7 on 7 team prepares players for next season
Piedmont Select 7 on 7 team works with players from as young as eighth grade.
Spring football is a great way for players to get a good head start on the next season by working on the skills that will prepare them for success. Piedmont Select 7 on 7 team gives players in Forsyth County and beyond an outlet to develop as a player to better prepare them for this fall.
This past Sunday, Piedmont Select held their second annual media day to give the community a firsthand look at what the team provides to their players. Piedmont Select has two age groups, 15-and-under and an 18-and-under team. Their skills were on full display Sunday as family and friends gathered together to watch the team work out.
“We are doing this every year now and it’s for kids looking to develop their skills in football,” said Ameer Watkins, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. “They come play with us during the spring, before they go back to their high schools or their colleges.”
Piedmont Select came together four years ago by head coach Eric Puryear. His goal was to give local athletes some enhanced training outside of what their schools provided. The team also exposes their players to college campuses as they travel to various tournaments throughout the country.
The team has expanded to include a 15-and-under team this season. “Last year, we only had an 18-U team, this year we were blessed to expand a little bit more by adding a 15-and-under team. So, starting at eighth grade, we are looking to grab those kids before they even go to high school to develop their skills to prepare them for the high school level,” said Watkins.
According to Watkins, throughout the 7 on 7 season the team focuses primarily on development. They work with all positions on the field outside of lineman and kickers. They also travel to multiple tournaments to display their skills against other teams around the country.
“At the beginning of each practice we have a training period where they do speed training,” he said. “The second period of practice is where they do agility training and then they go through individual one-on-one training for the positions they play.
“At the end we go through 7-on-7 practices to let them use the skills they learned during individual training to apply it on the field.”
Piedmont Select has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Although other teams have popped up during that span, they continue to grow in numbers due to their stellar reputation for development and the quality of their coaching staff. The players continue to return year after year.
CJ Banner and Zach Monette are two veteran players who have played with Piedmont Select for multiple years. They said the skills they have learned have allowed them to consistently move up the depth chart of their respective high schools.
“It is great to go around the country to compete against other teams to see where you are as a player,” said Banner. “This is like a family because it’s with players from all across Winston-Salem and we come together to put in work.”
Monette added, “It helps us get better as a player and a lot of the coaches prepare us to be better off the field as well. People bring different skills from all over and we put it together so all of us can get better.”
Both Monette and Banner said their footwork has been their biggest improvement since working with Piedmont Select. They have also taken the skills they have learned with Piedmont Select and shared them with their high school teams as well. Monette has used the skills he learned with Piedmont Select to become an all-conference player with Walkertown High as an outside linebacker.
Watkins feels Piedmont Select gives their players a decided advantage over players who decide to just engage in a normal spring football program.
“With Piedmont Select, we keep their bodies tuned up throughout the entire year,” he said. “I know a lot of our guys are multi-sport guys, so they are also playing basketball and baseball for example, but this will keep them in football shape, both mentally and physically, throughout the year.”
For more information on Piedmont Select 7 on 7 team, please visit www.piedmont-select.com or call 336-918-5703.
