ONTARIO — First-year Madison coach Kobi Johnson couldn’t have asked for a better proving ground.
Madison was one of 20 varsity teams in action Saturday at the Ontario seven-on-seven and lineman challenge in and around Niss Stadium.
The loaded field included defending Division VI state runner-up Kirtland and Division VII runner-up Hillsdale.
“It’s all about competition,” Johnson said. “You come in here and you line up against Hillsdale and Kirtland. Those teams were playing for state titles last year.
“What else can you ask for? You find out where you’re at.”
Hillsdale returns a bulk of the team that reached the Division VII final last year. The Falcons fell to juggernaut Marion Local in the championship game, but expectations are again high.
“Expectations are a good thing,” Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline. “We need to find ways to get better each day and don’t let the outside noise, good or bad, get inside the locker room.
“Our guys have done a good job of managing those expectations.”
Ontario coach Aaron Eckert has seen his Seven-on-Seven event and Lineman Challenge grow into one of the biggest in the area. Teams came from as far away as Bedford and Indian Lake.
“We’ve got teams from the Cleveland area and the Columbus area,” Eckert said. “It has gotten bigger and bigger.
“We like to show off our facility and it’s always good to have the community come out and help. None of this is possible without the volunteers.”
In addition to organizing the event, Eckert had a team to coach. Ontario lost a wealth of talent to graduation, including Mr. Football finalist and Ohio State receiver Bodpegn Miller.
“For us, it’s about getting work in against quality competition,” Eckert said. “We’ve got some young guys and to play against teams like Hillsdale and Kirtland it’s a good measuring stick to find out where you are at.”
