SportsScope : Fountain Valley Favored in El Camino Prep Football Passing Tourney

Defending champion Carson High School heads 11 South Bay teams in the third annual El Camino College Summer Football Festival starting today at 1 p.m.

The two-day passing tournament, which concludes at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with the finals, features 28 teams from Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Games will be played in a 7-on-7 touch format.

“The tournament has gotten a little bit bigger and better each year,” said El Camino Coach John Featherstone. “Originally we tried to develop the tournament for all of our in-district schools. But when we sent out flyers, we got such good response that we decided to invite more teams.”

Fountain Valley, unbeaten in passing-league games this summer, is the top seed. Other favorites are Carson, featuring the quarterback duo of Perry Klein and Fred Gatlin; Banning, led by quarterback John Maae; San Fernando, an L.A. City 4-A semifinalist last season; Mater Dei, and Capistrano Valley.

Rounding out the South Bay teams are Redondo, Leuzinger, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, South Torrance, West Torrance, North Torrance, Bishop Montgomery and Narbonne.

Competition begins in four seven-team pools. The top two teams from each pool advance to the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. Saturday. Semifinals will follow at 1 p.m.

Carson won the tournament last year, beating two-time defending CIF Southern Conference champion El Toro in the semifinals and Long Beach Poly in the finals.

The event includes a weight-lifting contest, an 880-yard relay race and a 40-yard dash. The top all-around athlete will be selected based on the three events. Leuzinger linebacker Greg Franklin, who now plays for El Camino, won the award last year.

“We wanted to do something totally unique,” Featherstone said. “We get the linemen involved with the weight-training phase. We try to involve the whole football team, not just the players in the 7-on-7 games.”

Radio personalities from KACE-FM will play a team of entertainment and sports celebrities in a benefit softball game on behalf of L.A. Orthopaedic Hospital at 1 p.m. Saturday at Del Amo Park in Carson.

A team representing Obsession Productions includes Wes Matthews of the Lakers, Stefon Adams of the Raiders and television actresses Bernadette Stanis (“Good Times”) and Dawnn Lewis (“A Different World”).

Larry Carroll, news anchor for KABC-TV, is grand marshal.

Admission is free and KACE will pass out T-shirts and albums. Food will be provided by the city of Carson.

More information can be obtained by calling 758-1344.