Naperville Central hosted a 7-on-7...

...tournament Friday night with Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley.

My buddy from Naperville was there and here's his eyewitness report, lightly edited:

I usually don’t put too much stock in 7-on-7s; just a chance to enjoy a nice summer night of some form of football. That said, the two best players on the field were Jake Kolbe of Central, who looked really good, and Mikey Dudek, who was a man among boys. 

Kolbe is big, confident and throws a rope. He was passing into some really tight windows and wasn’t at all shy about taking chances. It was 7-on-7 and held at Central, remember, so I’m sure he was feeling his oats. It will be interesting to see how he plays this fall. 

Dudek was off the charts, or should I say the field -- literally. He’s super fast, which is well-known, but his leaping ability was most impressive. He made a one-handed leaping catch on a crossing route, in stride, that was jaw-dropping and made the sizable crowd go "ooohh" and "ahhhh." He looked like a super jacked-up video game receiver out there, compared to the defenders. 

One other kid to keep an eye on is Central’s Bobby McMillen (above). He’s a good-sized linebacker, probably 6’2”, 215 or so, and just a junior. In 7-on-7 you don’t see all that a linebacker can do, but this kid has the physical tools to be really good. His dad, Bob McMillen, played at Benedictine University in Lisle and is head coach of the Chicago Rush of the Arena League.

This 7-on-7 deal was a first, bringing all the local schools together. It was great to get the “football community” together and great for parents like us to catch up with other football families. I think the coaches thought it went well and were already talking about making this an annual event.

The downside is injuries. You never want to see a kid get hurt and unfortunately that can happen. A Neuqua receiver went down with a hip issue and it was really unfortunate. Prayers for him that he can make a full and speedy recovery.

   
The All-Star Game is this week and while the White Sox are in last place, the Cubs are only a few games ahead of last-place Milwaukee. Hurry football!