New Lexington Hosts Annual 7-on-7 Football Tournament

NEW LEXINGTON, OH – The latest round of seven-on-seven football comes from New Lexington, where the Panthers hosted a plethora of other schools, including the likes of Granville and Buckeye Trail.

While they haven’t quite put the pads back on yet, it was nice having that football feeling back before August.

Each team had a chance to play four games before being ranked in the tournament later in the evening.

More importantly, these are just the first chances at competition for some of these high school athletes, as seven-on-seven is a great time for the skill positions to get comfortable with each other.

“The timing for quarterbacks, receivers, the drop steps for the ‘DBs’ and things, and just the trust you’re building in the competition” said New Lexington head coach Kevin Board.

“The biggest thing is trying to compete. We host these every year just to try and get these guys to come out and compete more than anything.”

For the hosts, the Panthers believe there were a multitude of benefits from the seven-on-seven tournament.

“I think with these seven-on-sevens, getting our pass drops, with that element of our game, I think that’s the biggest part of it” said junior linebacker Tanner Toth.

Senior linebacker Harrison Ratliff added, “I feel like we started out a little rough, but with me and Tanner, we’re kind of on the same page most of the time.”

Ratliff also noted how important building communication, energy, and what physicality that can be used are some big benefits from these events.

New Lexington kicks off its 2025 season at home against Fairfield Union on Friday, August 22nd.