Alamance County football teams gather for annual FCA 7-on-7 challenge

Hundreds of high school football players filled Burlington Memorial Stadium and the Williams High School campus for the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes 7-on-7 and linemen challenge, turning a summer day in Burlington into a countywide showcase. With half of the 12 schools coming from Alamance County, the event again showed how tightly local football, school pride and summer competition are tied together here.

Williams alum Alex Mebane organized the gathering, which brought teams in from across the region but still kept the center of gravity in Alamance County. Coaches and players moved between passing work and linemen drills, giving the day a split personality that blended instruction with a fast-moving, competitive atmosphere. For families watching from the stands and sidelines, the value was immediate: players got live reps, coaches got a chance to evaluate, and younger athletes saw the level of pace and discipline required before August practice even begins.

The 2026 event also came with a few new looks. Several coaches showed up in different roles or different colors, a reminder that the offseason never stays still for long in local football circles. Terrance Alford, a Cummings graduate now on the Western Alamance staff, was among those in a new coaching role after not landing the job he had hoped for at his alma mater for the coming season. He took the change in stride and said he felt good in his new gear and was not going to stress over it.

Eastern Alamance won one of the main events, giving its players and supporters a result to carry out of the day. The action stayed spirited throughout, and a brief scuffle between Southeast Alamance and Seaforth showed that even summer workouts can get heated when pride and competitive energy are in the mix.

Still, the larger picture was bigger than any one bracket or scrap. The FCA challenge has become one of Burlington’s familiar offseason football fixtures, a place where Alamance County schools measure themselves against outside opponents while keeping local communities connected. On the Williams campus and inside Burlington Memorial Stadium, it served as a working preview of the fall, with players, coaches and fans already locked into the long run toward the season ahead.