BRADENTON — There were less than two minutes to go in Unsigned Preps' tournament final game against Miami's Florida Fire at Sunday's IMG 7v7 National Championship when quarterback Chris Oladokun threw a pass to Ray RayMcCloud III, who was standing in the end zone.
For most of the first six games, the duo — as well as many of the other Tampa Bay area players who participated on the squad — had been almost perfectly precise. But after a long day of games, the heat and fatigue began to wear on them, Oladokun said.
McCloud dropped the pass before falling to his knees, grabbing his cramping legs. Unsigned Preps got on the board once more before the game ended, but undefeated Florida Fire kept coming back with more, eventually beating the Tampa-based team 33-20.
"That was just fate, I guess," said Oladokun, the starting quarterback at Alonso. "He had the ball and everything. Half of our team was cramping."
Unsigned Preps was one of five Tampa area teams that competed in this year's IMG 7v7 National Championship.
Team Tampa Too, quarterbacked by Hillsborough's Dwayne Lawson, was out of the double-elimination tournament early Sunday morning after losing its first two games. Unsigned Preps Youth won its first game on a last-second touchdown pass from Wiregrass Ranch's Shane Bucenell to Tampa Bay Tech's Daquon Green, but lost its second two.
Plant City wide receiver TJ Chase had a big day for the Next Level Night Hawks. The squad lost its first game of the morning, but Chase scored a touchdown with less than two minutes to go in its first elimination game to seal a victory. The 2016 recruit had a pair of touchdowns and an interception in the Night Hawks' second win of the day, but the team was ultimately eliminated by Team Tampa in the round before the semifinal.
Florida Fire's victory snapped Team Tampa's two-year stronghold on the title. Team Tampa, quarterbacked by Berkeley Prep's Brad Mayes, lost its second game of the day, but had some success in the winner's bracket before falling 20-14 in the semifinal round.
"It's real disappointing," said Wharton wide receiver Auden Tate. "We should have won."