Summer passing tournaments really do matter

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There are still some people who think that summer football passing tournaments are overrated. On the contrary, look who’s still alive in the playoffs: Santa Ana Mater Dei, Newhall Hart, Valencia, Mission Hills Alemany, Encino Crespi, Long Beach Poly, Huntington Beach Edison, Culver City.

All had their moments during the seven-on-seven passing tournaments last summer, providing clues to how they would perform this fall.

‘There’s a correlation,’ said Hart Coach Mike Herrington, right.

Now just because a team was successful in passing league doesn’t guarantee success when the pads come on, but the seven-on-seven events show the potential of passing attacks and secondary coverage.

What’s interesting is that Alemany defeated Compton Dominguez in a passing tournament in June at Saugus. Now they face off in a playoff game Friday. Alemany is a big underdog and might be wishing it could play the Dons in seven-on-seven again instead of with its pads on.

-- Eric Sondheimer

-- Image by Boris Yaro/Los Angeles Times