Coming out of the gate with a resounding win over No. 1 ranked Team Tampa in the preliminary rounds of this past weekend’s Pylon 7v7 Elite Camp Florida tournament, the Florida Fire made their presence immediately known in Melbourne. Head coach Dennis Marroquin’s team got off the bus with an attitude and didn’t begin to celebrate until they were holding up their championship trophy after going undefeated in the 20-team tournament to open the 7 on 7 All-star season.
“It’s special, the kids worked hard and it paid off,” said Marroquin after winning the championship Sunday afternoon.
Marroquin’s Fire team was lead by Calvin Ridley, the tournament MVP and five-star 2015 wide receiver out of Coconut Creek, Florida’s Monarch High School. The Broward County athlete made some outstanding catches and was basically clutch all tournament and helped the Fire notch it’s first victory of the 7 on 7 season.
“We just want to show people we are the No. 1 ranked [7 on 7] team in South Florida and all over the world,” Ridley said about their performance.
Though ranked at No. 8 in the Pylon 7v7 Top 25 Rankings coming into the tournament, the Fire were widely assumed to be the best team. Trotting out an experienced 7 on 7 roster loaded with Division I talent was the reason their victory surprised few on lookers.
“It’s as good of a 7 on 7 team as I’ve seen,” said Pylon Elite Camps co-founder Baron Flenory
In addition to the play of Ridley, team quarterback Kato Nelson proved to be outstanding in delivering the ball quickly and efficiently. As only a sophomore, Nelso proved why his star will likely rise, though he’s probably currently being under valued because of the immense talent surrounding him.
Another one of Nelson’s key targets, Jovon Durante had an excellent tournament and a clutch championship game performance versus Team Treasure Coast Elite. Durante was joined by the shifty athlete Lenwood Joyner who was a match up nightmare for defenses all tournament long because of his size and speed combination. Though only standing about 5’6 tall, Joyner is a perfect 7 on 7 player because he’s difficult to tackle and his quickness makes his worth invaluable on the field.
Defensively, the Fire were led by Jeff Hill Jr., the lock down cornerback from Miramar High School who is likely under recruited based on his size standing at 5’8 tall. But his play was huge all weekend. Hill played a large part in keeping Team Tampa wide outs George Campbell (consensus five-star) and Auden Tate in check. The Fire also got huge performances from Ronnie Hoggins, Antonio Howard and Malek Young. Their defensive coordinator Standord Samuels II was out to prove his unit had the tools to be as good as their offense, case closed.
Marroquin promised that his team wasn’t done.
“We’re going to keep going, we’re going to keep practicing, we’re going to keep getting better. So when the season’s over, these kids can get better and better and get to their regular season with their teams.”
One of the best parts about the Fire team that featured three four-star prospects in the 2015 class at wide receiver is the young talent they have. Namely in Booker T. Washington freshman Clevan Thomas.
“One thing about the Fire, you always have kids that will be blowing up all of a sudden. These are kids that are going to be blowing up. Kato Nelson, you know, won a state championship for his team after staring for us at quarterback last year. Now Clevan Thomas and you have a couple of young ones that did some things today too.”
Other sophomore or younger contributors for the fire include defensive backs Malek Young, Jaelyn Faulk, back up quarterback Stanford Samuels III, and wide receiver Cavin Ridley who is Calvin’s younger brother.
The Fire now turn their attention to Vegas and the upcoming tournament featuring 70 of the nation’s top All-Star 7 on 7 teams.