Gateway football hopes 7-on-7 success can translate into wins

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 6, 2017 | 10:56 PM

Preseason camp for WPIAL high school football begins early Monday morning.

Gateway has its sights set on a strong season in Class 5A. The Gators were a few seconds away from Heinz Field last year, but a last-second touchdown pass by McKeesport in the semifinals dashed their title hopes.

Several starters and major contributors return on both sides of the ball, and Gateway is predicted to be a title contender. The optimism heading into the offseason created a sense of excitement, coach Don Holl said.

That excitement carried over into several aspects of summer work, including seven-on-seven competitions and tournaments.

Holl said the seven-on-seven success has given the squad a boost.

“We are always looking to put our kids in competitive situations with the very best competition we can,” Holl said.

That was the case in late June at the USA Football 7-on-7 Cleveland Regional against teams from Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The Gators went 4-0-1 in Pool A and then rolled to three more victories, including a 21-10 win over Grant Ledge, Mich., in the championship game.

Gateway topped Mt. Lebanon, 18-17, in its first pool-play contest.

The tournament win propelled the Gators to a national USA Football 7-on-7 event in Canton, Ohio, on July 21-22 against regional winners from New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The Gators went 7-2 and bowed out of the playoffs with an upset loss in the quarterfinals.

“It was another tournament with great competition to see where we stack up on both sides of the ball,” Holl said. “The defense played very well, and we were able to makes some big plays on offense.”

The stiff competition was evident when Thomas Jefferson, a leading candidate to win the WPIAL 4A title again this year, went 2-7. Four of the Jaguars' seven losses were by three points or less.

For senior quarterback Brady Walker, a returning three-year starter who threw for 2,800 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, the success boils down to being more comfortable in a system implemented 16 months ago under Holl, who enters his second season as Gateway coach.

“We were clicking and communicating really well in the seven-on-sevens,” Walker said.

“From the last game (of the 2016 season) to now, we've all learned so much. There are more things we want to put in. We have a lot of quality receivers we can go to. There are some new faces, but there's a lot of talent.”

One of the main cogs in the receiving group and in the secondary on defense is junior Courtney Jackson, a main target of Walker's last fall and one who will be counted on this year for the Gators to contend for a WPIAL crown.

“The key thing at those big seven-on-seven tournaments is staying focused because it's a pretty long day,” Jackson said. “The tournament in Cleveland was a lot of fun. We were ready for each challenge and were able to bring home the trophy.”

The Gators also matched up this summer against a Pine-Richland team that features a strong group of skill players led by Notre Dame recruit Phil Jurkovec at quarterback.

“It was a pretty good experience with Phil being who he is,” Jackson said. “They have a high-powered offense, but our defense played pretty good against them.”

Holl said the seven-on-seven games were just a part of the overall body of work his players put in over the summer.

“The thing I always say to our kids is that you want to yearn and love to compete, whether that's in workouts, in drills, in the weight room or in the classroom,” he said. “The 7-on-7s were positive in that they really got the players in the mindset of winning and doing what it takes to be successful. Hopefully, that continues into the preseason and the start of the season.”

Heat acclimation workouts are this week in advance of the start of camp.

Gateway scrimmages Belle Vernon on Aug. 19 at Antimarino Stadium and opens the season with a Week Zero game at Woodland Hills.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Gateway