It won’t be long.
A few more weeks, a few more heat waves, and before you know it, it will be time for high school football.
In fact, Friday, August 23 will be the official start of the 2024 season when Los Banos High travels to Dos Palos for the latest edition of the annual Westside War.
All of the area teams are currently in “training mode,” with weight lifting and conditioning taking place.
And then there are the 7-on-7 passing competitions.
Dos Palos High hosted both a 7-on-7 passing tournament as well as a Linemen Competition last Saturday at Frankian Field/Bill Hume Stadium.
The event started bright and early at 8 a.m. and finished around 2 p.m. in the mid-day heat. Bronco head coach Rob Calvert brought out a wide variety of Central Valley teams, including Sunnyside and McLane of Fresno, and Los Banos and Pacheco. Also participating were Madera South, Minarets, and Le Grand. West Sierra League teams Avenal and Tranquillity also came to town.
Even with the mid-day temperature exceeding 100 degrees, Coach Calvert said the tournament went very well and was well received.
“It got hot, for sure,” said Calvert. “But everything went well. At lunch, we took a break and fed all the boys and then we had a ‘tug-of-war’ competition, which everyone enjoyed.”
As for the other competitions, after a morning of round robin play, the 7-on-7 moved on to the single elimination part. The two Fresno schools played in the finals, with Sunnyside defeating McLane for the title. The host Broncos placed third.
Dos Palos won the Linemen Competition for the second year in a row.
Calvert added that his squad recently won a passing tournament hosted by Pacheco, and they will be at it again tonight (Wednesday). Fellow WSL teams Firebaugh and Mendota will come to Dos Palos for a workout with a start time of 7 p.m.
