Leps coach Humbert happy with success of Gold Bowl
Ed Thompson
Belle Vernon’s Hunter Ruokonen (right) catches a pass in the end zone despite being closely defended by Connellsville’s Kobe Stanley in the Gold Bowl seven-on-seven tournament held at Belle Vernon’s Jim Weir Stadium on Saturday. Ruokonen was named the event’s offensive MVP.
Belle Vernon head coach Matt Humbert (middle) calls an offensive play for his team during Saturday's Gold Bowl seven-on-seven tournament held at Belle Vernon's Jim Weir Stadium.
Sourthmoreland's Ronnie Robinson (right) and Riley Conforti celebrate a score during Saturday's Gold Bowl seven-on-seven passing tournament held at Belle Vernon's Jim Weir Stadium. Conforti was named the event's defensive MVP.
Yough quarterback Jake Sever throws downfield for a completion during Saturday's Gold Bowl seven-on-seven tournament held at Belle Vernon's Jim Weir Stadium.
Eight football squads, including seven local teams, gathered at Jim Weir Stadium in Rostraver Township for the 2018 Gold Bowl seven-on-seven passing tournament with the host Belle Vernon Area “A” winning the championship over Southmoreland, 26-12.
“I am happy with the event as a whole, we try to make it fun for the kid, and it is always good to get our guys work,” said BVA head coach Matt Humbert. “We got another day of competition, another day of football and it is a good way to get local teams together to compete.
“It was a businesslike approach and we have been focusing on running the ball the last few weeks so we kind of came into this cold and the kids were up to the challenge.”
Southmoreland coach Dave Keefer talked about his team’s experience.
“I am real happy with how we came together, especially with how we came back against Connellsville,” he said. “The team is coming off of an 0-10 season and hopefully things like this can get us going in the right direction.
“The kids are getting reps and learning the terminology for a new offense and a new defense, and we get to see what we need to work on with them.
“We want to change the culture and these types of events will help.”
Southmoreland advanced to the finals with a touchdown on the last play of its semifinal against top-seeded and previously undefeated Connellsville, 22-17, while BVA “A” defeated Burrell, 22-6.
In quarterfinal action, Southmoreland downed California, 20-6, Connellsville defeated Belle Vernon “B”, 21-4, Burrell upset Yough, 11-9, and BVA “A” beat Frazier, 20-6.
Connellsville coach Marko Thomas was pleased with what his team showed.
“For us, this was about camaraderie and getting the kids together,” he said. “The kids have been competing well all summer. We want to get as many reps as possible because it makes the kids better and it is important for the community to see that.
“Every time we come here, we know it will go well because the event is well-structured and well-run.”
Yough coach Scott Wood talked about the experience his team gained.
“Our quarterback (Jake Sever) did really well today and is growing which is important because we are a running team,” he said. “These types of events help us get our timing down. We saw positives and now it is time to finish getting ready for August.”
Connellsville went 4-0 in Pool Play to earn the top seed with Belle Vernon Area “A” (3-1) seeded second, Yough (3-1) was seeded third, Southmoreland (2-2) fourth, California (2-2) fifth, Burrell (1-3) sixth, Frazier (1-3) seventh and BVA “B” (0-4) eighth.
Frazier coach Mike Steeber liked what he saw from his extremely young team.
“We try to get better every time we step on the field and we were able to get some young kids looks against other competition,” he said. “In the end, you have to improve and that is what we did today.”
California offensive coordinator Tony Ruscitto spoke about his team which is mostly an option team.
“We are on the ball and have been working on a passing offense for about a month,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do but I am happy with the experience we got today and this will help us be more balanced this year.”
Belle Vernon’s Hunter Ruokonen was named the offensive MVP while Southmoreland’s Riley Conforti, who had five interceptions, was named the defensive MVP.