MENIFEE – In preparation for the upcoming high school Football season, which begins Thursday, August 17, teams from the Inland Empire and the surrounding areas converged at Paloma Valley High School for the inaugural Top Gun Passing Tournament and Big Man Competition. The event was held Saturday, July 15, at Paloma Valley High School, and was organized by the Wildcats new head coach, Juan Merida, and coach Christian Ruiz. Local teams participating included host school Paloma Valley, Chaparral, Orange Vista, Perris, Tahquitz, Temecula Valley and Vista Murrieta.
The 7-on-7 tournament games were timed as 20 minute games, with pool play taking place on several fields around the campus. The Big Man Competition events included a Big Man Relay, Tractor Tire Flip, 5-man Sled, Prowler PUSH and weight lifting amongst the events. Cypress High School won the passing tournament portion while Chaparral High School won the Big Man Competition.
The 2023 football should be an interesting one for our local teams with a few questions to be answered such as:
Will the Liberty Bison improve on their success of last season and bring home a CIF championship now that they have experienced seniors on their roster?
Can returning head coach Coley Candaele duplicate his previous success with the Vista Murrieta Broncos in his second stint as head coach?
Will the Paloma Valley Wildcats build on an excellent 2022 season under new head coach Juan Merida?
Will the Heritage Patriots rebound from a losing 2022 season and reclaim the Menifee Bowl Trophy in the neighborhood rivalry game versus Paloma Valley?
Was the Big West split really a good decision for the former Southwestern League teams that found parity is still an overwhelming issue? Stay tuned!
For more information on the inaugural Top Gun passing tournament and Big Man competition, the link for the brackets results can be found at www.tinyurl.com/TopGunPassing.
Article contributions made by Action Captures Media Group. JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
