Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Rock Hoppers vs. Dream Chasers

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">Jersey Dream Chasers Elite</h2>   Unfortunately I was not provided jersey for Jersey Dream Chasers Elite's roster; however, I recorded jersey numbers and corresponding notes for individual player performances.   Jersey # "%" was a competitor. When the ball was up for grabs in a crowd of traffic, he fought harder than one else to come down with it.   Jersey #9 did a nice job of getting his arms up to occupy passing lanes and interrupt the quarterback's line of sight/concentration. This instinct was matched by his ability to jump high and tip passes that were thrown with touch and loft.   Jersey # "$" did an excellent job of beating press coverage at the line of scrimmage. After that, he found a nice hole in the zone to settle, get his hands up, and command for the ball.   Jersey #7 has an opportunity to fine tune his defensive play. I noted that his eyes and leverage can improve. Should he get his eyes to the quarterback when his matchup breaks their route, rather than being constantly locked on the man, he could perhaps jump a route for a pick or a high-stakes play.   Jersey #16 did a nice job of extending his catch radius. I also noted that he had a strong sense of clock management.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rock Hoppers</h2>   Patrice Petit Frere, rocking jersey #4, made his raw athletic ability shine as clear as the sky is blue. Running a post, he won a jump ball by out leaping everyone around him. With the ability to high point the ball at its apex, combined with strong hands, Petit Frere absolutely plucked it away from anyone who was trying to contest.   Also in jersey #4 was quarterback Mario Marrero. Marrero has an opportunity to clean up his lower-half mechanics. In doing so, I believe that his pinpoint ball placement will improve.   [player_tooltip player_id='2073882' first='Wyatt' last='Carnevale'] was their other quarterback. Carnevale, in jersey #7, might have been a bit too eager at times. Looking to deliver a home run play on the post route, Carnevale led his receiver too much and missed the connection.   In what was perhaps one of the more unfortunate plays of the weekend, Lawrence Smith (jersey #1) had a ball that was delivered on a platter to him, right to his chest. It was truly a great ball. Smith, however, dropped this ball - the same one that, literally, hit him right in the chest.   One of the more physically gifted talents on either team was Akeem Rose. Rose, who wore jersey #13, was a clear redzone threat with his tall frame and high pointing ability. As such, few on the opposing team could defender. When targeted in the redzone, he was outright tackled to the ground. To Rose's credit, however, he maintained possession through both all sorts of contact and the ground for a score.   <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">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Syracuse Elite vs. 32 Sports</a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/garden-state-gridiron-game-report-rock-hoppers-vs-dream-chasers">Garden State Gridiron Game Report: Rock Hoppers vs. Dream Chasers</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.