Prep Rally: Don’t miss the best seven on seven football tournament of the summer

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The best seven on seven football tournament of the summer takes place Saturday at Huntington Beach Edison. It’s a great opportunity to see the best skill position players in the Southland for free.

Edison tournament

The Battler at the Beach on Saturday at Edison is always the best passing tournament of the summer, not only because of the quality of the teams but also the way it is run. It starts at 9 a.m. and ends early in the afternoon. The competition can be fierce but coaches and players know it’s about preparing for the fall and wins and losses in a passing tourney will be quickly forgotten. It’s free for fans to attend.

St. John Bosco and Mater Dei figure to be the teams to beat, but don’t forget that Mission Viejo won last season. If you want possible surprises, don’t count out the host Chargers, who always play well in their tournament. St. Bonaventure, with veteran quarterback Anthony Wolter, is gearing up to provide strong play.

And watch out for Warren, which won a tournament at USC last weekend, knocking off Mater Dei, Sierra Canyon and Long Beach Poly. Among the standouts for Warren were quarterback Madden Iamaleava, free safety JoJo Jones and receivers Jace Brown and Jalen Ross.

Besides the spotlight being on quarterbacks, don’t forget about the receivers and defensive backs. This is where you get to see which cornerbacks can be effective without holding, and there’s lots of holding going on in passing tournaments.

Among the players to watch:

Junior defensive back Dijon Lee of Mission Viejo. His size and athleticism marks him on any field.

Senior receiver Mason York of Edison. With improving speed and great hands, York fits right in with Edison’s top receivers of the past.

Senior receiver Marcus Brown of Mater Dei. Dependable and clutch under pressure, Brown is the go-to target for quarterback Elijah Brown, who announced last week he has committed to Stanford.

Senior defensive back Marcelles Williams of St. John Bosco. The cornerback who just committed to USC and has already helped the Braves win the Millikan tournament championship this summer.

Senior receiver Chase Farrell of Oaks Christian. The super quick Farrell gets to show off his speed.

Football transfers

Marquis Gallegos has left Chaminade for Sierra Canyon.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

There’s no need to debate which school has come away with the most impact transfers in football for 2023. That would be Sierra Canyon.

The Trailblazers’ most recent pickup is Marquis Gallegos from Chaminade, according to coach Jon Ellinghouse. He was the Mission League defensive player of the year and could end up committing with USC this week. He joins quarterback Wyatt Becker, the all-leaguer from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; receiver Xavier Jordan from L.A. Cathedral, a USC commit and All-CIF honoree; and receiver Kwazi Gilmer from Chaminade who has offers from Stanford, UCLA and Michigan State, among others.

Here’s the latest look at the high school football transfer tracker.

L.A. Times Awards

Luca Evans spent much of the 2022-23 school year working on the first digital awards showcase for The Times. It’s called “Preps: Best of the Times.”

It highlights top performances, best moments and honors people in 11 high school sports categories.

Please enjoy this look back at some of the people and teams that made 2022-23 a memorable high school sports season with videos.

The L.A. Times high school sports awards for 2022-23.

(Eric Sondheimer)

Also let’s honor and remember athletes, coaches and staff who passed. Here’s the story.

Summer preview: Running backs

Gardena Serra’s Cincere Rhaney gives a stiff arm to Long Beach Poly’s Donovan Turner.

(Nick Koza / For The Times)

Teams that want to be successful passing know that having a good running back helps immensely. The run sets up the pass.

That’s why among the running backs to watch this fall, you have to pay attention to top teams such as Santa Ana Mater Dei, Bellflower St. John Bosco and Chatsworth Sierra Canyon.

Mater Dei has the best duo in junior Jordon Davison and senior Nathaniel Frazier. They’re physical and fast.

Here’s a look at others.

Summer preview: Receivers

Peyton Waters of Birmingham looks like he’s going to make a great catch. He does to make an interception against Venice. He’s also a receiver to watch this season.

(Craig Weston)

Continuing a summer preview of impact football players for the 2023 high school season, the receiver position has several players ready to continue their success.

It starts with Aaron Butler of Calabasas. He’s a fast, dependable, big-play weapon who’s committed to Colorado.

Mater Dei receivers teamed with quarterback Elijah Brown to form quite a combination last season. Back are Marcus Brown (nine touchdown catches) and Marcus Harris (12), with Jack Ressler finally healthy for his senior year after a good sophomore season.

Here’s a look at other receivers to watch.

Summer reading

Dave Kindred’s new book scheduled to be published in September.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

One of the country’s best sportswriters, Dave Kindred, has written a new book scheduled to be published Sept. 12 entitled, “My Home Team. A sportswriter’s life and the redemptive power of small-town girls’ basketball.”

For those of us who followed his career as a columnist and reporter at the Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The National (I was there for 18 months with him), this book brings back memories of some of his most memorable stories, interviews and experiences. It also gives a glimpse into what it’s like to follow high school sports in a small Midwestern town and specifically girls’ basketball.

He returned to Illinois with his wife thinking retirement and ended up writing for the local high school website about the girls’ basketball team. His pay: Milk Duds.

It provides great insights into the life of a sportswriter at all levels and the trials and tribulations of family life and aging in a changing world.

