The inaugural Tony Jefferson youth skills camp and seven-on-seven high school Battle of Champions passing tournament proved to be a big hit with participants last weekend at Eastlake High School.
More than 250 youths, ages 6 to 14, participated in the skills camp, which took place last Friday. Ten high school teams took part in the second day of the event.
Lincoln defeated Olympian, 19-16, in the championship game to pocket $10,000 for its program.
The Hornets, who won the South County Passing Tournament the prior weekend at Southwestern College, are regarded as the top high school passing tournament team in San Diego County this summer.
Jefferson, a 2010 Eastlake High School graduate who recently signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, enjoyed putting on the event at his alma mater.
“I knew right off the bat that I wanted to give back to the community,” he said. “I wanted to take care of the community that took care of me growing up, especially during this time, my years in high school. I wanted to have the opportunity to help the younger kids as well.
“I’ve been doing camps since I came into the league. It’s very exciting. One of the kids here, his dad coached me. It’s full circle, now I’m coaching his son. It’s a great opportunity to help these kids.”
The youth camp featured free registration. Participants both days received a free T-shirt and lunch.
Jefferson led Eastlake to its first CIF football championship in school history in 2009. He rushed for 1,995 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in 13 games that season to forever cement his legacy at the east side Chula Vista school. He was named a USA Today All-American his senior year.
He subsequently played collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, earning the Big 12 co-Defensive Freshman of the Year award. He turned pro after his junior season.
To the surprise of many, he went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. He later signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals and spent four years with that NFL team, reaching the NFC championship game in January 2016.
Jefferson set career highs last season with 96 tackles to establish himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs at strong safety. His stats with the Cardinals include 277 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
He signed a four-year $34 million contract with the Ravens in March that included a $10 million signing bonus.
He said he hopes his NFL career continues on the upswing.
“It’s been pretty decent but there’s always room for improvement,” he explained. “I’m excited for what’s to come. I’m living on the East Coast now, getting acclimated to that. I’m looking forward to a great season.
“Every time I have the opportunity to step on the football field I have the opportunity to be a better player. I’m learning how to be a better player, a better professional.”
Entering his fifth year in the NFL, he is now one of the league’s veteran players.
“Last year in Arizona that was really something they wanted me to do and I had the opportunity to do that,” he said. “It’s prepared me well for what I’m getting into.”
Several of Jefferson’s NFL colleagues donated their time to participate in last weekend’s event, among them Cardinals linebacker Deone Bucannon, Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel and Ravens free safety (and former Chargers fan favorite) Eric Weddle.
“It’s awesome,” Bucannon said of the event. “It’s where it starts.”
Pigskin parade
The 10 teams participating in last weekend’s event included eight squads from the Metro Conference: Castle Park, Chula Vista, Eastlake, Hilltop, Otay Ranch, Southwest, Sweetwater and Olympian.
Lincoln and Point Loma also participated to round out the field.
Teams were separated into two divisions, with each team playing four 30-minute games in a round-robin format. Teams were then seeded based on performance in a single-elimination playoff bracket.
The top teams from each bracket — Eastlake and Lincoln — received a bye in the first round.
The event lived up to what Jefferson had hoped: it was extremely competitive. He said he was particularly impressed by the showing by his former Titan team.
Eastlake defeated Chula Vista in the quarterfinals before being upset in the semifinals by Olympian.
“It’s nice to see guys out there competing,” Jefferson explained. “Eastlake looks really good, really sharp and really disciplined. Hats off to the coaching staff.
“There’s a bunch of talent from the different schools. Guys are out there competing and that’s exactly what I was aiming for.”
Lincoln defeated Southwest in the quarterfinals and Hilltop in the semifinals.
Southwest defeated Castle Park in the play-in round while Hilltop upset Point Loma in the quarterfinals.
Olympian defeated Otay Ranch in the quarterfinals.
Hilltop’s showing was impressive. The Lancers previously advanced to the semifinals of the South County Passing Tournament.
“We’ve done about 5,000 of these this summer, which has been too many, but it’s helped us out,” Hilltop head coach Drew Westling explained. “We’ve worked on our timing and we’ve developed good team camaraderie.”
Max Ugarte made a game-saving interception on the last play of the game to preserve the Lancers’ 18-15 upset win over the Pointers.
Hilltop finished 2-2 in round-robin play.
Eastlake, Olympian, Otay Ranch and Point Loma all finished 3-1 in pool play, with seeding determined on least points allowed.
Point Loma defeated Eastlake in a round-robin game but lost to Olympian. Otay Ranch’s lone loss in pool play was to Lincoln.
Lincoln finished the day with an undefeated 7-0 record.
Chula Vista finished 0-4 in round-robin play but upset Sweetwater (1-3 in pool play) in a play-in game.
Likewise, Southwest finished 0-4 in round-robin play before topping Castle Park (1-3 in pool play) by a 28-23 score in the play-in round.
Eastlake head coach Dean Tropp said the entire Titan program was fired up by Jefferson hosting the event on campus.
“It makes Eastlake very proud that he’s in the position he is to where he can come back to not only the school but to the community that is very proud of him and, in general, San Diego County,” Tropp said.
“When you have a guy who’s overcome what Tony has overcome and reaping the rewards with the Baltimore Ravens, it’s been a great experience for everyone involved.
“Any time Tony comes by, and Tony comes by very often, he visits San Diego often. He remembers where his roots were; he always comes back to Eastlake. He’s very gracious with the kids and the kids really respect him. The kids really enjoy his company when he comes around. They get excited and want to play hard and compete.”
They did.
Add NFL
San Diego State University and Mater Dei Catholic alumnus Nico Siragusa will make it two Chula Vistans on the Baltimore roster this season after signing with the Ravens following the 2017 NFL Draft.
Siragusa, a four-year starter as an offensive lineman with the Aztecs, received Third Team AP All-American honors. Tabbed in the fourth round by Baltimore as the 122nd player overall in the draft, he signed a four-year contract with the NFL team worth $3,021,428 on May 4.
Siragusa, who stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 318 pounds, received a guarantee worth $621,428, including a $621,428 signing bonus. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
SDSU head coach Rocky Long said he expects Siragusa to be a hit in the Ravens locker room given his welcoming, jolly disposition.
With Jefferson and Siragusa in the fold, it appears a win-win situation for the Ravens.
Big Men on Campus
Hilltop will host a lineman skills competition on Wednesday, July 26, as a benefit fundraiser for assistant coach Jonathan Molina, who is battling cancer.
The event starts at 4:30 p.m. A hot dog eating contest will determine the winning team.
