Plant Wins USF Sling and Shoot Tournament -BHSN

By Katherine Smith
Bright House Sports Network
June 17, 2012

TAMPA — Plant High football coach Robert Weiner loves to use 7-on-7 tournaments to instill a desire to win games in his players.

So far this summer, the Panthers have mastered that lesson. Plant won the USF Sling and Shoot I, its second 7-on-7 victory in three appearances. The Panthers defeated Dunbar, 29-12, for the title.

Plant won the UCF 7-on-7 tournament earlier this month, defeating Armwood in the finals. It was nearly another Plant-Armwood final at USF, but the Hawks lost in the semifinals.

Another big benefit of these tournaments for Plant is the amount of reps their quarterbacks get. There is a big battle for the starting spot, so 7-on-7 formats provide plenty of playing time and a chance for the coaching staff to evaluate the players . At the UCF tournament, senior Kyle Groh quarterbacked the Panthers for the one-day event.

With USF’s two-day format, all four quarterbacks – Groh, Aaron Banks, Colby Brown and Kyle Ploucher – got quality work in this weekend, with Banks leading the team in the semifinal and championship games.

Weiner said all four quarterbacks played great. He also singled out Dereck Mann, Mazzi Wilkins, Andrew Beck, Wesley Bullock and Tristan Cooper.

USF will host another Sling and Shoot July 21-22. It’s the largest of the 7-on-7 tournaments with several local teams scheduled to compete. Pasco is the defending champions.