Limestone University To Host 15-Team High School Passing Tournament July 14; Vyncint Smith To Serve As Guest Referee

A total of 15 high school football teams from across South Carolina and Georgia will converge on Limestone University on Thursday, July 14, for the Broughton Clary Family 7-vs.-7 Shootout at the Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex.

Former Limestone wide receiver and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Vyncint Smith will be on hand as a special guest referee.

South Carolina teams taking part include Anderson Christian, Boiling Springs, Broome, Clinton, Dorman, J.L. Mann, Mauldin, Ninety-Six, Northwestern, Rock Hill, Saluda, Southside Christian, Union County, and York Comprehensive. East Hall High School from Gainesville, GA is also participating.

The high school passing league event is open to the public and admission is free. Spectators are encouraged to bring bag chairs for seating. Limestone’s Campus Police Department will be directing traffic into the designated parking lots for the tournament.

Action is expected to get underway at 9:30 a.m., with each team guaranteed at least five games. The championship match-up is expected to start 2:30 p.m.

Limestone’s facilities will be broken up into six separate fields for the tournament. Passing league events feature stripped down games where players don't wear pads and there is no offensive or defensive lines. Offensive players are considered down when they are touched below the neck by a defender.

In 7-vs.-7 events, a quarterback, five receivers and a snapper make up the offense. A team can also have a running back replace one of the receivers in the offensive setup. The defense uses a combination of linebackers and defensive backs looking to stop their opponent’s passing attack. The games are played on 40 yards of the field, which leaves room for two games on the same field at the same time.

Smith is returning to his alma mater as a guest referee for the tournament. Entering his fifth season in the National Football League as a wide receiver and kick returner, he signed with Tampa Bay earlier this year. The 26-year-old debuted with the Houston Texans in 2018 as an undrafted free agent. Smith played for the New York Jets from 2019 through 2021. He was born in Germany while his U.S. Army parents were stationed there, and he grew up in Blythewood, SC. He played at Westwood High School.

During Smith’s final two seasons at Limestone, the Saints were led by head coach Mike Furrey, who returned earlier this year to take back the reins of the program after a four-year stint as the wide receivers coach for the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Furrey served as head coach of the Saints in 2016 and 2017. The eight-year NFL veteran remains the program leader in career wins at Limestone, compiling a 9-12 overall record during his first stint with the Saints.

(Accompanying photo: NFL wide receiver Vyncint Smith during his playing days at Limestone.)