Paterson U ended their incredible 2020 tournament run winning the Championship with an exclamation point: a 49-7 blowout 49 to 7 against a strong Hawks team. The U looked downright scary all tournament, and Sunday night was no exception. With 5 different players finding the end zone, the Paterson squad showed once again that they are stacked at every position. They steamrolled every opponent they faced during the tournament, rightfully earning the 2020 A7FL title and demonstrating to the rest of the A7FL that it would take a special team to knock them off their throne.
But as the game started, the Hawks mounted two significant drives and stopped the U on defense multiple times. When the 1st quarter ended 0-0, it looked like this game was going to be a battle all the way. But just like that, the start of the second quarter saw the tide turn with the two teams scoring a total of 20 points in just 49 seconds. The U was up 13-7 but it looked like it was going to be a back and forth contest the rest of the way.
But soon it became clear that it just wasn’t the Hawks’ night. Legendary QB Corey “CP3” Price couldn’t get their passing attack going against the strong Paterson defense (which also stifled the Hawks upfront, holding tournament rushing leader Mike “Sweetness” Liberti to just 15 yards on 8 attempts). And 3 costly turnovers helped put the nails in the Hawks’ coffin as the U came up with big play after big play to capitalize on every mistake. In the end, the Hawks just looked outmatched by a better team that pushed them up and down the field in dominating fashion.
Paterson QB Quatrell “Huff” Huffin was named MVP of the tournament accounting for 5 TDs on Championship Sunday. He not only made good on his promise that Paterson would be crowned champs of the 2020 A7FL Back in Motion Tournament, but he also let it be known that this title is just the beginning of a Paterson dynasty. After Sunday’s lopsided win, his claims seemed more prescient than boast. But the A7FL has 16 other teams all eager to take on the new Champs, and many onlookers looked to some of the powerhouse teams from Baltimore and wondered whether they might be up to the task…
The A7FL’s 2020 Tournament enabled American 7s to be the first football league back in action. The COVID protocol and testing regimen enabled by presenting sponsor Salus proved successful: the risk to players was mitigated, there were smaller numbers of positive COVID tests each week (including none on Sunday), and no outbreaks. “Thanks to our COVID protocols, players, and partner Salus, we were able to play our sport of American 7s Football with very little disruption,” said A7FL CEO Sener Korkusuz. “We not only showcased our league and our amazing athletes, but demonstrated a unique model of how full contact sports like football can return to play.”
The A7FL Back in Motion Tournament Presented by Salus proved to the world that American 7’s football was ready to come back and come back strong. As the country continues its return to normalcy, the first football league back in action has big plans ahead. Stay safe and stay tuned to see what’s next for the A7FL.
