Competing against 15 other high school squads from around the nation, many of which were made up of state all-star teams, a group of 12 players from Gilroy High managed to tally a 5-4 record and finish in fifth place. Earning an invitation to the event by winning the Second Annual 7-on-7 Tournament presented by the U.S. Army at the San Francisco 49ers' headquarters in June, the Mustangs had the best showing of any true high school team in attendance.

"All things considered, we did pretty well," Gilroy coach Rich Hammond said. "We had an advantage because our guys work and play together all the time, but these other teams are All-Star teams."

The Seattle representative went undefeated to win it all.

The trip wasn't all about football, though, as Gilroy's coaches and players were taken on a tour of the Ninth Ward, an area still trying to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

"We went and saw all of the destruction," Hammond said. "It was really an educational experience."

"I think the kids, when they heard there were dead bodies and people drowned in those houses, I think that made it really hit home."

The players were also mentored in character and leadership classes, with guest speakers such as Ed Orgeron, formerly the head coach of Ole Miss and now an assistant with the New Orleans Saints, and current NFL player Michael Lewis, also known as "The Beer Truck Driver" after working as a delivery driver only to get a shot at the NFL in his late twenties.

"The things [Lewis] said to the kids were very moving," Hammond said. "The big things they stressed were attitude and image. Image - always representing yourself in way that will look good, and the emphasis on attitude - that you can control your attitude."

Of the players that stood out over the course of the weekend, Hammond pinpointed Dante Fullard, Tony Travis, Richie Sotelo, Nico Sandoval and Sean Hale. Hale was the only player to compete on both sides of the ball for every snap.

"I know for myself, and I think the kids would say the same, it was a tremendous experience getting to meet people from all around the country," Hammond said.

"It was great (competition) because it made our kids pick it up a notch and it really exposed any flaws we had. Because if our kids didn't focus or do something right, it was exposed in a hurry. Everybody's level of play went up."

The team's roster also included Jamie Jensen, Peter Guenther, Adrian Melendez, Bryan Sanchez, Lelan Gettys, Ferris Gonzalez and Steven Martinez.