Yuma Catholic hosts 7-on-7s in preparation for jump to 5A
Yuma Catholic continues preparation for the upcoming season by hosting local schools for a 7-on-7 jamboree.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Despite the desert heat, prep football programs across Yuma and Imperial Valley are deep into summer camp season and the grind isn't slowing down.
On Thursday, Yuma Catholic welcomed eight local schools to Ricky Gwynn Stadium for a 7-on-7 jamboree. The event gave programs a chance to compete, sharpen their passing attacks, and build chemistry ahead of the fall season.
The Shamrocks are entering a new chapter in 2025, with first-year head coach Vernon Smith taking the reins and leading the program into uncharted territory, a jump up to the 5A conference.
"No one's scared," Smith said. "We're looking forward to it. We're embracing the challenge. That's who we’ve been. It wasn't necessarily apples to apples in 4A."
Yuma Catholic saw plenty of reps Tuesday, including a cross-state showdown with Brawley.
On the first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Nash Ott fired a deep touchdown pass to open the game with a statement.
Brawley answered quickly with a contested deep ball of their own, one that saw the receiver and DB fight for the ball all the way to the goal line before the ruling went in favor of the offense.
The Shamrocks and quarterback Scout Reese would bounce back with another scoring drive on the next possession.
Later, YC faced off against Central in another competitive stretch of the afternoon.
Every snap matters for the Shamrocks, who will need to be sharp early. Their season opens on the road against perennial powerhouse Notre Dame Prep, followed by home matchups with Holtville and Marana, who reached Arizona’s Open Division playoffs last season.
With expectations rising and a new conference ahead, Yuma Catholic's summer reps may prove more important than ever.
“Success is in the details — that's what I tell the players,” he said. "It's one thing to run a play, it's another to run it 20 times and get it perfect. We obviously can't work on everything — there's the run game, screens, RPOs — but we're working on our drop back passing game, which is a big part of our offense. We're moving in the right direction."
Thursday's jamboree featured plenty of new storylines across the region. The Somerton Toros, preparing for their first-ever varsity season, held their own against Calexico. Cibola also made the trip, now in year two under head coach Caleb Gillespie.
The action isn't done yet most of the teams will return to Ricky Gwynn Stadium on Wednesday to keep the competition rolling.
