Peel me a grape and get the summertime pilgrimage started
In high school football, we know the summer is upon us when schools start getting more sophisticated about taking care of their players at seven-on-seven competitions.
The tents and canopies to protect players from the sun keep getting larger. The food spreads, with oranges, bananas and grapes, are getting healthier. And the relaxing atmosphere inside these luxurious enclosures is like a spa. Can the services of a masseuse between games be next?
I’m the jealous sportswriter standing in the relentless heat, taking notes. Meanwhile, the players twist, turn, fall and get back up with no pads on while trying to figure out what it all means.
If you want to join me on my annual summer pilgrimage, here are the places to be and the teams to watch:
On Saturday, Dana Point Dana Hills hosts a 12-team seven-on-seven tournament that includes Anaheim Servite, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Huntington Beach Edison, Long Beach Poly, Los Alamitos, Harbor City Narbonne Los Angeles Loyola and Bellflower St. John Bosco. It starts at 9 a.m. The finals should go off at 3 p.m.
“We’re never a great passing league team,” Servite Coach Troy Thomas said.
The defending Pac 5 champion Friars are breaking in a new quarterback, which is likely to be Cody Pittman.
It’s the debut for new coaches at Loyola (Mike Christensen) and St. John Bosco (Jason Negro), so the alumni figure to be out in force trying to learn whether their donations are paying off.
Pierce College is hosting a seven-on-seven tournament Saturday that includes Westlake Village Westlake, Mission Hills Alemany and Valencia.
This is also the weekend for a 26-team basketball tournament at Santa Ana Mater Dei. The championship game is Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Long Beach Poly, Corona Centennial, Concord De La Salle, Compton, Upland and Orange Lutheran are among the teams playing.
On June 18-19, the Saugus passing tourney takes place at Central Park. Westlake Village Oaks Christian is playing, so beware of reporters from TMZ on the lookout for celebrity sightings. The games go into the evening, providing some respite from the heat.
On June 25-26, it’s the Conejo Valley passing tournament at Westlake, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks and the La Verne Bonita tournament at Bonita.
From June 28 until the championship game on July 3 is the 16-team Fairfax basketball tournament that includes City Section title favorite Woodland Hills Taft, Long Beach Poly, Mater Dei, Loyola, Orange Lutheran and North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake. The War on the Floor basketball tournament takes place June 26-29 at Pierce and Woodland Hills El Camino Real.
On July 10, the 16-team Edison passing tournament should let us know who is the No. 1 passing school for the summer. Westlake and Oaks Christian are coming to Orange County to test themselves.
Mission Viejo is hosting a 12-team tourney the same day that includes Long Beach Poly, Upland, Corona Santiago and Montebello Schurr. There’s also a tournament at Los Angeles Valley College, so renting a helicopter might be the way to go to visit each site.
For baseball fans, everything comes down to the Area Code Games, Aug. 5-10 at Blair Field in Long Beach.
By then, I’m going to be sitting on a beach chair reading a book far, far away, trying to recover from some busy weeks that bear no resemblance to a summer vacation.
Twitter.com/LATSondheimerhttps://twitter.com/LATSondheimer
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