{"id":1903,"date":"2011-02-18T18:22:27","date_gmt":"2011-02-18T23:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gridironstuds.com\/blog\/?p=1903"},"modified":"2011-02-19T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2011-02-19T19:36:42","slug":"title-and-talent-bring-attention-to-south-florida-express-7-on-7-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/title-and-talent-bring-attention-to-south-florida-express-7-on-7-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Title and Talent Bring Attention to South Florida Express 7-on-7 Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brett Goetz has always been good at putting things together.\u00a0\u00a0 He once put together picnics for underprivileged kids.\u00a0 He brought back an optimist football program in South Beach, Florida.\u00a0 He even arranged for trophies to be handed out to kids with perfect attendance in elementary schools in Miami Beach.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 However,\u00a0 nothing he has put together has brought him more attention than the amassing of high school football talent he has harnessed over the last four years.<\/p>\n

Once a small gathering of local football talent to go compete in a 7-on-7 tournament,\u00a0 the South Florida Express tryout has turned into a grand thoroughfare.<\/p>\n

“When we started four years ago we invited 30 kids to tryout and 35 kids showed up,”\u00a0 said Goetz.\u00a0 “Now we get 200 kids to tryout.”<\/p>\n

Kind of reminds you of the progression of Rocky Balboa drinking raw eggs in a tiny apartment in Rocky I to Rocky Balboa the sports car driving mansion owner in Rocky IV.\u00a0\u00a0 This year’s South Florida Express tryouts drew as Goetz said, roughly 200 of the most talented football players in South Florida and probably the country.\u00a0\u00a0 It also attracted approximately 40 reporters from a wide range of recruiting publications looking to get the jump on next year’s hot recruiting prospects<\/p>\n

“I started this to get the kids some attention,\u00a0 never thought it would get this much,”\u00a0 Goetz explained.<\/p>\n

Last year’s version of the South Florida Express brought home the Badger Sports\u00a0 national 7-on-7 tournament championship.\u00a0\u00a0 This only meant that more eyes would be on the gathering of talent this year and boy has it ever.\u00a0\u00a0 Talent has never been an issue for Goetz’s teams,\u00a0 in fact,\u00a0 after falling short the two previous tournaments,\u00a0 the Express was starting to feel some heat for failing to win it all.\u00a0\u00a0 Goetz’s teams theoretically were the most talent rich in all of the tournaments but could never seem to win it all.<\/p>\n

Taking a look at the list of players who have come through the roster,\u00a0 you can see where people were coming from: Jamal Berry (Ohio St.),\u00a0 Etien Sabino (Ohio St.).\u00a0 Geno Smith (West Virginia),\u00a0 Ivan McCartney (West Virginia),\u00a0 Steadman Bailey (West Virginia),\u00a0 Jeremy Cash (Ohio St.),\u00a0 Ethan Grant (TCU),\u00a0 Jakhari Gore (LSU), Eduardo Clements (Miami),\u00a0 Tony Grimes (Ole Miss) just to name a few.<\/p>\n

Last year,\u00a0 Goetz’s South Florida Express team was the runner up in the regional tournament in Tampa and gained a berth to the national tournament in Alabama.\u00a0 As a treat for the players,\u00a0 Goetz,\u00a0 once again put something good together and took his players on a college tour.\u00a0 On their way to Alabama,\u00a0 Goetz and South Florida Express made stops at Florida St., LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida.\u00a0 It was an opportunity for players,\u00a0 most of which could not afford to take unofficial visits,\u00a0 to see several of the schools that were recruiting them.\u00a0\u00a0 This year,\u00a0 Goetz has preliminary plans to take the Express to Georgia Tech, Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson and Alabama.<\/p>\n

The attention that has been received as a result of all this talent coming together has not all been positive.\u00a0 Goetz has been called a “street agent” and a shill for certain colleges among other things.<\/p>\n

“I guess it’s hard to believe that someone can do this for the kids as opposed to everyone else that’s trying to make money on these kids,”\u00a0 said Goetz.\u00a0 “I’ve been working with kids and giving back for a long time.”<\/p>\n

One of the biggest attacks on Goetz has been that he is on Ohio St.’s payroll and is somehow getting compensated by the Buckeyes to steer his athletes their way.\u00a0 Goetz believes that was likely started by a fan of a school that missed on one of his players.\u00a0 It was spearheaded by three of his early participants,\u00a0 Etiien Sabino, Travis Howard and Jaamal Berry attending Ohio St.<\/p>\n

“What people don’t know is that their (Sabino and Howard) assistant coach at Krop was Sonny Spielman (father of Chris Spielman) and a huge Buckeye fan,”\u00a0 explained Goetz.\u00a0 “He was the one who told Sabino to go to their summer camp after his sophomore year and he fell in love with it.”\u00a0\u00a0 Goetz would further explain that Howard wanted to play with Sabino so he checked out Ohio St. and loved it too.\u00a0 A year later,\u00a0 Berry became a Ohio St. signee and Goetz got painted as a shill for the Buckeyes.<\/p>\n

“I grew up a Cane fan and went to every game as a kid,”\u00a0 said Goetz.\u00a0 “Then I became a Gator fan when I went to school there.”\u00a0\u00a0 Goetz points out that five of last year’s South Florida Express players signed with\u00a0 Louisville earlier this month so he’s expecting the Cardinal payroll rumors to get cranked up any minute now.<\/p>\n

