Southside head coach Daniel Flowers is hoping to see his team continue to progress in Tuesday’s 7-on-7 at Southside High School.

Flowers said the quarterback position continues to be a battle between Khamari Gibbs and Chris Raymond. Both players will see snaps in the 7-on-7.

“Keep developing. He’s young. He’s only a tenth grader,” Flowers said of Gibbs. “He’s already been to several camps. I’m just looking for him to get the ball out quicker and not be scared.”

Flowers said that Gibbs needs to “control what he can control”, something he feels his quarterback is starting to learn through 7-on-7 this offseason. He said he alternated which quarterback starts in Southside’s two 7-on-7’s this offseason and will continue that rotation Tuesday.

Raymond, who will be a senior, has more experience in the offense, while Gibbs is still learning parts of the playbook and gaining experience. Flowers said Raymond can play anywhere on offense, while Gibbs is probably going to be a quarterback in the future.

So far this summer, Flowers says his team is learning the playbook without any major hiccups.

“I feel the guys know what is going on. They have the idea of what we are trying to get accomplished,” Flowers said. “7-on-7 is about competition. It isn’t really about X’s and O’s.”

Although 7-on-7 is often referred to as an unrealistic game of football because every play is a pass, Flowers has stressed to his team all offseason that he wants them to compete hard in these events.

“You want the guys to go hard and never give up. It’s still football. It’s still passing.  You pass the ball in a football game,” Flowers said. “You have to run hard and know your assignments.  A lot of kids want to do everybody else’s job, but you still have to do your job.”

Flowers said he wants his team to focus as if the 7-on-7 is a normal football game, because there are many things that can go wrong in 7-on-7 that can cost a team football games during the fall.

The coach is happy with his defense, especially in zone coverages, because players are starting to understand their assignments.

“I noticed in the 7-on-7 we are running a lot of Cover-3. I think it has helped us out a whole lot, running the Cover-3,” Flowers said. “I think the boys understand it.  Everybody understands the purpose of it.”

Southside will play Pickens County, Selma, Dallas County, and Central Hayneville.

Each team will play four games in the 7-on-7. Choctaw County, Keith, Wilcox Central, and ACA are also taking part in the 7-on-7. The games will start at 3:30 p.m.