Lindbergh Looking Strong at 7-on-7 Football Tourney

CREVE COEUR – A 7-on-7 football tournament is the perfect opportunity to showcase the quarterbacks, and there were plenty on display Saturday at DeSmet Jesuit High School.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Football Coaches Association held its inaugural 7-on-7 tourney at DeSmet with 23 teams from Missouri and Illinois participating.

Top area quarterbacks like Lindbergh’s Peter Simpson, Gateway Tech’s Paul Rice, Ladue’s Brandon Carr, DeSmet’s Conner Harrison, Fort Zumwalt West’s Drew Hare and Dalton Demos of Christian Brothers College all aired it out without having to worry about getting hit by an oncoming rush.

The tournament was two-hand touch, played without pads and had no rushing attempts.

“The biggest thing is that the quarterbacks get work,” De Smet coach Pat Mahoney said.

Picking up an event that had been previously been held in one form at Columbia high schools Hickman and Rock Bridge, Mahoney said his school made sense because of its location and facilities.

“Everybody runs 7s, but the difference maker is that they’re not as competitive,” Mahoney said. “Here you’ve got a lot of teams; you’ve got people you’re going to see later in the year, so the competition level rises. Now you get a little more game situations and get to do some coaching on the field.”

Zumwalt West was the overall champion, defeating Gateway Tech in the Gold Division title game. Gateway beat West in pool play in a 47-45 shootout. Ladue beat Alton 26-14 for the Silver Division title and Cardinal Ritter defeated Belleville West 27-14 to win the Bronze Division.

The Lindbergh Flyers won their pool, defeating Ladue, Belleville West and Lutheran North. That got them into the eight-team Gold Division, with the other five pool winners and at-large teams Zumwalt West and Maplewood-Richmond Heights. Lindbergh beat Columbia Hickman in the first round before falling to West in the semifinals.

“It’s nice to win your pool, but we’re not playing to the level we want to play at yet,” Lindbergh coach Tom Beauchamp said. “But that’s what this is all about, to get better.”

The Flyers only return “about 30 percent” of last year’s varsity squad, but do bring back senior quarterback Peter Simpson, who threw for more than 2,200 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. With new receivers to throw to, getting the timing down before they open training camp in August is vital.

“It helps with the speed and getting used to the game and what they’re going to see,” Beauchamp said. “There are some adjustments you have to make at varsity that you don’t necessarily see at JV or freshmen.?

Behind Simpson will be the senior-sophomore tandem of Grant Krueger and younger brother Garrett. Beauchamp’s own son, Blake, is also back with the Kruegers at linebacker. Blake Beauchamp also “scored several times” to make Dad proud.

“As a dad, he did well,” Tom Beauchamp said, “but as a coach, he’s got to get better.”