Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Punishers v. Next Level Greats

<!-- 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Punishers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unfortunately I was not provided Ghosts' roster by either the team or by Prep Redzone; however, I recorded jersey numbers and corresponding notes for individual player performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A hometown product, [player_tooltip player_id='1891858' first='Eric' last='Cespedes'] rocked jersey #11. Cespedes did an outstanding job using his speed and his stride to threaten vertically as he ran his routes. The more I watched, the more I realized that he is a special athlete. Cespedes looked like he could easily jump into the second story window, while concentrating to grab it in very tight windows; all the while having the twitch to create in space for himself. Defensively he uses his hands to feel defenders out and redirect them as they pass through zones. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarterback Grayer Hong let it all hang out. More than most quarterbacks at such events, I thought Hong had extremely good timing with his receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #15 was a big body receiver, and he knows how to use what his mama gave him well. This prospect did a great job of walling off defenders with his bigger frame. Additionally, he made an absolute highlight play, where he nabbed the arrant pass with one hand. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #1 was a prospect that broke on things in front of him really well. As a result, he was a constant threat to attack the ball and disrupt plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #2 prefers jam to jelly. I watched him completely stonewall his assignment at the line of scrimmage, completely mugging him of any release.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #20 times his break on the ball extremely well. It seemed as if both he and the ball arrived at the receiver simultaneously. As such, he had a tendency to break up numerous pass attempts with his body.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #7 looked like a solid redzone threat. I watched him continually high point the ball and using his hands to do so.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Next Level Greats</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joseph Scott Jr. looked good in this one. Donning jersey #5, Scott showcased what I thought were a shifty pair of hips. As a result, he was able to make people miss - both in the open field and in tight spaces. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #3 was not listed on the roster. It is a shame since he made a play that would have shown up on SportsCenter. As he got tangled up and ended belly-up on the ground, the other prospects were competing for the tip drill. Through it all, he laid there and was the recipient of a fortuitous bounce that allowed the ball to land directly in his hands. </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/%E2%86%97">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><br><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><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-asg-metro-v-diamond-athletics">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: ASG Metro v. Diamond Athletics</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-camboyz-vs-next-level-air">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Camboyz vs. Next Level Air</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-camboyz-vs-4th-quarter-elite">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Camboyz vs. 4th Quarter Elite</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-ghosts-vs-boardwalk-beasts">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Ghosts vs. Boardwalk Beasts</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-camboyz-vs-kingdom-way">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Camboyz vs. Kingdom Way</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-nxt-era-panthers-v-boardwalk-beasts">Garden State Gridiron Game: Nxt Era Panthers v. Boardwalk Beasts</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-nxt-era-panthers-v-ghosts">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Nxt Era Panthers v. Ghosts</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-report-train-to-go-vs-next-level-greats">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Train to Go vs. Next Level Greats</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-punishers-v-next-level-greats">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Punishers vs. Next Level Greats</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->