Mid-TN Wolfpack Kicks Off 7v7 Practice In Style

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2>The offseason has arrived which means it's time for 7v7 teams to get together and start preparing for a busy tourney season &amp; that's what the Wolfpack did last weekend. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On a cold Sunday afternoon from Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Mid-TN Wolfpack 7v7 team collected together for their 1st practice of the offseason and it was a great session where the coaching staff was able to gain a great feel for their players and the kind of the talent they will have for the upcoming season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the first season for the start-up Wolfpack program and for a first practice, everything went smooth without a hitch. After warming up and getting loose, the players were separated into offense and defense and they played some backyard football to see who is good at what.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What the coaches were able to see was a large group of prospects who love to play the game, compete at a high level and cheer on their teammates while communicating to understand the game further.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mid-TN Wolfpack has a nice mixture of veterans and youth with a strong quarterback group leading the way. The guys you will see spinning the ball for the Wolfpack this season are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='148876' first='Elisha' last='Nieves'] </strong>from Centennial, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='250833' first='Carter' last='Gregory'] </strong>from Blackman and Hendersonville sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='279487' first='Caleb' last='Sams']</strong>. All three guys showed cannon arms on Sunday while also fitting the ball in some tight throws, placing the ball on time for their receivers to make plays.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MidTN_Wolfpack/status/1604896464030691328?s=20u0026amp;t=3bJnMQ-85xdIueLxvw6tVQ","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MidTN_Wolfpack/status/1604896464030691328?s=20u0026amp;t=3bJnMQ-85xdIueLxvw6tVQ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those receivers making catches on Sunday included <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='445122' first='Tucker' last='Kyne'] </strong>from Cannon Co., <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='301383' first='Luke' last='McNeilly'] </strong>from Summit, sophomore athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='279483' first='Eli' last='Baumann']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239447' first='Kamauri' last='Turner'] </strong>from Giles Co. as well as several others.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kyne really stood out at practice as a mismatch problem for smaller defensive backs as the Lions junior two-way player can play close in-line or spread out wide and work deep down the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McNeilly, Baumann and Turner are versatile, interchangeable parts that bring a variety of skills to the football field that had shining moments on both sides of the ball.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>People may not know too much about Summit (TN) junior athlete <strong>Josh Jenkins </strong>but they will soon! This dude can run and he presents a lot of problems for opposing defenders as he knows how to use his speed and quick feet to get around his competitors but is also versatile to play in the backfield or line up in the slot.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking at the Wolfpack defense, several key contributors were missing due to other obligations but the guys that were in attendance that stood out the most was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='372307' first='Jayden' last='Hines'] </strong>from West Creek, linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='277761' first='D.J.' last='Curll'] </strong>from Centennial and Independence versatile defender <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='250869' first='Hunter' last='Burton']</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hines in particular had a strong opening practice displaying strong coverage skills on the outside using his height, length and speed to lock down receivers but also showing the ability to be a vocal leader as well. This Clarksville area defensive back shows tremendous upside, so he is definitely one to watch over the coming offseason.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MidTN_Wolfpack/status/1604897775593918470?s=20u0026amp;t=3bJnMQ-85xdIueLxvw6tVQ","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MidTN_Wolfpack/status/1604897775593918470?s=20u0026amp;t=3bJnMQ-85xdIueLxvw6tVQ </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Curll is a versatile linebacker that can and will be used in a variety of ways as he can play inside or line out wide and cover tight ends or running backs out of the backfield. He will also take snaps on offense at tight end to utilize his athleticism and speed.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense had several big moments, including three interceptions (Burton, McNeilly, Hines) and multiple other tipped passes, so they were definitely engaged with the action but imagine what this unit will look like when all the pieces come together.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the next two months, practice will take place each weekend leading up to the Wolfpack's first tournament in Atlanta on February 11th, so plenty of work is left to be done but it was an excellent first practice that showed plenty of upside towards a big 7v7 football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->