Last night, as the sun went down at Southern Methodist University's Gerald J. Ford Stadium, the lights came up on the second annual Red Bull Game Breakers 7-on-7 National Championships. Of the 161 teams from across the country that competed, the four teams still standing, Arlington Martin (Arlington, TX), Clairton (Pittsburgh, PA), Westside (Houston, TX) and Evangel Christian (Shreveport, LA) played six total games in a bracket format, double-elimination final. In the end, Arlington Martin prevailed over Clairton, 28-5. Following the trophy presentation, the Warriors hoisted quarterback and tournament MVP Brodie Lambert over their shoulders, and then attempted to water-cooler Coach Bob Wager.
"We came out here not sure what to expect but prepared to play our hardest and came away with the championship," said Brodie Lambert. "We started this tournament as teammates but we are leaving as brothers."
Second place Clairton Coach, Tim Nola, said, "We've gained a lot of confidence from this tournament. We are a tiny school and coming in second out of 161 teams from across the country makes me so proud of what we did out here this weekend and feel like we represented Pennsylvania well."
On Friday night, proven game-breakers, and pro NFL athletes Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints and DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys kicked off the weekend with an encouraging pep talk to the high school players and coaches.
"What's really cool about the event this weekend is you get a chance to see some of the top talent from across the country competing against each other," said New Orleans Saints Running Back.
Reggie Bush. "In high school I always wanted to see who was really the ‘best' because you always heard about Texas, Florida and some of the Midwest states. I would have loved an opportunity like this one."
"What Red Bull has done out here is provide a great opportunity for kids to compete not only against teams within their state, but on a national level," said Dallas Cowboys Outside Linebacker DeMarcus Ware. "I didn't have that when I was younger so I'm really appreciative that these kids today have that opportunity."
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