After losing in the playoffs in the first round, Newton High School football is back at it today hosting a 7-on-7 tournament from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Rams’ head coach Terrance Banks is entering his second season at the helm and hopes to meet the team goal of playing 12 games, which would put them in the second round for the first time in over two decades.

“It gives them a chance to practice on plays and get in a competitive environment,” Banks said. “It’s one thing to practice against your teammates and people you see all the time, but it’s another thing to get a chance to practice your assignment and practice coverages against other competition and other players.”

Around nine or 10 schools will be competing in the tournament, mostly from the metro-Atlanta area. Schools such as Mays High School, Duluth High School, Arabian Mountain High School, Stephenson High School, Macon County High School, Eagles Landing High School, Greenbrier High School, Providence Christian High School.

“It’ll be very, very competitive [with] a high number of good quality teams out here,” Banks said. “[These] teams will definitely be in thick of things for the state championship as the season progresses.”

Banks said that he hopes this tournament will get the blood going for the team overall and build toward the season.

“The goal is to get better. That’s always the goal anytime you do anything,” Banks said. “[It gives us a chance] just to see how my team competes. It gives us a chance to see how kids look without pads on.”

“We’re just trying to make sure the kids understand their roles and understand how to run routes. I think that helps for the seven-on-seven part of it for the season,” Banks said.

The Rams will have two teams competing in the competition. One of the teams will be regular starters and the other team will be comprised of younger players, likely JV players or varsity players fighting for a starting job.

“For the young guys they’re going to get a chance to compete against the teams that are really really good,” Banks said.

“We have a saying that if you think you deserve to be on the A-team during the season then you need to show us in JV games [by dominating],” Banks said. “If you think you deserve more reps with the older guys then this will be the chance for them to show us, and it’ll be a chance to see what the older guys know and what looks well right now as far as what we’ve installed during the spring.”