I had the chance last weekend to attend the Miami Dolphins Academy 7-on-7 Tournament at Bamford Park in Davie. The day-long event, which was sponsored by the Nat Moore Foundation, brought players, coaches and fans together to play some football.

Miami Edison won the tournament in an exciting game against Boyd Anderson, but the day was truly impressive as local schools Dillard, Pompano, Taravella and Miramar joined  some elite schools such as Jupiter Christian and Inlet Grove from Palm Beach, Davie University School and Upperroom Christian and Miami Norland, Miami Killian, Miami Carol City, Miami Springs, North Miami, Southwest Miami, Columbus and Miami Southridge.

The Cobras played tremendous football all afternoon with Kenny Graham leading the team into the final game with the help of teammates Travis Reynolds and Demar Dorsey.

Coach Mark James and his team have heard all spring and into the summer that Deerfield Beach, Plantation, Cypress Bay and Miramar are the teams to keep an eye on in Broward, but after an impressive finish in the Dolphins' event, many have to include a very talented Boyd Anderson team when mentioning the best in the region.

The Cobras basically lost by one play -- a fourth-down incomplete pass in a 34-28 game. "When it comes to football," head coach Mark James told Patrick Dorsey of the Miami Herald, "that's what it's all about. ... It's just an [example] of how great a program this [Dolphins' 7-on-7 tournament] was."

Many athletes from Dillard were not there on Saturday as the Panthers look to rebound from a spring loss to defending 4A state champion Miami Booker T. Washington. One of the key players who makes this offense go, Trabis Ward, had ACT testing and was forced to miss the event.

"We need an event against great competition to improve," said Dillard head coach Keith Franklin. "Our young kids really got some quality playing time against some top-flight competition."

Taravella was one of the teams who made a surprise visit to the event. Wherever Dan Marguriet has coached in his tremendous career, he has always won. He built South Plantation, Flanagan and Coconut Creek into cotenders, and with exciting junior running back Devon Wright (6-1, 175), linebacker Brandon Steg (6-2, 215) and linemen Nick Long (6-1, 270), and senior running back Matt Goombs (5-9, 180) and linebacker John Williamson (6-0, 210), this a program that could make some noise in the fall.

"This is a great thing for our kids to be involved in," Marguriet said. "The Dolphins did such a tremendous job in attracting so many quality teams."

Miramar, which came in as the favorite to win it all with standout quarterback Eugene Smith, fell short in the quarterfinals, losing to North Miami, but not before the Patriots put on a show with Smith and his senior receivers Terrance Gourdine and Steadmon Bailey, and junior standouts Ivan McCarthy and Donte Chambers.

You can reach Larry Blustein via e-mail at FloridaKids1@hotmail.com. He can also be heard every Thursday night (9-10) on the Miami Dolphins High School Gridiron Report on WQAM (560 AM).