Lakewood Cougars will hold annual passing tournament

The 12th Annual Cougars Championship Passing Tournament and Lineman Challenge will be held on July 27.

The Cougars’ 7-on-7 tournament has become one of the biggest offseason football events in the area as they bring in some of the biggest schools in Washington to compete. The competition will be held at Lakewood High School, with the games starting at 9 a.m. and lasting until the evening with the final championship game. The cost of team entry will be a $325 fee and include both the Passing Tournament and Lineman Challenge.

“It’s been really fun to watch this grow from only five schools in the first year to over 20 schools now. We count on a ton of volunteers that help us out and we wouldn’t be able to do it without all of their help. It brings pride to our community because as a small 2A school we are able to bring some of the biggest schools in the state to compete here,” said Lakewood Head Coach Dan Teeter.

One of the separating factors of the tournament is that it requires the use of helmets and mouthguards in order to prevent injuries. This is a positive feature in preparing to play with limited vision as well as taking into account head trauma.

Each game throughout the day will be setup into a 36-minute running clock, two 18-minute halves, and will be settled in overtime in a Kansas City Tie Breaker format. The tournament will be set up as a round-robin where each team is placed into four-team divisions. The results of the three games will determine seeding into both the championship and consolation brackets.

“I think this tournament allows them to come out to learn the schemes, work on timing and we get to see them compete. I don’t care if they are competing in baseball, basketball or any other sport; as long as they are working together and developing that chemistry then I support it. It’s all about working to become a better athlete in order to get ready for the fall,” said Coach Teeter.

The Cougars also developed the Linemen Challenge that allows the offensive and defensive linemen to compete for a trophy. The events include a tug-of-war, bench competition at 185 lbs., a tire-flip relay and more.

If you are looking for more information or want to register you can contact Dan Teeter at [email protected].