FRENSHIP, EP EASTWOOD IMPRESS IN STATE 7-ON-7 QUALIFIER

Saturday was filled with action across two high schools here in Lubbock, Texas for the UIL State 7-on-7 State Qualifying tournament! Frenship Qualified with a 27-26 Overtime win over Estacado while EL Paso Eastwood cruised to a victory over Abilene to win their championship game to qualify for the tournament after falling in the championship game last week in Midland‘s qualifier!

Players like Colby Sims of Estacado, Chad Pharies of Frenship and Elijah Hawkins of Estacado stood out with great performances yesterday. Here are some teams and players that stuck out to me Saturday!

I. Osemudiamen Olumese, Frenship

This young man has some swagger to him, but he backs it up on the field and is a very hot prospect for the 806 in the 2023 class! Olumese looked very good at the wide receiver spot yesterday, catching multiple passes and was always open every time I looked his way! Osemudiamen also caught the winning conversion in overtime to propel the Frenship Tigers to a state-qualifying berth in College Station starting June 24th with the 27-26 win!

II. Elijah Hawkins, Estacado Matadors

Elijah talks a lot on the field; the good thing for him is he really can back it up as he is one of the best cornerbacks in West Texas, not just the 806. He has a tall, lanky 6’1” frame and a long reach and loves bump-and-run coverage! Hawkins is very heady on the field and will make you pay dearly for any mistake you make throwing the ball his way. I watched the Matadors three games yesterday: They didn’t throw his way at all one game and he had a two picks in the other two games along with two pass breakups. A big season is on the way for Elijah as Coach Cluley will put a lot on his shoulders to be a leader for Estacado; I’m positive he can handle it. Another 2023 top prospect!

III. Plainview’s effort and resilience.

The Bulldogs played great yesterday in their tough pool and really peaked at the end with an unbelievable win over Odessa Permian, 22-21! That game was intense and back-and-forth the entire contest! Plainview’s Bulldogs didn’t quit and scored in the last minute of the game to come within one point, 21-20. Instead of going for the tie and overtime, the Bulldogs went for the win and converted the two-point attempt to beat Permian in a great game! The Bulldogs are on their way back to success; this is just the start for Plainview’s Angry Red! NUFF SAID!

IV. Coronado and Amarillo have a lot of young talent coming up the pipeline.

Coach Dj Mann for Coronado and Coach Chad Dunnam for Amarillo’s Sandies have an embarrassment of riches as far as young talent goes on the field! Both of these coaches are proven winners and have a few veteran players to lean on this upcoming season. How far both of these teams go late in the season and into the playoffs will be determined by their young guys and how quickly they learn and adapt to 5A football! Both of these teams will play their young guys and let them get that experience they need to succeed so don’t judge these teams early; let’s wait until week eight and beyond to be the judges of these young teams then.

V. FRENSHIP BALLED OUT!

Before we go their exceptional 7-on-7 performance, let’s talk about 2022 OT Karson Jones getting his 3rd ⭐️ for Rivals’ rankings! That’s a big deal for that young man; he has been working hard and needs to be commended for that! Coaches, go get this man.. NOW! So, about that performance yesterday.. Frenship beat a game Dumas team 26-20 in OT and beat their other two opponents handily in Pool A to advance to the championship game against undefeated Estacado from Pool B as well! In that game, Chad Pharies looked sharp after an early mistake and led his team to a thrilling overtime win over the Matadors to clinch a State 7-on-7 berth in College Station starting June 24th! The Tigers have a lot great skill players and a few dangerous offensive lineman like Isaiah Kema in the trenches that are ready to dominate! Coach Northcutt’s team will have another great season in Wolfforth!

PLAYERS THAT ALSO STUCK OUT TO ME!

Marcos Davila- Midland Legacy

Larry Williams- Estacado

Will Boyles- Coronado

Jameson Garcia- Amarillo

JASONE PEARSON

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