Basketball

The first NCAA-approved and CIF-approved summer basketball tournament for boys in Southern California played in Orange County appears to have come off with great success. Here’s the individual leaders.

Corona Centennial was impressive in beating Damien to win its divisional championship behind Sage Hill transfer Carter Bryant. Bishop Alemany will be one of the most improved teams after winning its championship over St. Anthony armed with two transfers from San Gabriel Academy.

Gardena from the City Section showed success. Harvard-Westlake was beaten by Richmond Salesian in its division final.

Here’s a look at Alemany’s new contributors.

The Fairfax tournament will begin on Monday. South Pasadena is also hosting a tournament all this coming week.

In Arizona, the girls’ Section 7 tournament featured another duel between Etiwanda and Mater Dei, with the Eagles prevailing. Etiwanda will the the heavy favorite to win a state title this coming season.

In Arizona, the boys’ Section 7 tournament saw Windward win its divisional championship.

St. John Bosco defeated Eastvale Roosevelt 63-60 to win its divisional championship. Both teams will be top 10 in Southern California next winter. Loyola also won its divisional championship.

Notes . . .

Jerzy Robinson, a 6-foot-1 sophomore who was considered the No. 1 freshman girls’ basketball player in Arizona last season at Desert Vista High, has transferred to Sierra Canyon, coach Alicia Komaki said. She was named MVP of the U16 Americas Championship and broke the tournament record with 21 rebounds in a game. . . .

Scott Pearson has stepped down as baseball coach at Warren and will not coach next season after 36 years. He said he needs to take care of some health issues and also wants to be more involved with his three teenage children. He had great success at Warren, Roosevelt, Cathedral and South Gate. . . .

Jon Mani, a standout basketball player at Beverly Hills, has transferred to Palisades. . . .

Former Van Nuys basketball coach Evan Porter has become an assistant coach at Sierra Canyon. . . .

Isabella Mertes, who hit eight home runs for Sierra Canyon’s softball team, has transferred to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. . . .

Long Beach Poly quarterback Darius Curry has committed to Colorado State. . . .

Tight end Ryner Swanson of Laguna Beach has committed to Brigham Young. . . .

Jordan Brinkley is the new boys soccer coach at Sunny Hills. . . .

Long Beach Poly is looking for a new baseball coach after parting ways with Brent Lavoie. . . .

Defensive back Travis Anderson of Mission Viejo has committed to Boise State. . . .

Receiver Jack Ressler of Mater Dei has committed to Oregon. . . .

Kelly Zakosek is the new softball coach at Cleveland. . . .

Brentwood assistant Andre Simmons is the new girls’ basketball coach at Beverly Hills. . . .

Infielder Fernando Palencia of Arcadia has committed to San Diego. . . .

Huntington Beach offensive lineman Justin Tauanuu has committed to Stanford. . . .

Loyola offensive lineman Champ Westbrooks has committed to Arizona State. . . .

Defensive lineman Ed’Mari Binion of Long Beach Millikan has committed to Colorado State. . . .

Rai Colston is the new girls’ basketball coach at Granada Hills. He was previously head coach at El Camino Real. . . .

Basketball center Jazz Gardner, a West Ranch graduate, has committed to Nevada. . . .

Junior quarterback Michael Tollefson of JSerra has committed to Arizona State. . . .

Greg Brock is the new baseball coach at Redlands. . . .

Receiver Emmett Mosley of Santa Margarita has committed to Stanford. . . .

Offensive lineman Phillip Ocon of St. Francis has committed to Colorado State. . . .

Linebacker Jordan Lockhart of St. John Bosco has committed to Texas A&M. . . .

Receivers Jason Robinson of Long Beach Poly and Justice Williams from Oaks Christian have committed to Washington. Tight end Decker DeGraaf of Glendora also has committed to Washington. . . .

Sun Valley Poly has openings for head coach in boys and girls basketball. A new gym is near completion. . . .

St. Monica is searching for a boys basketball coach. . . .

Aaron Garcia is the new baseball coach at Moorpark. He’s a Moorpark grad and replaces Scott Fullerton, who retired after 29 seasons. . . .

Former Chatsworth softball pitcher Ava Justman has left Wisconsin and transferred to the University of Central Florida. . . .

Palisades won the City Section Commissioner’s Cup for the seventh straight year as having the best sports program. The Dolphins won seven City titles. . . .

Class of 2024 pitcher Dylan Smith from West Torrance has committed to Cal State Fullerton.

From the archives: Jeff Suppan

One of the best pitchers in San Fernando Valley baseball history, former Crespi standout Jeff Suppan, has settled in to life as a father. He’s the president of West Hills PONY baseball, the same league he played in growing up. He has two young children, a boy and girl, who are promising baseball and softball players.

Suppan was a second-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox out of Crespi in 1993, turning down a scholarship to UCLA. He ended up pitching for 17 seasons in the major leagues and was National League Championship Series MVP with the Cardinals in 2006. He retired in 2014.

Suppan always loved his hometown while playing in Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee. He continues to give back to the community.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Mater Dei girls’ basketball standout Karlie Samuelson.

From the Daily Bruin, former Bishop Montgomery guard David Singleton reflects on his days playing for UCLA.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Campbell Hall basketball changing with the arrival of Bryce James.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the surreal moment when Jaime Jaquez Jr. became a first-round NBA draft pick.

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