ROGERS — You never know when a connection will pay off.
When Haden Gilder went looking for teams to add to this year’s Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase, some of the usual participating teams were unable to commit. So Shiloh Christian’s assistant coach, who also serves as the tournament director, expanded the search, going as far as Aurora, Ill., by way of Hoover, Ala.
That’s why the fourth annual tournament, which begins with pool play today at Shiloh Christian, will have a lot of new faces with 32 teams from eight states.
A year ago, Aurora Christian and Shiloh Christian met twice in the national 7-on-7 tournament in Hoover. Despite the fact that the Saints knocked out the Eagles in tournament play, the coaching staffs at both schools became friendly.
“We hit it off with the Shiloh coaches,” said Eagles Coach Don Beebe, a former NFL receiver. “We had a lot in common. They asked, ‘Would you ever consider coming to our tournament?’ We thought it would be a really good fit.”
Shiloh Christian Coach Josh Floyd is happy to have Aurora, not just for the competition, but also because he is a fan of Beebe, who is best known for his playing days as a receiver with the Buffalo Bills. He’s most famous for stripping the ball from Dallas’ Leon Lett just short of the goal line in Super Bowl XXVII, one of six Super Bowls that Beebe played in during a nine-year career, to prevent the Cowboys from setting a scoring record.
“I thought he was awesome,” Floyd said. “It was pretty cool for me in Hoover: ‘Hey, that’s Don Beebe.’ The cool thing is they knew about us and our program.”
The Eagles won the Class 3A state championship a year ago behind standout quarterback Anthony Maddie, who signed with Western Michigan. This year’s team should have lots of skill players — led by Northern Illinois-bound Chad Beebe, the coach’s son — but will have to break in a new quarterback.
Chad Beebe is among a handful of college prospects scheduled to compete during the two-day tournament. There are four Arkansas commitments, including three from Fayetteville (quarterback Austin Allen, safety Alex Brignoni and linebacker Brooks Ellis) and junior quarterback Rafe Peavey of Bolivar, Mo.
Don Beebe said he has two promising players, senior Ryan McQuade and sophomore Austin Bray, but there is only so much that can be learned during quarterback camps and workouts. A 7-on-7 tournament can be a big help in developing quarterbacks, Beebe said.
“We have a lot coming back,” Beebe said. “This is why I like doing these. It beats anything we can do in Illinois. From a passing standpoint, you can’t get any better evaluating your quarterback.”
Floyd is also breaking in a new quarterback in Daniel Shimer. He said 7-on-7 tournaments help develop a quarterback’s timing with his receivers and show the coaches what the quarterback does best and worst.
At a glance
WHEN Today-Saturday WHERE Shiloh Christian High School, Springdale WHO 32 teams, from Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas SCHEDULE Pool play begins at 9 a.m. today and continues Saturday morning. The championship round is Saturday afternoon, and the championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ADMISSION Free
Sports, Pages 24 on 07/13/2012