Tweets and Highlights from the Battle at the Beach

Many of the top programs in Southern California gathered at Edison High in Huntington Beach for the annual Battle at the Beach passing tournament last Saturday. It's one of my favorite events of the year and unfortunately I had to miss it this year due to a pressing family matter. Mission Viejo won the event with wins against Los Alamitos, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco in the playoff rounds. Here is a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/07/mission-viejo-makes-statement-at-battle-at-the-beach/">recap of Mission Viejo's championship</a> performance. I followed the event closely and here are some highlights mixed in with my thoughts from the event. https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1545817909800292352?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Rancho Cucamonga quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="42957" first="CJ" last="Tiller"] has the arm to put a lot of zip on the intermediate throws like this one. https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1545803757375500288?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Centennial transfer [player_tooltip player_id="25371" first="Eric" last="Denham"] catches a touchdown on a swing pass from the running back spot from [player_tooltip player_id="25367" first="Pierce" last="Clarkson"] here. Denham adds depth to a Bosco backfield which includes [player_tooltip player_id="115464" first="Chauncey" last="Sylvester"] and [player_tooltip player_id="147723" first="Khalil" last="Warren"]. Biggins mentions that [player_tooltip player_id="145168" first="Israel" last="Polk"] caught a touchdown pass earlier and he is a nice transfer from Pittsburg. https://twitter.com/TeranRodriguez1/status/1545840144963342336?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Capo Valley quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="261786" first="Trey" last="Kukuk"] throws a nice touchdown pass on an out-and-up route from his receiver. Capo was missing its best player [player_tooltip player_id="45038" first="Dane" last="Benedix"] but held its own against some higher-level programs. https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1545876674620755968?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Ball State commit [player_tooltip player_id="25441" first="Kadin" last="Semonza"] goes through his reads and finds [player_tooltip player_id="261773" first="KJ" last="Reed"] on his right for a touchdown. Reed had one of the biggest days for a receiver at the event. Mission Viejo has [player_tooltip player_id="25408" first="Mikey" last="Matthews"] and [player_tooltip player_id="190360" first="Jackson" last="Holman"] so it's easy to forget about Reed. But if teams forget to cover Reed this fall, they will be in trouble. https://twitter.com/Rivals/status/1545843827113504769?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Mission Viejo corner [player_tooltip player_id="270905" first="Treyvon" last="Tolmaire"] goes up the ladder for a nice interception. He was one of the best defensive backs at the Prep Redzone Stock Up Showcase in January and could be a top corner in Orange County this year. https://twitter.com/Rivals/status/1545825110598135808?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Long Beach Poly linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="184158" first="Dylan" last="Williams"] is a lengthy athletic linebacker who can run with nearly every receiver over the middle. Here he is flashing his USC gloves. https://twitter.com/BoogieSylvester/status/1546002170603917317?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ St. John Bosco running back [player_tooltip player_id="115464" first="Chauncey" last="Sylvester"] making big plays on wheel routes and up the middle releases. His speed creates a huge mismatch against most linebackers who try to cover him. https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1545814714168385536?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Chaparral receiver Stacy Dobbins just runs a simple out route out of a bunch formation for a touchdown here, but his speed and toughness were on display Saturday. https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1545848840154013697?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Edison quarterback Parker Awad throws a touchdown pass to Carter Hogue against the defending champion Santa Margarita. The hosts of the tournament had a fine day with good performances from receivers Malachi Pierce, Mason York, [player_tooltip player_id="183440" first="Jackson" last="Irwin"] and Ashton Hurley. https://twitter.com/Tucker2Tripp/status/1546566109993717761?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ While on the topic of Edison, here is a beautiful touchdown catch from Tucker Tripp. https://twitter.com/Rivals/status/1545871934511935488?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Millikan quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="115449" first="Myles" last="Jackson"] throws a beautiful touchdown pass to Warren transfer [player_tooltip player_id="115423" first="Jordan" last="Anderson"] against Mission Viejo. Anderson has put on some size and can be one of the top receivers in Southern California this fall. https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1545824365958156288?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Norco receiver and UCLA commit [player_tooltip player_id="145245" first="Grant" last="Gray"] showing he can go up and use his body to make tough 50/50 catches against Mater Dei. It's a simple route, but he uses his footwork to create a little separation against man coverage. https://twitter.com/JasonR0binsonJR/status/1545915667395670016?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ USC commit and Long Beach Poly receiver [player_tooltip player_id="115473" first="Jason" last="Robinson JR"] showing his speed and making a beautiful touchdown catch from [player_tooltip player_id="115447" first="Darius" last="Curry"]. He brings the confidence and fun with his celebration afterward that his teammates thrive off of. https://twitter.com/DelanoLee23/status/1545942737014255616?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Bishop Amat receiver [player_tooltip player_id="145208" first="Delano" last="Franklin"] can create major matchup issues from the slot and shows this here with touchdowns against Norco and others. https://twitter.com/hunterwatsonqb/status/1546540531919900672?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Franklin and the Amat receivers are great, but quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="240019" first="Hunter" last="Watson"] makes their job a lot easier. https://twitter.com/GregBiggins/status/1545878133731037184?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Amat also has a freshman defensive back in RJ Sermons who already has the body of an older player. He may contribute as a freshman and be one of the top defensive backs in his class. https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1545839668444291073?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Corona del Mar fast rising receiver Cooper Hoch catching a touchdown pass from [player_tooltip player_id="145236" first="David" last="Rasor"] on an out route. He can create separation with his speed and his route running. https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1545823756139970560?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Erik Carmona with a nice interception to ice the game for Capo Valley against Warren. https://twitter.com/cchaney05/status/1517610664696500224?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ This is not a clip from the Battle at the Bay, but JSerra was the surprise team of the event and linebacker Clarence Chaney was a big reason for their success. According to reports, junior quarterback Zander Singh looked as did receivers Josh Jordanal and Jose Frutos. https://twitter.com/E3ANGELO/status/1546022599078973447?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Bosco defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="125731" first="Frankie" last="Edwards III"] showing good ball skills against top teams like Long Beach Poly. [player_tooltip player_id="115432" first="Marcelles" last="Williams"] also made some nice deflections in the endzone for the Braves. <img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-352584" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/06/21-Frankie-Edwards-III-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />           https://twitter.com/VictoryKaleb/status/1546328794595618817?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ Cathedral Catholic star [player_tooltip player_id="145201" first="Victory" last="Johnson"] showing he can play some receiver as well as linebacker. He is one of the top linebackers in San Diego. https://twitter.com/Scott_Schrader/status/1545841874925023232?s=20&t=hB9n2dXvPDGEr3wxOdkRSQ USC commit [player_tooltip player_id="25419" first="Malachi" last="Nelson"] throws a nice touchdown to [player_tooltip player_id="145170" first="Ethan" last="O'Connor"] who makes a nice catch. Guys like O'Connor and [player_tooltip player_id="145234" first="Gavin" last="Porch"] got a lot of run Saturday with [player_tooltip player_id="25398" first="Makai" last="Lemon"] missing the event. Mater Dei transfer [player_tooltip player_id="25357" first="Kassius" last="Ashtiani"] will be a receiver to watch for Los Alamitos this fall.