Wilson Wins Justin Bethel 7-on-7 Gridiron Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BLYTHEWOOD |</strong> Wilson and Mauldin football combined for three victories last season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday afternoon at Blythewood, the two programs showed their upward prospects. They faced each other in the Justin Bethel 7-on-7 Gridiron Classic final and provided a dramatic finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The score was tied in the final seconds when rising senior <strong>Tamaury Echols</strong> found <strong>Da'von Bowman</strong> for a short touchdown. It gave the Tigers the victory and the $4,000 first-place prize.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;“He was a quarterback last year,” said Wilson head coach Brian Wilson about Echols, who mostly played wide receiver last year. “We moved him to linebacker this year. We thought he was a better fit for us there. But he knew what to do. His composure.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Missing players due to injuries and other commitments placed Echols at quarterback. While not the regular starter, he displayed a strong arm, throwing completions on slants and deep passes. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Along with Bowman, senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395075' first='Zion' last='Mack']</strong> was among the playmaking wide receivers. His leaping endzone catches while closely defended were among the ways Mack showed his growth Saturday, according to Wilson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bowman joined Echols in performing double duty Saturday. He and rising juniors <strong>Josiah Giles</strong> and <strong>Jaquan Burgess</strong> had key interceptions and defensive stops during the tournament run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their defensive play was critical in the 19-18 win over the host team and defending Classic champion. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1418100' first='Johnny' last='Collins']</strong> and wide receivers <strong>CJ Johnson</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1612853' first='Benjamin' last='Norman Hendrix'],</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473013' first='Carter' last='Coleman']</strong> looked in early regular season form. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against Blythewood, the Wilson secondary limited the big plays. The Tigers also collected a key interception that put them ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Mauldin settled for the $1,000 prize, head coach Andre Cook took pride in his team's effort. He sees a vastly improved Mavericks team from the one he inherited two years ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarterback <strong>Reddick Langston</strong> showed poise in making timely throws to wideouts <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303951' first='Tamari' last='Shepherd']</strong> and tight end<strong> <strong>Landon Cash</strong></strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1567236' first='Evan' last='Hruska']</strong> had a pair of interceptions to lead the defense in wins over Lower Richland and Fairfield Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Absolutely a step in the right direction,” Cook said. “I think our first year coming year, my first year we came to this tournament, I think we won only one game or we tied. Last year, I think we lost in the first round, so we beat a couple of outstanding teams today. There's a culture change. It starts with those seniors and I'm just proud of them and what they've committed to the program and we're going to keep pushing forward.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairfield Central emerged as the top seed after bracket play. Quarterback <strong>Kamauri Jones</strong>, who exhibited a cannon for an arm, took all the snaps. Last year's co-starter <strong>Kaden Diggs </strong>was utilized on both sides of the football. This added to an even deeper wide receiving unit. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580947' first='Jayden' last='Boyd']</strong>, <strong>Ty'Quarius Shannon, Joseph Seibles, </strong>and <strong>Owen Wilson</strong> all displayed their explosive speed both with and without the football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->