Hillside Finishes Strong at Byrnes 7-on-7

Courtesy Jackson/RIVALS.COM

The story of the first day of the Palmetto State National 7-on-7 competition hosted by South Carolina powerhouse Byrnes was the Spartans of Southern Durham.  According to reports from the event, coaches from across the nation that were at the event expressed the fact that they were definitely impressed with the play of the Spartans.  Heading into the conclusion of Friday night's preliminary action, the Spartans had dropped just one of their six matches and appeared to be headed to a solid seed and potential push for the championship once elimination play began on Saturday afternoon.

Check out information and video on both Durham squads via. iHigh.com

Cross-town rival, Hillside, still fresh off their impressive 2010 campaign, had a lot of the 'name recognition' coming into the event as the 4A state champs from NC, but for those that follow the Hornets and the scene here in Durham, most would have immediately said that equating this year's squad to last and expecting the same results might be overreaching just a bit.  The loss of all-everything dual-threat quarterback phenom Vad Lee, as well as a core group of skill players on both sides of the ball was something the Hornets would have to deal with and the competition they would face would not give them much time to 'ease into it'.  The reports heading into the afternoon sessions on Friday were that it was clear the Hornets were adjusting to new faces, but it was also clear that a solid system, directed by Coach King, was allowing the Hornets to compete and at the very least stay even with a chance to gain momentum going into Saturday.

Article from Dallas Jackson - Rivals High - Hornets filling the loss of QB Vad Lee

Courtesy Marques Burnett/iHigh

Saturday was a new day and with it the momentum clearly moved in the direction of the Hornets.  Out of the twenty schools competing, when they made it down to the final eight, the Hornets and not the Spartans were still standing.  Inclement weather had been looming heading into Saturday and as the elimination rounds moved forward, rain and lightening put a temporary stop to action.  During that time period, reports were that the Hornets decided that rather than wait out the weather, it was best to pack-up and head back to Durham.  With that decision the Hornets were required to forfeit the remainder of the games, but it's clear that the purpose of the event was in many ways met for the Hornets, forfeiture or not - quality reps against quality competition for a squad that needs every rep necessary to get ready for that first game of the 2011 season and a PAC-6 and 4A championship defense.

As for the Spartans - we knew that a number of their skill players would be returning this year and it was expected that between the two dominant programs in Durham, the Spartans would have the on-field experience, especially at the quarterback position with Dorian Belcher making the gears turn.  Every report was that in fact that was the case and Belcher and wide receiver Darren Bullock as well as a cast of Spartans were setting the tone and providing what we here in Durham like to call some 'Bull City Lockdown'.

Courtesy Marques Burnett/iHigh

Both squads made strides this past weekend and from my perspective what I appreciate the most is seeing two programs take the initiative to challenge their athletes to compete in an environment out of the norm.  One filled with high caliber competition and positioned to help support the student-athlete from a visibility and recruiting perspective as well -- because of the coverage an event like this is garnering nowadays.  Events like these are not for every program - all the time - but there is not doubt it made sense for both the Hornets and Spartans and not only did they simply participate they helped continue to promote not only the growth of both of their programs but also the growth and talent base here in Durham, North Carolina, aka 'the Bull City'.

We'd like extend a special thanks to Dallas Jackson at Rivals High (you can follow Dallas via Twitter @RivalsHigh) for information during the event as well as the use of some photographs.  Also, thanks to Marques Burnett of iHigh for the use of photographs as well as information on the Byrnes event.  If you are interested in any of the pictures from iHigh and there are many more than what I've placed in this article, contact Marques via the iHigh site, the link is provided near the beginning of the story.  Again, thanks to both Dallas and Marques!