When Blanche Ely head coach Rodney Gray planned out the summer for this football team, many questioned the number of competitive events the veteran coach had planned for his Tigers.

Last weekend, the team portion of the summer came to an end for the Tigers, and with a top four finish in the prestigious Nike South Florida 7-on-7 at Miramar Regional Park, it was considered a successful off season.

“This team worked very hard to get better and to fill the holes left by graduation,” said Gray. “This team worked hard and competed all summer.”

From local gatherings to events across the state, there was no doubt that the this was certainly a team that more than benefited from the extra work and 7-on-7 tournaments that kept Ely busy for nearly two months.

“The objective was to expose this team to as many events as we could afford,” Gray said. “We had a number of players who needed to compete at a high level.”

Add in the Under Armour Skills Challenge at the Dolphins’ practice bubble, and junior Avery Johnson’s trip with the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team, which won a national championship in Alabama, and this was a summer that helped the Tigers continue to close the gap between them and St. Thomas, a team they took to the limit in the playoffs.

While St. Thomas rarely competed in any team events away from the school, 5A area foes Boyd Anderson, Dillard and Ely gained a huge and valuable edge by playing against powerhouses such as Glades Central, Dwyer, Miami Northwestern and many other teams that are rated among the top 10 in Florida, heading into the 2010 season.

In addition to Ely, other BCAA teams included in the Nike event were  Deerfield Beach, Everglades, Boyd Anderson, Northeast and Flanagan. The field of 16 was narrowed down from nearly 60 schools originally invited to the qualifying tournament a few weeks back.

Miami Northwestern beat Glades Central for the title. It was the Bulls second title in as many weeks.

MARSHALL, GRAHAM  MOVE ON
Former Archbishop McCartney fullback and wrestling standout T.J. Marshall, who had transferred to Cooper City, has left the Cowboys and headed to Rocky Mount, N.C., where he is reunited with his two brothers.

In addition, West Broward standout defensive end Rex Graham, who moved in from Miami Dr. Krop in the spring, has moved to Pennsylvania where he will continue playing football for Warren Area High School.

Graham will play running back and also compete on the defensive side of the ball.

Graham, like Marshall, was to be a top player for the Class of 2011 in Broward County.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at Floridakids1@hotmail.com. Blustein is the co-host of the High School Gridiron Show each Wednesday night from 9-10 on WQAM (560 AM) or www.wqam.com.