Hillside and Wakefield Highlight UNC Beast of the Hill Tourney

Courtesy Don Callahan

It didn't take long to recognize that the Hornets and Wolverines were two of the premier squads in attendance this past Friday at the 4th Annual Beast of the Hill 7-on-7 tournament at the University of North Carolina.  Teams were split into four pods of six schools and I was able to take in action for two of the pods somewhat simultaneously that included Hillside and Wakefield.  Both teams on first impression were head and shoulders above the competition within their respective brackets and I actually commented to one of the media members in attendance after watching a few games with each that they were in my opinion 1A and 1B at the event with the Wolverines probably taking the 1A nod.  Of course if I was correct with that early assessment I was even more correct when it ended up that both schools finished the round-robin portion of the tourney at 5-0 and went on to wins in the semi-finals, only to meet for the championship.  Where I was wrong - was that 1A and 1B once the dust settled as the Hornets knocked off the Wolverines late in the championship game with a score that moved them ahead after a back and forth contest that saw a number of ties before the Hornets took the 'ship, 27-21.

Before I expound a bit more on both of these schools, I'll mention that I hope to put another post up in the near future with a bit more about some of the other area schools that were in attendance...so stay tuned in.  It was a great event to check out a lot of local schools and it was also great because of how the event has progressed since it started in its current format four years ago.  Prior to the one-day 'Beast of the Hill' event, the University held a multi-day team camp and a number of schools from the local area as well as out-of-state routinely attended.  The format had group/position instruction and then afternoons and evenings filled with competitive 7-on-7 action.  Everyone typically had the opportunity to play everyone and near the end of the multi-day event, the top schools would face off and in a somewhat 'unofficial' way a school would be the champ.  There was a ton of coaching that went on and the athletes had a great time bonding over the multi-day event.  That was the past and now the one day event dominates the scene.  The Carolina staff had an incredibly organized event from the outside looking in and was treated to some quality competition that yielded two championship games that were decided by a single score after having the games tied late.  As an aside, Leesville Road captured the 'lower flight' championship and in the limited amount of time I was able to see them, looked to be chugging along as though nothing had changed for the Pride (and to be honest - I really don't think much has changed - and that can mean only good things for all those Leesville Loonies out there - y'all go crazy now!!)

For those that are familiar with Inside Carolina, you can grab a ton of information on this event and I've placed a link to an article by Don Callahan, one of the IC staff writers.  I'd also like to thank Don for allowing me to utilize some of his photos from the event -- greatly appreciated!  Hillside is Beast of the Hill (Don Callahan - Inside Carolina.com)

Now onto our impressions of Hillside and Wakefield...

Courtesy Don Callahan

If you were wondering if Mitch and company over at Wakefield were going to be competitive this year - well, the answer is yes!  In the offense that the Wolverines employ it's critical for the signal caller to have an outstanding grasp of what has to happen to make the chains move and there is no doubt after watching a number of the Wolverines games that Connor Mitch has continued to progress in this role.  Not only could he make all the throws and check off the 'athletic' box of the resume, he also did an outstanding job of hitting windows and the result was a lot of receptions for receivers on the move that just prior to the throw weren't close to the window of interest.  The reality is that this type of stuff only happens when the fella tossing the leather, knows what is in front of him and where folks will be based on what is developing.  In short, I was impressed.

Add to this that the supporting cast looked in many ways to be just as in tune as their quarterback and the result were plays being made and touchdowns being scored.  Jordan Fieulleteau was just one of the many offensive elements that seemingly continued to make play after play.  The Wolverines knocked off Western Branch (VA), Northern Durham, Northern Vance, Burlington Cummings (South Johnston forfeit win) and East Chapel Hill in the semifinals to get to the game against Hillside.

It's important to note that there are no lineman involved in these events, no blitzing 200 lb linebackers barreling down on the quarterback and no well-oiled offensive rushing attacks milking the clock to keep it out of the hands of an opposing teams hot hand, but to say that nothing can be learned from these events is also a bit out-of-bounds as well as saying that winning these events means something incredibly substantial.  There is no doubt that as good as the Wolverines looked tossing the pigskin, being able to run the ball when they need to as well as stopping the run will be important elements to a long run for Wakefield and we'll only begin to see this element once the scrimmage season starts up in a few weeks.  But at least for now, if you are Wolverine fan, feel good!

Courtesy Don Callahan

So Vad Lee is gone and Hillside will never be the same.  Hum, might want to think again.  Vad Lee or no Vad Lee the Hornets looked pretty good.  Good enough to go undefeated in round robin play, knock off an athletic Hermitage squad from Virginia in the semis and then take Wakefield to the wire and get the W.  Why?  Because the reality is that this squad is about a lot more than the quarterback position.  It was last year as well, it's just that Lee was dominant and as such when things developed, Lee made huge plays that highlighted how good he was and in some ways may have taken the glean off of what was fundamentally there and that was a quality rushing attack and overall offensive system headed by Coach King.  And...Don't forget, one of the top defenses in the state.  Collyn Anderson took most of the snaps for the Hornets and the reality is that he made a ton of quality throws.  Maybe more important is that the offense had Hornets open all over the field and in many ways that's an important point to drive home.  A well designed offense is not only a quarterback's best friend, but also an offense's best friend and just as the Wolverines had guys running open, so to did the Hornets.

Athletically the Hornets definitely looked the part.  Every position had someone that could move and move well and that was maybe seen most impressively on defense where there were a ton of tips or batted balls because of defenders reacting on the throw.  A result of this were a number of interceptions or balls redirected in the air and put into a place where Hillside defenders had a solid chance of making a number of additional picks.

Offensively, the Hornets have talent on both sides as well as in the backfield.  I'll be honest that Khris Francis at running back, just a junior, is just one of the Hornets that I personally believe could have a fantastic 2011.  He showed in more limited play last year that he could tote the rock, but on Friday he showed that he has solid-soft hands capable of making all the catches as well as the flexibility to split out wide or attack the edges from the backfield and get open.  For those thinking about how this Hornet squad will adjust to life after 2010, think long and hard about the components that return, not the least of which is the coaching staff.  I could go on about the Hornets, but I'll leave it here for the moment and add that for those that think that an enormous amount of talent graduated last year, you are correct, but the reality is that for a number of reasons...the talent may be as good or better when you look from top to bottom in 2011.  One place in particular that may have sustained or even gotten better will be the front seven defensively.  If that is true, then that isn't a good thing for anyone that happens to be on the Hornet's schedule.

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