Airo and Prime Time Polynesian Teaming for Never Before Offered Scholastic 7v7 and 5v5 Championships

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

A big change to the way high school football will be conducted year round going forward is already under way. Off-season 7-on-7 tournaments are a big part of the maturation of skill position high school players nationwide. But most 7-on-7 teams are comprised of all-star squads pairing players from all over together forming the best team possible. The growth of the players on the field cannot be diminished but one aspect of the game is lost, continuity with high school teammates. All of that is about to change with a big wrinkle added for the big guys up front.

The off-season 7-on-7 tournaments typically highlights quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends, and receivers on offense and linebackers, corners, and safeties on defense. Lost in the shuffle have been the offensive and defensive lineman. A simple but brilliant pairing and idea between Airo 7v7 and Prime Time Polynesian (PTP) 5v5 will now allow for full high school squads to build team chemistry year around at events across the country.

In years past, offensive and defensive linemen, if included at any event, were relegated to flipping tires, lifting weights, and tug-of-war contests taking on a strongest team mentality leaving the fundamentals of the game at home. That is no longer the case. The new platform that has never been done before put forth by Airo and PTP in joint sanctioned events will now highlight the skill players and linemen together in separate scholastic competitions that will pay dividends during the regular season.

When asked why there is a need for linemen at off-season 5v5 events, PTP spokesman Pen Talamaivao gave a clear answer, “Lineman should have a platform that showcases their abilities at a state and national level where they can achieve success as an individual and or as a team and be recognized by their peers, coaches, and colleges.”

Airo co-owner David Menard spoke about the addition of PTP 5v5 competition with Airo’s already wildly popular national 7v7 tournament platform adding, “The linemen have been left behind. Teams cannot win a game without their offensive and defensive lineman. They are a crucial piece of the team. We are bridging that gap allowing coaches and players to stay together for 7v7 and 5v5 tournaments. The squads play for two separate state championships but they are there together. We believe that during the second season that is when championship teams are formed.”

The 5v5 competition had a very successful test run in California the weekend of March 18th at Wilson High School in the Los Angeles area. The PTP Battle of the Trenches featured 16 teams with the winner of the first 5v5 competition ever being claimed by Mater Dei High School, a California powerhouse squad out of Orange County. The competition allows for each lineman to square off against the opposition in a one-on-one format against a clock building cumulative points towards the title for a would-be sack or keeping the pocket safe with technique added to the equation. After a 20 minute battle, the winner advances to the next round.

One of the teams competing at Wilson High School in the inaugural PTP 5v5 event was Norco High School. After the competition was over, Norco offensive line coach Charlie Weinkauf was blown away by the event stating, “As a high school offensive line coach and former offensive lineman myself, I know how the men up front with their hand in the dirt can more times than not be overlooked. There has never been a way for them to test their skills against others during the off-season until now with the 5v5 Trench Battle Linemen Tournament. When my boys approached me with the PTP competition flyer a few weeks back and told me they want to compete, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I wanted them to feel a sense of pride in all of the hard work that they have been putting in this off-season.”

Coach Weinkauf went on to add, “The tournament format brought an atmosphere second to none. It was intense, fun, and educational for all. For the first time there is a day were linemen can be the center of attention and spectators can witness the grit and tenacity of the men up front. After the tournament was over I mentioned to them about the Battle 5v5 Linemen Tournament State Championship and that was enough – they were all in agreement that we were going to compete again.”

Airo 7v7 tournaments are already a national success fielding 500-plus scholastic teams during the second season in 2016. The addition of the 5v5 competition with Airo’s 7v7 current success is expected to change high school football off-season programs for the better going forward. For high school coaches and players excited about the new format, the 2017 lineup includes two states, Florida and California, with the championship being held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Commenting on the opening event success, Airo West Coast spokesperson Paul Rodriguez stated, “We are giving birth to it in California but we are excited about the expansion of the tournaments in 2018.”

The expansion of the statewide California 7v7 and 5v5 competition is scheduled to start in Los Angeles on May 6 at California High School with Fresno, Sacramento, and Thousand Oaks regional tournaments. If sign-ups are any indication of what is to come, California is already a success with 128 high school squads scheduled to play. The same can be said for the Florida statewide tournaments beginning in Hollywood on April 9. With two other regional tournaments, in Jacksonville and Kissimmee, 96 Florida high school teams are already onboard.

For parents and coaches with junior high kids interested in the 7v7 or 5v5 format, there is also a Rising Stars level of competition.

Click the links for more information on national Airo 7v7 tournaments and PTP Trench Battle Championships.

Florida 5v5 and 7v7 Dates and Locations

South Region – April 9 in Hollywood at McArthur High School

North Region – April 23 in Jacksonville at Normandy Park

Central Region – June 10 in Kissimmee at Austin-Tindall Park

State Championship – June 11 in Kissimmee at Austin-Tindall Park

California Airo 7v7 and PTP 5v5 Dates and Locations

Los Angeles Regional – May 6 at California High School in Whitter

Fresno Regional – May 13 at Sunnyside High School in Fresno

Sacramento Regional – May 20 at Monterey High School in Elk Grove

Thousand Oaks Regional – May 27 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks

California State Championship – May 29 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks

National Championship

July 15-16 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio

 

Photo credit: PTPSports.net; Mater Dei High School 5v5 Champs.