Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Syracuse Elite vs. 32 Sports

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.   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.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">32 Sports</h2>   Andres Laureano Baez, who wore jersey #1, is a reliable possession target. Laureano Baez slowed down in the middle of the hole, breaking off his crossing route, as he made an solid read as he noticed the linebackers split him in cover three so he sat there on an OTB.   [player_tooltip player_id='2168769' first='Gabriel' last='Mcclendon'] can run. Mcclendon, dressed in jersey #6, could not be covered when running crossers against man coverage. He won every time.   In jersey #2, Joe Duffy, I thought, ran his routes rather gingerly and caught the ball with his body.   Jersey #3 was not listed on the roster. He extended well to deflect passes and uses his body to box out receivers and deny them to certain spots on the field well. Later on I noticed how he made an outstanding adjustment to a back shoulder throw, as he adjusted to make a falling catch in the process. Lastly, I thought that he had an outright bad effort coming up to defend passes in front of him. Thee lazy habits translated later in the game, as I noted he was went about his business slowly, only matched by his slow speed, when sent in motion.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Syracuse Elite</h2>   Unfortunately I was not provided jersey for Syacuse Elite's roster; however, I recorded jersey numbers and corresponding notes for individual player performances.   Wearing jersey #67, I suspect that this was Miyjon McDowell was the most athletic prospect on either team. McDowell moved well, particularly cutting across the grain. He did this on his team's first play from scrimmage, scoring on a long, one-play touchdown drive. Later on I noticed that he would extend for maximum reach to haul in receptions and that he also adjusted to less than ideal balls too. Defensively I thought that McDowell delivered a vicious one-arm jam at the line of scrimmage, giving him the immediate upper hand in bump-and-run coverage.   Jersey #15 was not listed on the roster. This quarterback forced a risky throw near the goal line that was across his body on a rollout. Although it was caught, this type of throw would cause him to get ripped in the film room of an actual football team. Additionally, I thought that he got very good height on his throws when going deep.   Jersey #0 was not listed on the roster. This prospect was a very good defender. He did an outstanding job of bumping receivers off of their routes, then restacking under those said routes. Moreover, he is disciplined as he passes off routes through his zone fluidly, as he eyes the quarterback and any oncoming threats. As an offensive threat he extended his body horizontally, laying out and landing flat on his belly, for an all-out effort reception.   Jersey #4 was not listed on the roster. He got exposed a bit when trying to run with certain matchups in man coverage.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Garden State Gridiron U18 Coverage</h2>   <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <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> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-ct-pride-vs-next-level-greats">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: CT Pride vs. Next Level Greats</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-punishers-vs-new-jersey-rated">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Punishers vs. New Jersey Rated</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-next-level-greats-vs-nj-rated">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Next Level Greats vs. NJ Rated</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/1garden-state-gridiron-game-report-ny-hustle-vs-wwis-wolfpack">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: NY Hustle vs. WWIS Wolfpack</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-prototype-elite-vs-air-norris">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Prototype Elite vs. Next Level Air Norris</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-syracuse-elite-vs-32-sports">3 Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Syracuse Elite vs. 32 Sports</a>

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.