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The Panthers hit the road for one of the last times this offseason as Lanett traveled to Opelika High School on Thursday to compete in one of the team’s biggest 7-on-7s of the summer. 

Lanett started the day in pool play with a matchup against Handley, Opelika’s junior varsity team and Eufaula. The 7-on-7 then turned into tournament play afterward. 

The Panthers showed some fight in the tournament as they came away with a dominant win over Stanhope Elmore. Alajawon Whitfield came away with an interception late in the matchup that sealed it. 

Lanett was then eliminated by Handley in the semifinals of the tournament. The Panthers were the smallest school at the 7-on-7 as a 2A and faced several 6A schools. 

First-year head coach RJ McDonald believes in the “iron sharpens iron” philosophy, and the matchup against higher classifications was an opportunity for the Panthers to battle through adversity. 

“Got some really good competition,” McDonald said. “We started off slow, but we picked it up during the day and made a good run at it. A lot of big schools, it challenges us. It sets the standard for where we need to be and what we need to do. Going forward, we’ve got to keep working.” 

Several players made plays in the 7-on-7. The two under the biggest microscope on Thursday were Riontae Zeigler and Fred Broughton. Broughton and Zeigler are in the thick of the quarterback competition leading into the fall. 

Each quarterback made some solid throws down the field, and they each made some mistakes along the way. McDonald expects the competition between Broughton and Zeigler to carry over into fall camp. 

Terrell Staples was another standout on Thursday. Staples showed his athleticism with some long touchdown catches, and he was one of the better communicators on defense. 

“Terrell has really stepped up,” McDonald said. “He’s figuring it out a little bit. He’s a basketball, track, kid. He’s very athletic, probably one of the most athletic kids in the program. He’s definitely getting better and really showing that he is going to be a force for us.” 

One of the key things that McDonald saw that needed to be fixed after the 7-on-7 is the team’s communication. Communication, especially on defense, was an issue at times and it led to lapses in coverage. 

The Panthers have a lot of fiery players and at times last season that could cause issues with discipline on the field. That fire is something that is needed to be a dominant football player, but McDonald wants to see his guys use it in a way that can benefit the team as a whole. 

As a first-year head coach, McDonald has been using the 7-on-7s and practices throughout the summer to learn about the team and himself as a coach. One thing he has learned along the way is the ability to become more adaptable on the fly. 

“Just like teaching, everybody is different,” McDonald said. “Everybody learns differently. Everybody needs to adapt to everybody. I need to adapt to them, they need to adapt to me. We really need to hone in on the conditioning aspect of it so we can be a good, disciplined, focused football team in the fall.”