Charles Henderson went toe-to-toe with some of the best high school football teams from across the South over the weekend.

Just a few days prior to hosting a 7-on-7 tournament of their own, the Trojans took part in the TurfWars Southeastern 7-on-7 Championship in Dalton, Georgia.

Charles Henderson went 4-2-1 in pool play on Saturday, and picked up one win on Sunday during the Championship rounds.

During pool play, the Trojans posted impressive wins over Baylor High School from Tennessee, East Lincoln of North Carolina, tournament runner-up Dalton and eventual tournament champion, and national power, Colquitt County of Georgia.

“We started the weekend off really well on Saturday,” said Charles Henderson head coach Brad McCoy. “We won our first game of the day, and played really well in the second before a fluke thing happened that wound up ending the game in a tie.”

McCoy said Stephens County threw a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game that was tipped by a Charles Henderson defensive back. The ball fell in to the arms of a Stephens County player who was lying on the ground for a touchdown.

The Trojans defended the conversion attempt, and the game ended square.

Saturday’s biggest moment came midway through the day when Charles Henderson stunned Rush Propst’s Colquitt County Packers 25-19.

“The game started out a little rough for us,” McCoy said. “Duke (Mondarius Dixon) got a little banged up on the first play, but we were able to get by and make some plays to win it. The kids were so excited to beat Colquitt and the looks on their faces were amazing.”

Charles Henderson played a total of seven games on Saturday, and didn’t wrap up the final game until close to 11 p.m. The Trojans downed Southeast (Ga.) High School on Sunday, but fell victim to Scotlandville, La. and East Lincoln, N.C.

McCoy said the wear and tear of the long day on Saturday hurt his team’s chances on Sunday.

“We had several guys develop some pretty big blisters on the feet because of playing seven games on Saturday,” McCoy said. “We also didn’t have Richard (McBryde, four star linebacker) on Sunday because he was going through some pretty serious thigh and hamstring cramps. Duke was sill a little hobbled as well, but I really liked what I saw from our second string guys.”

One of the main focuses of McCoy’s summer workout program has been to develop young players in to valuable members of the team.

He feels the younger, less experienced players got lots of good work over the weekend.

“It was a great learning experience for our guys, especially the younger guys,” McCoy said. “We went against some great athletes in Dalton. Colquitt County has some of the finest skill players in the country, some of which will be headed to the SEC, and our guys were able to play tough with them all day. I love what I saw from the two’s.”

Charles Henderson will now shift its focus to the Wiregrass 7-on-7 Tournament Thursday. The Trojans will serve as host to some of the best teams from the southeastern portion of Alabama. The tournament is slated for a noon start on Thursday, and McCoy feels his team is ready.

“We saw some great competition last week, and will see more this week,” McCoy said. “You can tell August is getting closer.”