimmage Chinn looked really good. I thought that he had very creative releases and was able to get inside leverage against his opponents, leading him to become open over the middle of the field. I also thought that at times his hips snapped down effectively. Finally, I did get a look at Chinn on defense. Chinn did a nice job of limiting space and sticking to his matchup well, as he used his hands to feel the receiver's movement without committing pass interference. I do, however, think there is an opportunity for Chinn's hips and balance to vastly improve. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Repping his area code was jersey #716 Alantae Green. The little bit I caught about Green was that he uses his body to catch and secure the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #14 was not listed on the roster. A linebacker, his eyes were glued on the quarterback as he took his drops. From there, he gained and moved very well when gaining depth in his drop. His peripheral vision was on display too, as his eyes and athleticism took away any OTBs the offense was trying to run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #13 was not listed on the roster. What I saw from him was an outstanding pass defender. This prospect stayed on defenders well when assigned in man coverage, while also matching the receivers' tempo well. When coming up to close on the ball carrier, he did a great job squeezing their hip to avoid cutbacks and eliminate YAC. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #21 was not listed on the roster. This prospect erroneously passed up a reciever, and as a result, led to a busted coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Black Ops</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Because Hail Mary did not have jersey numbers in this heat, I had gotten two consecutive looks at Black Ops. As such, I took a minimal look at them in this game and focused heavily on Legends in the Making Superstars. I did, however, have a few notes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After two consecutive games watching him, quarterback jersey #10 began to look worn down. I do not mean this in terms of physical stamina and endurance, but rather in his play and processing. The quarterback's decision making, accuracy, and command seemed to waiver a bit. Was it due to stiffer competition? Perhaps. Was it due to having taken too many reps in a row without a break? Perhaps. Can two things be true at once? Of course.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Safety in jersey #2 was a prospect I noted. I thought he looked a bit flat footed as a safety at times. This sentiment was reinforced because he did not break on the ball all that well at moments. Conversely, when he was line dup at wide receiver, he did a nice job returning to the ball and getting into his possession as soon as possible. This enabled him to create space for himself to work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Receiver jersey #3 did a great job of maintaining possession - both through tough contact and the ground. </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></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->