North Loses Its Bid for Football Title at Summer Games : High schools: Saxon Coach Austin is pleased with team’s showing in 20-12 loss to powerhouse Canyon.

Summer football, played in shorts and T-shirts instead of helmets and pads, is used by coaches as a learning tool to develop a passing game and pass defense. For spectators, it is a weak substitute for the fall version, but to North Torrance High Coach Joe Austin and his team, Saturday’s L.A. Watts Summer Games championship against Canyon of Canyon Country resembled the real thing.

Canyon beat the Saxons, 20-12, at El Camino College, but North’s performance in the 48-team tournament pleased Austin after last season’s 2-8 record.

The Cowboys took a 13-0 lead after the first half on two touchdown passes by quarterback Chad Engbrecht. North could not score against the Cowboys, who used mostly man-to-man coverage against the Saxon receivers.

“They took it to us,” said North junior quarterback Frank Ramirez, who was promoted from the sophomore team to varsity last season. “They were real aggressive, Carson wasn’t as aggressive as they were.”

North beat Carson in the semifinals Saturday morning, 20-7.

North scored on the opening drive of the second half on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Ramirez to running back Jose Gomez, completing a 60-yard drive on the 80-yard field. The conversion attempt was dropped, and the Cowboys led, 13-6, with 12 minutes left in the game.

With six minutes left, Canyon scored on an Engbrecht pass to running back Jim Zopelas for a 20-6 lead.

Ramirez then passed to Gomez out of the backfield on a 31-yard play to set up a seven-yard touchdown reception by Shannon Bray. The conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 20-12.

Despite the unrealistic conditions and the limitations of what is essentially touch football, Austin was pleased with his team.

“It’s just good competition,” Austin said. “It teaches you how to compete and this is one of the best teams in Southern California. We lost to Canyon (in the Watts Summer Games) last year in the third round, we’re working a lot harder this year.”

Canyon lost in the Southern Section Division I semifinals last season to Loyola, the eventual champion.

Canyon Coach Harry Welch, who is currently appealing a one-year suspension imposed on him by the CIF Southern Section for conducting out-of-season practices, addressed the North team after the game.

“I told them that I saw them last year when they just got a new coach and they were trying to get a program started and people were saying things about them that were less than compliments,” Welch said. “Now I’ve been watching them play for three days in this tournament and they are a bunch of competitors.

“I’ve coached three CIF champions and I told them that they are one of the classiest teams I’ve ever seen and that I was proud to be on the same field with them.”

Welch said he was particularly impressed with Ramirez, who threw only one interception in nearly 200 passes in the six-game tournament.

While the football competition ended, the boys’ basketball tournament reached its final four teams, including top-seeded Westchester.

The Comets beat Chatsworth in the morning and then played St. Monica. Westchester showed the wear of playing eight games in seven days--the Comets scored three points in the first 10 minutes--but still had enough to beat St. Monica, 53-39. Marty Cotwright, Maurice Robinson, James Gray, and Lorenzo Ball each scored eight points.

“Our guys are a little wiped out,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said.

Lately the Comets have been doing all the wiping out. Friday they beat Riverside J.W. North in the prestigious Lakewood tournament and have cruised through the L.A. Games field.

Westchester will play North today at 11 a.m. in El Camino’s north gym. The winner of that game will play the winner of the noon Fremont-Crenshaw game at 3:30 for the championship.

“Of all the tournaments in the summer, this is the one we want to win,” Azzam said of the 122-team field. “For what it stands for and the size, this is really the one.”

The Morningside girls’ basketball team advanced to the semifinals by beating Long Beach Poly, 61-41. The Lady Monarchs will play Gahr in the north gym at 9 a.m., followed by Lynwood vs. Chino. The girls’ championship is at 1:30 p.m.

In girls’ softball, San Pedro and Mary Star each won and will meet today at 9 a.m. in the semifinals. The winner will play the Pasadena Poly-Hoover winner in the championship at 1:30 p.m. Poly and Hoover meet at 11 a.m.

In girls’ soccer, Bishop Montgomery will play Chaminade at 11 a.m. The winner will meet the Royal-Calabasas winner at 3 p.m. for the championship. Royal and Calabasas meet at 12:30 p.m.

In water polo, Mira Costa will play Santa Monica at 10 a.m.. The winner will play the La Serna-Glendale winner for the championship at 2 p.m. La Serna and Glendale meet at 9 a.m.

All competition is at El Camino College.