The West Coast reigned supreme in Orlando this weekend.
Led by 2023 quarterback Sam Cooper and four-star athlete Jalil Tucker, San Diego-based Dreamchasers took down Lo Pro out of Hawaii, 25-21, to win a loaded Pylon Orlando 7v7 tournament.
Dreamchasers began the event with a tie but got hot after that, racing past Enhance Sports Training and NLG 2 in group play. While not dominant, Dreamchasers made plays when they mattered most, winning all but one of their championship play games by five points or fewer.
Cooper had a bit of a coming out party at the tournament. A little-known prospect, Cooper made several key throws, especially in the title game to propel Dreamchasers to the finish line.
While Cooper was named the championship MVP, it was Tucker that was arguably the biggest star of the tournament. Tucker shut down his side of the field at cornerback and also showed off his blazing speed at the wide receiver position.
It was a tough end to a great run for Lo Pro. Traveling such a long distance and putting on a show without big name recruits on its roster speaks volumes of this program. Lo Pro won all but one of its championship play games by double digits before ultimately falling to Dreamchasers in the finale.
Certified Dawgs and Treasure Coast Elite were the two other semifinalists at Pylon Orlando. The two Southeast teams represented their home area well and proved to be two of the top 7v7 programs in the country.
After an up and down Day 1, Certified Dawgs came back with a vengeance on the final day of the event. Led by Power Five recruits like Jayden Gibson, Chad Mascoe and Markeith Williams, Certified Dawgs looked like it was poised to win it all after upsetting No. 1 seed Unsigned Preps in the second round. But the squad fell just short against Lo Pro.
Treasure Coast Elite quietly put together a nice tournament run. After a 2-1 start in group play, Treasure Coast Elite rebounded with some close wins during championship play and did all the little things right to keep on advancing before ultimately falling to Dreamchasers.
The Pylon 7v7 circuit will be on a break next weekend before heading to Dallas on Feb. 6.