Ten different teams met at Pittsburg High School on Saturday for the Pirates’ First Annual Passing Tournament. Each team played five half-hour games, giving a glimpse of some of the top teams and individual talent from around the Bay Area.
For the host Pirates, one of the big question marks heading into the season is who will take the reins at quarterback. Right now, it is a three-man battle, as senior Seu Kuka is competing with a pair of sophomores, Willie Harts and Trey Turner.
As usual, Kuka exhibited nice touch on his passes, and an ability to find open receivers. Harts, meanwhile, showed a cool and composed demeanor for a young player, while Turner certainly has the arm strength and athletic ability to run Pittsburg’s spread offense. Each of these players could also find time at wide receiver.
A player to watch for the Pirates this coming year could be sophomore Jaden Tauanu'u, who has an offer from Utah State, and looked ready for a breakout season, dominating defensive backs with his size and ability to get the ball in the air. Tauanu'u could be the passing game complement to running back Montaz Thompson, who had one of the best seasons in Pittsburg history last year.
Sam Dickson was another player who was impressive on both sides of the ball for the Pirates, with his long frame and ball-hawking ability, while junior receiver and all-league baseball player Zach Ellsworth made an impressive play, getting inside El Cerrito standout Damon Cole to haul in a touchdown during that matchup.
“Our thing today was that we wanted to put together an organized, on-time, and efficient opportunity for all the teams to come out and get better,” said Pittsburg coach Victor Galli, entering his 15th season as head coach. “I had a lot of help from my lower level coaches and line coaches to ensure that every field was run by adults on staff. And we got a lot of work in today, a lot of reps for players fighting for starting positions.”
De La Salle put its depth on display Saturday, rotating multiple units throughout the day, but also showcasing some players with next-level ability. The Spartans are still undecided on a starting quarterback, as senior Abel Ordaz, Jr. and sophomore Andrew Jones each displayed distinctly different attributes. Meanwhile, the backfield tandem of Kairee Robinson and Jonathan Hackett looked impressive, and Isaiah Randle showed explosive potential on both sides of the ball, making tough catches in traffic and playing a tough press cornerback position defensively.
Senior Elijah Short could be a force at safety for the Spartans this season, while Tre White looked ready to do good things at cornerback. A name to look out for this season at De La Salle could be another sophomore, Taveis Marshall, as the six-footer could see a lot of playing time in the defensive secondary and also plays receiver. Yet another sophomore, Isaiah Foskey, is an imposing six-foot, four-inch talent at tight end who did a nice job navigating the middle of opposing defenses.
Berean Christian was the smallest school on hand Saturday, but did not drop a contest, showing why they expect to return to the NCS Division V championship game this season. Washington State commit Isaiah Hodgins made numerous highlight reel catches during the day, and sophomore Jaden Jackson emerged as a strong complement in the passing game, especially with his ability to get open across the middle. Chandler Davis returns at quarterback for the Eagles, and showed both his arm strength and ability to put touch on the deep ball.
El Cerrito is breaking in a new coach, but it is a familiar name as George Austin takes the reins, after having previously led the Gauchos for a decade, in the 20th century. Austin has two-way standout Damon Cole at his disposal, and Cole exhibited both explosive and crisp route running offensively, while having the speed and play-making ability to also make him a weapon at cornerback.
Offensive guard Aaron Banks played tight end for the short-handed Gauchos, and easily translated his smooth moves in the post during basketball season over to the skill side of the gridiron. One of the top offensive line recruits in the state made numerous catches in the flat and across the middle, even pulling away from linebackers after the catch. Quarterback Devariay ‘Fish’ Allen threw with nice touch for El Cerrito, and showed a very smooth delivery.
Not to be outdone in terms of talent, Concord and Encinal certainly displayed their own set of playmakers. The Minutemen return junior quarterback Nick Nunez, now entering his third season of varsity football. Nunez missed most of last summer and the early part of the 2015 season with an ankle injury, but looked healthy and completely in control during Saturday’s games. He has a quick release and did a great job placing throws away from defenders and into windows, in Concord’s read route system.
Alex Cruz and DeAndre Morgan are two targets who will make life difficult for opponents. Both are two-way standouts for Concord, and both displayed why they will create matchup issues this year. Each athlete stands six-feet, three-inches tall, and athletic enough to out-run linebackers trying to cover them in the slot.
Encinal was without Hawaii commit Akil Francisco on Saturday, but showed plenty of weapons around quarterback Theori Oliver, who also plays linebacker. Oliver threw with nice touch, and distributed nicely to playmakers such as Derrick Purvis, who played last season at McClymonds, and Brandon Duckett, who is back making plays after missing last year with a torn ACL. Duckett was one of the brightest rising stars after a standout sophomore campaign in 2014.
A name to look out for in the future is Jets receiver Teddy Oliver, a six-foot incoming freshman who more than held his own against the top players on the field in Saturday’s tournament.
Campolindo played without a considerable amount of its returning firepower, as starting quarterback Jacob Westphal and tight end Ray Berzins were two noticeable absences, but junior John Torchio impressed coaches under center, displaying leadership qualities, understanding of the game, and an ability to make most throws.
Torchio played all over the field for the Cougars as a sophomore last season, on both sides of the ball, and even threw a critical 59-yard touchdown pass from receiver in last year’s 27-24 CIF regional victory over Milpitas.
Next weekend, Pittsburg will host the top linemen from 16 different schools in the area, at the Super Lineman Challenge on Saturday, July 16. The Pirates also plan to continue their passing tournament next July, sticking with the first Saturday following the holiday, with hopes to expand to 16 teams.
