Twenty-two varsity teams are set to compete in the the11th annual NWLA 7 on 7 Charity Invitational presented by Harvest Laborers Friday at Freedom Fields.
The tournament begins at 4 p.m. with play in four pools. Bracket play is set to start at 8:25. The championship game is at 10:05.
Each game lasts about 20 minutes.
Haughton, Parkway, Airline, Bossier and Benton are all competing.
The field also includes defending non-select Division I state championship Ouachita Parish, 2025 select Division III runner-up Calvary Baptist, defending District 1-4A champion North DeSoto, 2025 1-4A runner-up Loyola and defending District 3-1A champion Logansport.
Alexandria, which reached the select Division I quarterfinals last year, and 2025 select Division IV quarterfinalist Ouachita Christian are also competing.
Other teams in the field are Captain Shreve, Southwood, Natchitoches Central, Byrd, Homer, Huntington, Northwood, Pineville, Leesville and Green Oaks.
There will be a new champion as Evangel Christian is not competing.
While success in 7 on 7 football doesn’t necessarily mean teams will have success in the fall, the last two Charity Invitational champions have gone on to win District 1-5A championships. Airline won in 2024.
North DeSoto won in 2023 and Calvary Baptist is a two-time champion.
7 on 7 tournaments and games have been a staple of high school football during the summer for decades now. They are part of the preparation for the fall season.
7 on 7 football features mainly passing although handoffs are allowed behind the line of scrimmage. Games are played on a 40-yard field. First downs are made by crossing the 25- and 10-yard lines.
All teams may not have their top players with them because of conflicts with camps and other sports like travel baseball, but the potential is there to see some of the top quarterbacks , receivers and defensive backs in the area and state.