WS Chronicle

 The 2022-2023 football season doesn’t officially begin until late summer/early fall, but 336 Elite, a local 7-on-7 organization, is giving local athletes the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season, while also competing on a national stage.

336 Elite started with about seven or eight kids who were just looking to compete. Founder Malcolm Smith said although he had never coached flag football before, when his son’s coach quit in the middle of the season, he stepped up. According to Smith, that season they didn’t win a game, but it didn’t take long for that to change. “That next season I did a little research, worked with my son and a couple of other boys, and we got a team together. And over the next four or six years they probably lost one game,” he said. 

After dominating in local and state tournaments, in 2020 336 Elite traveled to Florida for the National Flag Football Tournament. “We went to nationals and we won one game all weekend. It was a whole different level of competition … mostly the coaches. We just weren’t used to that kind of competition,” Smith continued. “But we regrouped, we had tryouts that next year, and we’ve been doing it ever since. We went from having seven or eight kids to what we have today.”

336 Elite now has several different teams and is open to athletes ages 7-14. At the Flag Football World Championship held in Tampa, Florida, in December, 336 Elite had four different teams finish the tournament with a top three ranking in the country. The 10U and 9U finished in second place, 11U finished in third, and the 12U team won the national championship. 

Smith credited the dedication from players, the coaching staff, and parents for the organization’s success. 

“We’re not even two years in and we have teams ranked in the top five in the country,” Smith said. “Between parents buying in, the kids buying in, and having amazing coaches, we’ve really been able to make this work … just seeing how much we’ve grown in such a short time has been amazing.”

What’s unique about 336 Elite is the teams are comprised of athletes from across the Triad – Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and Burlington. Although they may play against each other during the regular season, according to 12U coach Kenterris Clinkscales, when they put on that black and blue, all that goes out the window. 

“I think game respects game,” Clinkscales said. “They all know each other already, some play with the Ducks, Cowboys, Indians … but they come together and they already know these boys can play, so they already know they have to bring their “A” game.”

Clinkscales said for him it’s important that his players understand the fundamentals of the game and why they may run a certain route or call a certain play in different situations. “My whole thing is I want them to understand why they do certain things on the field and I think that makes them smarter players on the field.” 

With the 2021 season in the books, 336 Elite has already set their sights on the 2022 season. They will kick off their 2022-2023 campaign in a few weeks when they travel to Tennessee for their first tournament. Smith said while teaching the fundamentals of football is the main focus of 336 Elite, it also gives his players the opportunity to experience new things. 

“For a lot of these kids, it may be their first time flying on an airplane, first time competing outside the city, or first time staying in a hotel. So they experience things not only on the field, but there’s a social aspect to it, a mental aspect, and just their overall growth,” Smith said. 

For more information and to follow the organization’s success throughout the upcoming season, visit “336 Elite” on Facebook and Instagram.