BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION — On a day that showcased its gleaming new indoor facility, Smiths Station High School gave the crowd a reason to stay until the very end.
The Panthers edged Loachapoka High School in a thrilling 25-19 double overtime championship game to win the All Valley 7-on-7 tournament on June 24.
In addition to SSHS and the Indians, the tournament also featured Columbus High School, Spencer High School, Harris County High School and Shaw High School.
According to SSHS head coach Blair Harrison, the win meant more than the trophy that came with it: it confirmed his program is developing the competitive spirit he requires.
“Win or lose, I think it was a good day for us, just knowing that we can make plays when we have to,” Harrison said. “It’s a full-team effort, and some good things happened that way for us.”
Harrison added that after some recurring problems earlier this summer caught his attention, the improvement shown in those areas made him the happiest.
“We’re digging out of almost a systemic program situation that’s deeply rooted over years,” Harrison said. “I didn’t know the history and what shape it was in when I took the job [last year]. I just thought I could help them.”
Across the field, LHS head coach Branden Hall walked away from the loss still encouraged despite the tough result.
After his team trailed in nearly every game it played in the tournament, it kept finding ways to claw back.
“The last couple of years we’ve struggled in the playoffs when games have gotten tight, and we came up short,” Hall said. “Sometimes we go out there and we don’t compete the whole time, but I think we got 1% better today in the way that we play and the way we’re competing.”
For a coach who initially based his career on the offensive and defensive lines, Hall was clear that summer 7-on-7 tournaments are not where seasons are decided.
However, he said he still sees some real value in them for an older, experienced core group of players looking to make a run this upcoming season.
“The game is going to be won in the trenches because you’ve got to run the ball and be able to stop the run,” Hall said. “But 7-on-7 is teaching us how to compete in tight games and play to the whistle.”
The respect between the two coaches ran in both directions.
“We thought that they were one of the better teams coming over before [the tournament got] started,” Harrison said. “I’ve not been around Alabama much, but they’ve had [Division I] guys coming out of there pretty regularly. Today is what we need to see: good speed and good size, and that’s what they brought to the table.”
Hall, who has known Harrison for years and calls him “one of my guys,” returned the compliments Harrison paid him.
“They’re doing one heck of a job over at Smiths Station. Phenomenal job, phenomenal group,” Hall said.
SSHS opens its preseason with a scrimmage game at Spencer High School, Georgia, on Aug. 13 before hosting Northside High School on Aug. 21.
LHS begins its season by hosting Lanett High School on Aug. 21.
