The Fairfield Central Griffins took top honors in Saturday’s 7-on-7 tournament at Ben Lippen School. The Griffins’ linemen also took first in the event’s Lineman Challenge.
The Fairfield Central Griffins wrapped up their summer workouts with a victory in the Ben Lippen 7-on-7 tournament held Saturday in Columbia. Not to be outdone by their ‘skilled’ counterparts, the Griffins offensive and defensive linemen took home top honors in the tournament’s Lineman Challenge.
“I thought we played pretty good,” Griffins head coach Demetrius Davis said. “We played seven games against some pretty good competition and were able to beat Richland Northeast in the championship. I’m proud of the way we competed.”
The Griffins knocked off Westwood, 15-0; Ben Lippen, 25-12; Gilbert, 22-8; Hammond, 19-12 and Keenan 19-12 on their ascent to the championship round. In the final match-up against Richland Northeast, the Griffins edged out the Cavaliers 14-12 to take home the trophy.
Davis said the win, while not to be overstated, says a lot about the direction of his program as the Griffins begin to transition into 2A competition this season with a huge cast of new faces.
“You don’t want to put too much emphasis on a 7-on-7 tournament,” Davis said, “but, at the same time, any time you win anything you should be thankful. There were eight other teams out there who wanted to win just as badly as we did.
“I think this tells us we’re going in the right direction,” Davis continued. “Ninety percent of it is competing on a high level, and that’s where we’re at right now. We’ve got a good group of guys, who are not only good football players, but are good kids who will represent Fairfield County very well.”