Battle at the Beach: Top Offensive Performers

<p>One of the top passing tournaments in the state took place last Saturday at Edison High in Huntington Beach, CA.</p>   <p>The Battle at the Beach is an annual event where 20 teams gather to compete in 7-on-7.</p>   <p>Mater Dei won the event by beating Mission Viejo in the semifinals and Rancho Cucamonga in the finals.</p>   <p>Here are some offensive players that stood out to me during the event. Disclaimer: I did not get to see every team play.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MATER DEI</strong></h2>   <p>Recent Stanford commit [player_tooltip player_id='683642' first='Elijah' last='Brown'] was pinpoint accurate at times and knows exactly when to go for the home run ball and when to take the easy eight yards. In pool play, [player_tooltip player_id='282711' first='Marcus' last='Harris'] appeared to be getting a lot of targets and [player_tooltip player_id='273546' first='Nate' last='Frazier'] was getting a lot of run out of the backfield. In the championship game, four different players had touchdown catches: [player_tooltip player_id='115462' first='Ajon' last='Bryant'], [player_tooltip player_id='282698' first='Jordon' last='Davison'], [player_tooltip player_id='401273' first='Kayden' last='Dixon-Wyatt'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283630' first='Jonah' last='Smith']</strong>. Another impressive young receiver for Mater Dei is lengthy [player_tooltip player_id='780749' first='Owen' last='Shannon'].</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/mikehuntley63/status/1675198662434234368?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/SteveFryer/status/1675219248170569728?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>RANCHO CUCAMONGA</strong></h2>   <p>Rancho Cucamonga rotated quarterbacks and both <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='943018' first='Tyler' last='Dudden']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1000930' first='Jacob' last='Chambers']</strong> looked good in moments. While the defense was definitely the most talked about among coaches, Rancho's offense moved the ball effectively. [player_tooltip player_id='273600' first='Jonah' last='Dawson'] was a standout at receiver for the Cougars.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/cameron_s_2/status/1675744200544096256?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ST. JOHN BOSCO</strong></h2>   <p>Bosco lost the first game to Edison but was able to move the ball well. [player_tooltip player_id='115455' first='Caleb' last='Sanchez'] was inconsistent early at quarterback, but settled in nicely by the end of pool play. [player_tooltip player_id='212212' first='Ashton' last='Pannell'] also looked very good at quarterback. The Braves did a really good job spreading the ball around and the four receivers who got the most run were [player_tooltip player_id='209113' first='Madden' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='398478' first='Stacy' last='Dobbins'], [player_tooltip player_id='283605' first='Daniel' last='Odom'] and [player_tooltip player_id='115470' first='Tommy' last='Maher']. [player_tooltip player_id='147723' first='Khalil' last='Warren'] is massive at running back and will be a load to bring down in the fall.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MaddenWilliams1/status/1675897645850857472?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>SANTA MARGARITA</strong></h2>   <p>Servite transfer <strong>James Johnson</strong> looked very impressive at quarterback for the Eagles. His job was made a lot easier by the Eagles' excellent receiving corps creating separation all day. [player_tooltip player_id='283690' first='Trent' last='Mosley'] and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976922' first='Sean' last='Embree']</strong> were torching guys in man coverage against very good defenses in pool play. With [player_tooltip player_id='115420' first='Emmett' last='Mosley'] returning and the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='115473' first='Jason' last='Robinson JR'] and [player_tooltip player_id='282751' first='Jadyn' last='Robinson'], the Eagles may have one of the best receiving units in the state.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1675200261839806464?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MISSION VIEJO</strong></h2>   <p>Mission Viejo gave equal playing time to both quarterbacks [player_tooltip player_id='1000890' first='Luke' last='Fahey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='406731' first='Draiden' last='Trudeau']-Cicero. Defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='723683' first='Dijon' last='Lee'] came over and played some offense which is something we may see in the fall. Coach <strong>Chad Johnson</strong> heavily praised two sophomore receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283692' first='Vance' last='Spafford']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='780469' first='Markus' last='Kier']. The Diablos have some crucial offensive linemen back and two returning running backs so expect the Diablos to be very balanced in the fall.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ORANGE LUTHERAN</strong></h2>   <p>Orange Lutheran used all three of its quarterbacks Saturday but I mostly saw [player_tooltip player_id='282728' first='TJ' last='Lateef'] and [player_tooltip player_id='401215' first='Alex' last='Medyn'] getting the reps. Coach <strong>Rod Sherman</strong> praised [player_tooltip player_id='723685' first='AJ' last='Ia'] and <strong>Joseph De La Torre</strong> as having good days at receiver.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1675289412446621696?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>LOS ALAMITOS</strong></h2>   <p>Los Alamitos struggled early on Saturday but settled in after the team got used to the pace. [player_tooltip player_id='282704' first='Alonzo' last='Esparza'] has good timing with the receivers and already has a good grasp of the Los Al offense. The Griffins can do cool things on offense with [player_tooltip player_id='406707' first='Anthony' last='League'] at running back and the ability to move [player_tooltip player_id='115424' first='Kobe' last='Boykin'] to the slot when needed. [player_tooltip player_id='273556' first='Foster' last='Slaughter'] was playing well at receiver and tight end [player_tooltip player_id='723681' first='Davon' last='Mitchell'] was bringing down any pass near him.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ocvarsityguy/status/1675222695599017984?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>INGLEWOOD</strong></h2>   <p>Inglewood was rotating a lot of quarterbacks on Saturday but it is confirmed that [player_tooltip player_id='273557' first='Damon' last='Wrighster'] has transferred in from Alemany. They struggled offensively in the game I watched against Liberty of Bakersfield, but [player_tooltip player_id='115468' first='Terrell' last='Bradshaw'] showed he is one of the best deep threats in the Southern Section. Some receivers who shined for Inglewood were <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406705' first='Kevin' last='Jennett']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='780279' first='Luke' last='Lopez'].</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>NORTH KITSAP</strong></h2>   <p>I did not get to see much of the team from Washington, but [player_tooltip player_id='338809' first='Ethan' last='Guerra'] is an impressive looking athlete.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TheeNKFootball/status/1673777178792853507?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>EDISON</strong></h2>   <p>The star of the day was Edison receiver [player_tooltip player_id='683641' first='Mason' last='York']. He is lengthy, muscular and is a fantastic route runner. He has speed to make plays after the catch and had a 40-yard touchdown catch against St. John Bosco. Quarterback <strong>Savelio Niumata</strong> looked good for the Chargers and has plus arm strength.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/latsondheimer/status/1675174599494086657?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>ST. BONAVENTURE</strong></h2>   <p>I didn't get a long look at St. Bonaventure, but when I did, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='115460' first='Anthony' last='Wolter'] looked very good. He has good zip on the short and intermediate throws. [player_tooltip player_id='283633' first='Kaden' last='Glover'] is every bit of 6-foot-7 and will be a name to keep an eye on the next couple of years.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoachDanny10/status/1675618628446879744?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>CORONA DEL MAR</strong></h2>   <p>Corona del Mar quarterback <strong>Kevin Annett</strong> was one of the better quarterbacks I saw at the event and there were a lot of good quarterbacks on hand. He visited Princeton shortly after the event. <strong>Cordell Cook</strong> had a big touchdown catch that I saw and [player_tooltip player_id='347158' first='Zach' last='Giuliano'] is one of the top tight ends in his class.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TeranRodriguez1/status/1675248866315370496?s=20 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TeranRodriguez1/status/1675189465646759938?s=20 </div></figure>

One of the top passing tournaments in the state took place last Saturday at Edison High in Huntington Beach, CA.