Surf City Passing Tournament Preview (Part 1)
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We are about one month away from the first real football games of the fall. But before we put on the pads and load the stadiums on Friday nights, we have one more weekend of passing tournaments this weekend. The…
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Continue ReadingWe are about one month away from the first real football games of the fall. But before we put on the pads and load the stadiums on Friday nights, we have one more weekend of passing tournaments this weekend.
The Surf City Passing Tournament and Lineman Competition is Saturday at Huntington Beach High. 15 Southern California schools and one Arizona school will compete.
Let’s take a look at the teams competing in one of the last passing tournaments of the summer.
POOL A
DOWNEY
Downey won a CIF championship last season but star quarterback Aidan Chiles has graduated and is at Oregon State. Replacing him may be junior Logan Bledsoe Logan Bledsoe 5'11" | 170 lbs | QB Downey | 2025 CA , who is a real good athlete who happens to play quarterback. Manuel Albidrez is a returning slot receiver who had 15 yards per catch last season and Caleb Jauregui is a returning junior receiver. Oscar Aguilar Oscar Aguilar 6'3" | 200 lbs | ATH Downey | 2026 State CA is a big two-way sophomore who got playing time at tight end and outside backer last year. Jordan Arias is also an experienced returner on defense for the Vikings.
FOOTHILL
Foothill has a returning quarterback in Nicholas Miali Nicholas Miali 6'6" | 210 lbs | QB Foothill | 2024 CA who had a solid showing at the Prep Redzone Showcase in April. Aaron Mitchell Aaron Mitchell 5'8" | 210 lbs | RB Foothill | 2024 CA is a workhorse at running back but they don’t use him a ton in the passing game. Tyler Hawkins Tyler Hawkins 6'4" | 190 lbs | ATH Foothill | 2024 CA is the returning star receiver for the Knights along with Jack Zerkel. Bryce Perkins is a returning defensive player I like for Foothill. The Knights have some good tacklers returning in Preston Raymond, CJ Sims and Bode Jellerson.
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
Fountain Valley has returning quarterback Noa Banua Noa Banua 6'0" | QB Fountain Valley | 2024 State CA who improved between the two Prep Redzone Showcases in January and April. Nolan Olivares is Banua’s top targets and Luke Taylor got some targets as a sophomore last season. Hayden Espinoza is a really good athlete at cornerback. The Barons lost a lot of talent on defense but they are in the second year under a very good head coach and should improve after his first full offseason with the team.
OCEAN VIEW
Ocean View is fresh off its own passing tournament against other strong competition in Southern California. Frankie Armenta is returning as the starting quarterback and will be a three-year starter at the position. Chris Vincent is a basketball player who did not play football last season, but head coach Daniel Hernandez is very high on him.
POOL B
WEST RANCH
West Ranch was one of the few teams to have an undefeated regular season in 2022, but lost its star quarterback who is now at the University of Colorado. Zach Wyre is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback. Luke Deperno was the team’s leading rusher as a sophomore last year and is back. The only underclassman to intercept a pass for West Ranch last season was Obi Ogbuagu.
HUNTINGTON BEACH
Host Huntington Beach has 6-foot-5 freshman quarterback Brady Edmunds Brady Edmunds 6'5" | 210 lbs | QB Huntington Beach | 2027 State CA who has a Pac 12 offer already. Musashi Ray may be the most reliable target for young Edmunds. Jack Geracitano is a safety who has a nose for the ball and Sebastian Smith had an interception last season. Zachary James is the free safety and Brandon Soleau is a middle linebacker who led the team in tackles for a loss last season.
JW NORTH
JW North quarterback Cameron Shannon Cameron Shannon 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB JW North | 2024 State CA recently got an offer from Benedictine College after a strong junior season. Kies Furrha was the team’s leading rusher last season but is now at King High. Dylan Boucher is a receiver who is back and Brian Butler is back at receiver. Austin Dixon and Jordin Nance each had interceptions for North last season.
BUENA PARK
Buena Park competed at the Ocean View tournament last week. Orange transfer Jaden Moore Jaden Moore 5'11" | 180 lbs | ATH Buena Park | 2024 State CA may be one of the best under the radar transfers in Orange County this season. Buena Park has a freshman playmaker Hakim Frampton who is getting a lot of buzz lately. Alex Delgado and Danny Washington are two other players to keep an eye on for Buena Park.