Disclaimer: The following recap of the Passing & Lineman competition yesterday contains certain biases and opinions that the reader may not appreciate if he or she is not a #BoscoFootball fan...however, I challenge the reader to be Brave (see what I did) and read on...
MISSION VIEJO -- The 25th Annual South County Passing & Lineman Tournament was held on Saturday, July 13th, at Mission Viejo High School with the Braves of St. John Bosco winning the Passing 7-on-7 competition while the Diablos of Mission Viejo won the Lineman competition.
Last year Mater Dei won the passing tournament (no applause) and Bosco won the lineman tournament (yes, applaud!).
A good recap of the day by High School Football America is HERE.
Being a new observer of these high-school football tournaments--yesterday was my first lineman competition while it was my second passing competition--I decided to focus on watching the lineman compete.
Of course, the team I observed and followed was Team Bosco.
The lineman pushed sleds, moved/flipped tires, lifted weights, and pulled rope.
I committed myself to watching last year's winning lineman team compete in the weight room and then later on in the field in the Tug-o-war. Again, Team Bosco.
In the weight room, each team cheered on their teammates (nice to hear lineman being cheered for once) and the Bosco lineman provided a model of how to motivate a teammate.
Senior Kobe Pepe, Class of 2019 defensive tackle who is committed to USC, performed a successful power clean to motivational cheers from his fellow Braves. Pay attention to the last comment in the video ("That's my Captain")...so darn cute yet savage!
During the designated lunch break, the Tug-o-war competition provided the best highlight of the day with respect to the lineman competition--especially since Bosco defeated rival Mater Dei in one semi-final (read disclaimer above if you have not).
As I walked around Mission Viejo's campus, I noticed Mater Dei's linemen looked bigger and more intimidating than the average lineman from the other schools (perhaps, its the water in Santa Ana or perhaps being behind the OC curtain).
I felt this Bosco vs Mater Dei Tug-o-war showdown should have been a final rather than a semi-final (perhaps, better seedings next year). Despite this game not being for the lineman competition championship, the game was nevertheless worth the hype (only because Bosco won of course...yes, applause again).
The Brave Linemen ended up facing the Mission Viejo linemen in the final--and, perhaps surprisingly, lost to the Diablos. Senior offensive lineman,
Ché Womack, Jr who in so many ways represents the heart and soul of the Braves, recapped the day for his fellow Bosco lineman.
Any day the Braves defeat the Monarchs makes a good day an even better day.
The lineman competition ended as the tournament's lunch break concluded.
Now at this point in the day, the champion for the passing 7-on-7 competition still had to be determined. Bosco being undefeated in pool play advanced the Braves to the Gold Division to compete against the likes of Mission Viejo, Corona Del Mar, and Mater Dei to name a few.
In the passing 7-on-7 competitions, my observations as a neophyte to such contests lead me to go out on a limb and say (since scoring seems relatively commonplace and the margin of error very small) the team which is the first to prevent their opponent from scoring will most likely win.
Indeed, in the semi-final contest against Mater Dei, Bosco was able to stop Mater Dei from scoring on two drives which were the decisive elements in Bosco advancing to the championship game as the Braves defeated the Monarchs 35-28.
On the offensive side of the ball throughout the day, the Braves had a stable of receivers for senior quarterback and Clemson commit, DJ Uiagalelei, to target.
Seniors Kris Hutson and Logan Loya and junior Beaux Collins combined to provide super speed, fantastic hands, and savage quickness.
In the championship game for the passing competition, the Braves faced the Sea Kings of Corona Del Mar. Bosco defeated CDM 43-14 to win the passing competition.
For the Braves, 7-on-7 passing and lineman competitions are over and big-boy-football awaits.
The boys will be in pads soon and thus the men in the trenches will play a significant role in allowing the skill position players to shine during the upcoming season.
Since one or a few players "shining" doesn't necessarily bring consistent first downs, wins, nor championship rings, Bosco Head Coach Jason Negro yesterday gathered his players after every win and continually reminded them that one success is only one of many steps toward achieving the team's goal of the ultimate success in December...a CIF-State Open Division Championship.
For all the videos and photos from the South County Passing and Lineman Competition, click HERE.
Commentaires