Boiling Springs (8-3) became the lowest seeded team ever and first team from South Carolina to win the USA Football 7-on-7 National Championship in Hoover, AL over the weekend.
The Bulldogs rallied from a 1-3 start in pool play to finish 3-3 earning the 25th seed. In tournament play Boiling Springs picked up where it left off in pool by ripping off five consecutive wins to claim the championship to end the event on an overall seven game winning streak.
In the finals against host and third-seeded Hoover (9-1-1), the Bulldogs trailed 17-0 before rallying with 29 unanswered points to win 29-17. Boiling Springs took the lead for good 19-17 after the successful PAT on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Dawson Taylor to Najee Thompson.
Boilings Springs defense proved to be instrumental in the victory by recording two interceptions (3 points each) and a turnover on downs (2 points each). The offense did not waste any of those opportunities as they scored touchdowns off of each defensive set up.
The come-from-behind victory capped an impressive tournament run by the Bulldogs who defeated four single-digit seeded teams. Including the victory over Hoover, Boiling Springs defeated top-seeded Walton (GA) in the quarterfinals, defending tournament champion and fifth-seeded McGill-Toolen (AL) in the semifinals and eighth-seeded Spain Park (AL) in the first round. The Bulldogs defeated 24-seed Baldwin County (AL) in the second round after Baldwin County upset ninth-seeded Gadsden City (AL) in the first round.
Coming off of a state runner-up finish in class 5A in 2016 Boiling Springs will open the 2017 season August 25th at Ashley Ridge.
Notes:
Dutch Fork was the only other team in the event from South Carolina. The Silver Foxes went 6-0 in pool play and were the 2-seed entering the tournament. Dutch Fork finished with an overall record of 7-1 after being eliminated in the second round by 15-seed Har-Ber (AR).
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