North Murray continues strong 7-on-7 showing

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

North Murray continued its strong showing on the 7-on-7 summer football circuit by winning a tournament Saturday at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The Mountaineers went 6-0, defeating Signal Mountain in the championship game, 24-14.

"We know 7-on-7 competition isn't real football, but what we've accomplished this summer has given our skill kids a lot of confidence," North Murray coach David Gann said. "We've played against some elite teams and we've held our own. In my 19 years coaching, this is the best summer of competition I've seen."

Saturday's title follows a strong showing in the Cam Newton Foundation event, where North Murray made it to the championship round of the national tournament in Charlotte after finishing as the runner-up in the regional event in Atlanta. The Mountaineers also won a 14-team tournament at LaFayette.

Continuing to impress for the team, according to Gann, were senior quarterback Hinton McConkey and an experienced group of skill players including Payton Swilling, Jordan Adams and Drake McCowan.

"Hinton again did really well," Gann said of the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who is heading into his second year as a starter. "He's impressed a lot of folks this summer, and I now the UTC coaches like him a lot after watching him Saturday. Payton is so big (6-3, 210) that he's hard to cover, and Jordan Adams is a track guy who constantly gets behind people."

North Murray defeated Ooltewah (26-16), Dalton (28-20), Signal Mountain (35-19), Cleveland (24-10) and Baylor (26-22) before facing the Eagles again in the title game.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

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