By Aaron Valdez
With summer just clearing its halfway point, 24 high school football teams honed their skills and chemistry at the San Gabriel Valley Shootout 7on7 Passing League Tournament hosted by Arroyo High School on Saturday.
Players, coaches, and fans alike gathered to catch a glimpse of what their teams and rivals have to offer come season time. The 24 teams were split into six pools of four, competing in a round robin within their respective pool. Depending on the results in pool play, the top 16 teams qualified for bracket play and were seeded accordingly.
Because of the scorching conditions, Arroyo Head Coach and event coordinator Jim Singiser bumped the start time to 8 a.m. rather than the usual 9 a.m. However, the heat didn’t seem to stop six-year Head Coach Andrew Policky and the Arcadia Apaches, who ended up taking the tournament in convincing fashion.
Arcadia won all three of its games in pool play, defeating Marshall 27-0, Whittier 21-3 and Bell Gardens 33-21. The Apaches’ efforts guaranteed them a spot in the playoff bracket as the No. 4 seed where they would play No. 13 Workman.
After getting by Workman in their opening-round match-up, Arcadia was pitted up against Pacific League rival Muir. The game between the two was close, but the Apaches’ overall poise was ultimately the deciding factor.
Arcadia furthered its crusade in the semifinals with a solid win over Northview and put an exclamation mark on their tournament performance by trouncing Diamond Ranch 15-9 in the finals.
