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7-On-7 League Keeps Growing

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By CRISTINA LEDRA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 17, 2008

What started out as a two-team operation a few years ago has become an event most teams in Pasco County wanted to be a part of.

The local 7-on-7 passing league was only Ridgewood and River Ridge facing off against each other three years ago. Now the league, organized by Ridgewood, includes eight teams; all of Pasco's public programs except Land O' Lakes and Gulf, and Hudson is playing some games but not the full seven-week schedule.

Games begin today at Ridgewood and each week a different team is hosting.

"A lot more people wanted to do it," Rams coach Chris Taylor said.

There is no official championship and that doesn't seem to be a concern for those involved.

"I'm not concerned about winning or losing," Taylor said. "We haven't determined who is going to win and who is going to lose because I think we're all just trying to get better."

The select portions of regular tackle football that are used for 7-on-7 touch football are areas that teams would like to work on as many are looking to replace graduating seniors in those positions.

Sophomore Scott Kujak, Hudson's backup quarterback last season, transferred to Ridgewood via open enrollment last week and will compete for the starting job.

Jimmy Mattos, the Rams' projected starter at quarterback for the upcoming season, left the team to concentrate on baseball.

And Wiregrass Ranch, for example, would like to work on getting its quarterback and receivers on the same page after the Bulls had a strong spring.

This is the first year Wiregrass Ranch is in the league. Last year the league consisted of Ridgewood, River Ridge, Mitchell and Wesley Chapel.

Bulls coach Ricky Thomas said when he coached at Pasco, the Pirates played in a number of 7-on-7 tournaments in 2002 both at home and at other schools around the state. That summer then-quarterback Ben Alford threw for 800 yards, which Thomas said helped out their offense in the fall because they had no dominant running back.

"I think we have some receivers that are going to be pretty good and I think we have young running backs that are going to be good, but I think this is just going to help us overall as a team," Thomas said. "Anything I can do to help better my football team, I'm going to do."

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