The ninth annual and newly-formed Corky Kell +Dave Hunter/Brent Key 7-on-7 Tournament returns in an expanded three-day format for the first time that will be played exclusively at Georgia Tech on June 13-14 and 20. This new partnership with GT and the multi-day schedule is elevating the experience and increasing the total teams that will be participating from 40 this past year to 86 total—with 27, 29 and 30 on each of the respective dates. The action will start each day with round-robin pod play that will determine the seeding for the championship single-elimination tournament after a lunch break. As a result, the early play will have 10 games being played simultaneously on five separate fields throughout Georgia Tech’s campus, including both Rec Fields, the Rose Bowl field, the Brock Indoor Facility fields and Bobby Dodd.
“It’s very exciting to see Brent Key 7-on-7 and the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter 7-on-7 partner to host a tournament on the Georgia Tech campus,” said Georgia Tech Director of High School Relations Tim McFarlin. “I’m sure it will be a great experience for all the coaches and young athletes who attend this first-time ever event.”
This historic 7-on-7 includes many of the state’s most accomplished teams and will also have South Carolina’s Bluffton high school and Camden high school represented. On the first day, Carver-Atlanta will compete in Pod A with Jackson, Pope, Christian Heritage, Southwest DeKalb and Duluth. The Panthers were the first Atlanta Public School to play in the Corky Kell Classic and will be represented in the Great Atlanta Bash this upcoming season with a highly-anticipated showdown with Calhoun—in what will mark the first-ever meeting between the two powerhouses. Class 6A Woodward Academy, Carver-Columbus, Centennial, North Cobb Christian and Johns Creek will play on the other Rec Field for pod play and the star-studded War Eagles will have rising junior athlete Josiah Abdullah—who has already racked up 29 major offers—making plays. Two-time Corky Kell 7-on-7 champion Marietta will be at the Rose Bowl for pod play with Cartersville, Miller Grove, Archer, Meadowcreek and Douglas County–who will be led by quarterback Sire Hardaway. Blessed Trinity, Cherokee Bluff, North Atlanta, North Cobb, Denmark and New Manchester in pod play indoors at the Brock Indoor facility and then the final Day 1 pod will feature ELCA, Greater Atlanta Christian, Duluth Monroe Area and Calvary Day. Calvary Day’s Jake Merklinger will be a four-year starter this upcoming season and is committed to Tennessee.
Day 2 on Wednesday, June 14 features more championship programs and many of the top varsity prospects in the country. Pod Play at the rec fields will include Cass, Savannah Christian, Cherokee, Lanier, Walton #2 and Columbia in one pod and North Paulding, Kell, Collins Hill, Mays and Alpharetta on the adjacent field.
The Rose Bowl will host Troup, Parkview, North Gwinnett, Kennesaw Mountain, Bluffton SC and Lovejoy. Troup has four-year starting quarterback Taeo Todd leading a star-powered Tigers team that will be contending for a Class 4A title this season and Parkview features the state’s top senior wide receiver prospect in Mike Matthews. Indoors, Walton, West Forsyth, South Gwinnett, Grayson, Lambert and Hillgrove will compete in a six-team pod and this will be interesting with Walton and Grayson playing in the opening game at 10 a.m. ahead of their Saturday showdown at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that will be the final game of this year’s Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. The fifth pod that will play at Bobby Dodd on Wednesday includes defending tournament champion Creekside, Warner Robins, reigning Class 7A state champion Mill Creek, McEachern, Norcross and Redan.
The action resumes on Tuesday, June 20 for the final day with another intriguing lineup of programs from across the classifications, state and beyond. The two Rec Field pods feature Hapeville Charter, East Jackson, Campbell, Calvary Christian, North Murray and Chapel Hill in one pod and Lassiter, Bethlehem Christian, Midtown, Charles Drew, Therrell and Flint River in their six-team pod. The Rose Bowl will host B.E.S.T. Academy, Heard County, Lakeside-DeKalb, Landmark Christian, Dunwoody and Dutchtown in pod play and the Indoor Field will stage Cook County, Tift County, Winder-Barrow, Salem, South Paulding and River Ridge. Finally, Bobby Dodd will feature defending Class 3A state champion Sandy Creek, Hebron Christian, Tucker, Camden SC, LaGrange and Roswell—who is coming off a semifinal run in Class 6A. Roswell will feature senior quarterback KJ Smith and star receiving Dylan Williams—who pose as one of the top tandems in the state this season.
EVENT SCHEDULE
When: June 13-14, 20
8:00 a.m- 9:00 a.m. – Teams arrive & register.
8:45 a.m. – Head coaches meeting (indoor facility)
9:15 a.m. – Coach Brent Key addresses the teams (indoor facility)
9:30 a.m. -Teams move to their fields
10 a.m. – Round Robin 7-on-7 Begins
Fields 1 & 2 – Bobby Dodd
Fields 3 & 4 – Rose Bowl
Fields 5 & 6 – Indoor Field
Fields 7, 8, 9, 10 – Rec Field
11:30 a.m. – Lunches delivered to team pods at each field
1:30 p.m. – Divisional Single Elimination Games
Bobby Dodd Division
Brock Indoor Division
Rose Bowl Division
4:00 p.m. – Championship Rounds – Quarterfinals
4:30 p.m. – Championship Rounds – Semifinals
500 p.m. – Championship game at Bobby Dodd Stadium
