Cam Newton tourney returning to Nation Ford

The finals of the Cam Newton 7-on-7 High School Championship football tournament will return to Nation Ford High this weekend.

The tournament will feature up to 20 teams from the Southeast, including host Nation Ford. Teams will come from the Atlanta and Birmingham regions, as well as Charlotte.

The tournament will start at 9 a.m. Friday, July 10 and finish on Saturday, July 11. In day one, teams will be divided into pool play and will be put into brackets for day two, depending on day one’s results.

Day two will be a double elimination format. Host team Nation Ford is favored to do well due to its offense.

“It helps when you have players like Hank (Tuipulotu), Jordan (Helms) and Alex (Stennett),” said Falcons’ head coach Michael Allen.

Nation Ford did well in the regional tournament at Olympic High School two weeks ago, falling to Dutch Fork in the finals.

Allen said his style of offense gives the team an edge in 7-on-7 tournaments.

“It can do nothing put help you as far as the throwing game goes,” he said.

Allen said it also helps to build timing and trust between his quarterback Cole Martin and his receivers.

Allen said he has been impressed with his defense during the tournament, considering these tournaments are about defensive backs stopping receivers.

“Our defense has stepped up and made some extra stops,” he said.

The tournament will be at the Nation Ford football stadium and admission is $5. Cam Newton is scheduled to appear.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Cam Newton tourney returning to Nation Ford."