Sweetwater grew into its second 7-on-7 of the summer.
Traveling to McMinn County High School and competing with five programs, the Wildcats showed growth from their first 7-on-7 after settling into the competition.
The Wildcats made strides in route running with a number of receivers that can compete while also improving in their offensive reads out of the quarterback and covering defensive zones.
“We do feel like we (improved). I feel like we got a lot better in that two-week span. Now, you start the cycle of having other things to brush up on and improve on,” Sweetwater coach Tommy Bunch Jr. said. “I thought we had a bit of a slow start as far as energy and enthusiasm goes, but once we got going, I thought our guys responded well and we ended the night playing our best ball of the evening and that was good to see.”
All six teams — McMinn County, Meigs County, Rhea County, Sweetwater, Tellico Plains and Walker Valley — competed with everyone, alternating 10 play drives on offense and defense before shifting to five-play drives.
Each round ran for 25 minutes.
“It is something that is being confirmed, but they want to be coached. They want to be corrected and they take to it very well. They listen and try to improve — that is always great to see,” Bunch said. “Their attitudes are good and we competed well. One of the things lacking was some enthusiasm and some excitement.”
Per Bunch, the relationship between the coaches and players is still being built, but the program seems to start to have life breathing in it again.
“I think a part of why that is lacking is because they are getting to know me still. I told them, you have to have some personality and get excited. We have to enjoy what we are doing and have fun with it,” Bunch added. “That is a focus of ours too going forward and I have no doubt we are going to improve there.”
Sophomore quarterback Nolan Dacus, who took over as the starter later in 2023, started the day off in the zone. Dacus was hitting his marks and the Wildcat offense began to move the ball as the day progressed.
“We had a lot of drops offensively, but I thought he was putting the ball on the money early. Once our receivers started to adjust we were clicking a little bit,” Bunch said. “He played well from the very beginning and I think that carried momentum to the rest of the team and helped us get on track.”
Dacus has spent much of the summer in the film room as well as the field. He, like much of the Sweetwater group, is learning a second offense in as many seasons but, per Bunch, he is grasping it.
“His football IQ is going up and he is learning our system and what our expectations are,” Bunch added.
A pair of underclassmen excelled out of the receiving corps with Hunter Daffron and Zayvien Gary.
“We probably have seven kids that can go in and play those positions right now. As far as last night, I thought Zayvien Gary had a good night on both sides of the ball,” Bunch said. “He has soft hands and caught the ball well. I thought Zayvien had a really good night.
“(Daffron) is a possession-type receiver who is good at getting open and very rarely drops the ball. He is starting to build some trust and rapport with Nolan in catching the ball and that is good to see.”
Isaiah Stiles made a pair of catches to advance the ball while Lucas Rockholt showed strong at tight end and outside.
Defensively, Sweetwater’s Koby McCosh led at corner while junior Tyler Beasley had a strong night.
“I thought (McCosh) really improved at that position. I thought, defensively, (Beasley) was a really bright spot for us,” Bunch added.
Gary showed growth defensively while Ty Fitch, Codi James and Landon Murphy shined at linebacker.
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