Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Nxt Era Panthers v. Ghosts

<!-- 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">Ghosts</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>Jersey #10 delivered a very subtle push off adjust on a vertical, while also using his body to wall off slants very well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A prospect that I received his name, [player_tooltip player_id='1334271' first='James' last='Smith'] IV, showcased closing speed on defense. He did an outstanding job accelerating to the ball to cover a flag route. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #$, the team's quarterback, gets into a nice rhythm and proceeds to good. He delivered some really great throws in this contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #5 moves really well. As such, he makes people miss. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Next Era Panthers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1558859' first='Jathian' last='Dejesus'], who wore jersey # 12, was a creative prospect. Dejesus did a nice job making people miss in space, especially those who did not attempt to close space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I got a look at jersey #3, [player_tooltip player_id='1549733' first='Sargent' last='Chizmadia']. It looked like Chizmadia is on the brink of being a twitchy prospect. During one rep that I caught, he faked one way yet spun the other way on a curl route that he busted lose after the reception. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #4 was not listed on the roster. This prospect had great body positioning when the recipient of a goal line fade. Additionally, he was fundamentally strong as he looked the ball into his hands consistently. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jersey #25 was not listed on the roster. This prospect showcased strong hands as he high pointed the ball. </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></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->