Goetz never played the game of football but if you’ve seen him at the tryouts or any of the South Florida Express practices,\u00a0 he’s got everything under control.\u00a0 Goetz’s mastery of bringing things together has included garnering help from some of the best local football minds at the high school level.\u00a0 While they are cooking up the X’s and O’s,\u00a0 Goetz is making sure that everyone has what they need; from the kids, to the coaches to the reporters that are trying to get the info they require on the prospects.<\/p>\n

When you get 200 plus players to show up for your tryout,\u00a0 it’s almost impossible not to put together one helluva talented team and that is certainly the case with this year’s edition of the Express.<\/p>\n

“I still need more time around these guys to see if there’s chemistry like last year but we are deeper this year as far as talent,”\u00a0 said Goetz.\u00a0\u00a0 Few would argue.\u00a0 Anyone familiar with the South Florida high school football scene realizes that the roster is a who’s who of playmakers in the southern tip of perhaps the most talent rich region of the country.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the roster members,\u00a0 Deon Bush, has pulled down 20 offers since the tryouts two weeks ago.\u00a0 Another,\u00a0 Tracey Howard,\u00a0 has been invited to the Army All-American game.<\/p>\n

It will be another crazy ride for Goetz and his South Florida Express team but it’s all in an offseason’s work for the mastermind Goetz and his crew.<\/p>\n\n<\/col>\n<\/col>\n<\/col>\n<\/col>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nSouth Florida Express 2011 Roster<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/strong><\/td>\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nSchool<\/strong><\/td>\nClass<\/strong><\/td>\nPos.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nEJ Hillard<\/td>\nMiami Northwestern<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nQB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nTyler Cameron<\/td>\nJupiter<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nQB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nGunnar Holcombe<\/a><\/td>\nUniversity<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nQB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDuke Johnson<\/a><\/td>\nMiami Norland<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nRB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nSony Michel<\/a><\/td>\nAmerican Heritage<\/td>\n2014<\/td>\nRB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nAvery Johnson<\/td>\nEly <\/span><\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nMalcolm Lewis<\/a><\/td>\nMiramar<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nStacey Coley<\/a><\/td>\nNortheast<\/td>\n2013<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nAmari Cooper<\/td>\nMiami Northwestern<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDaniel Braverman<\/a><\/td>\nUniversity School<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDevonte Mathis<\/a><\/td>\nMiramar<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nRicardo Louis<\/a><\/td>\nMiami Beach<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nMacgarrett Kings<\/a><\/td>\nUniversity School<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nBrandon Snell<\/a><\/td>\nMiami Norland<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nAkeem Jones<\/td>\nMiami Carol City<\/td>\n2013<\/td>\nATH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nIsaac McDonald<\/a><\/td>\nChampagnat Catholic<\/td>\n2013<\/td>\nATH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDeandre Jasper<\/a><\/td>\nMiami Jackson<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nJeremiah McKinnon<\/a><\/td>\nMiami Southridge<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nNeQuan Phillips<\/td>\nMiami Southridge<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nSojurn Shelton<\/a><\/td>\nPlantation<\/td>\n2013<\/td>\nS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nAJ Leggett<\/a><\/td>\nGulliver Prep<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nWillie Bailey<\/a><\/td>\nHallandale<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nJoseph McClary<\/td>\nSt. Thomas<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nKeith Brown<\/td>\nMiami Norland<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nLB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nFreddie Davey<\/td>\nMiami Norland<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nLB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nEric Kinsey<\/td>\nMiami Northwestern<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nLB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/td>\nTracey Howard<\/a><\/td>\nMiramar<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDavid Reed<\/td>\nMiami Beach<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDashad Tucker<\/a><\/td>\nHallandale<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nHugs Etieene<\/td>\nSouth Plantation<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDinero Moss<\/a><\/td>\nPiper<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nDeon Bush<\/a><\/td>\nColumbus<\/td>\n2012<\/td>\nDB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brett Goetz has always been good at putting things together.\u00a0\u00a0 He once put together picnics for underprivileged kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,500],"tags":[573,567,562,560,566,563,581,580,569,554,457,583,559,556,578,577,558,582,568,570,575,576,565,453,571,564,572,370,561,579,557,574],"class_list":["post-1903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-school","category-hurricanesportsnation","tag-aj-leggett","tag-akeem-jones","tag-amari-cooper","tag-avery-johnson","tag-brandon-snell","tag-daniel-braverman","tag-dashad-tucker","tag-david-reed","tag-deandre-jasper","tag-deon-bush","tag-devonte-mathis","tag-dinero-moss","tag-duke-johnson","tag-ej-hillard","tag-eric-kinsey","tag-freddie-davey","tag-gunnar-holcombe","tag-hugs-tieene","tag-isaac-mcdonald","tag-jeremiah-mckinnon","tag-joseph-mcclary","tag-keith-brown","tag-macgarrett-kings","tag-malcolm-lewis","tag-nequan-phillips","tag-ricardo-lewis","tag-sojurn-shelton","tag-sony-michel","tag-stacey-coley","tag-tracey-howard","tag-tyler-cameron","tag-willie-bailey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1903\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}